An Iraqi girl wearing a headscarf

The word hijab is used in the Qur'an to denote a partition, or a curtain, but in modern usage often refers to a woman's headscarf. This is often done amongst Muslims for females over the age of puberty. For most Muslims, the headscarf, a symbol of hijab, is worn in the presence of adult males outside their immediate family; it is not necessary when females or males are within their immediate family. However, some Muslim scholars and activists maintain that the practice of covering the hair with a hijab is not mandated in Islam.