Al-Qubaysiat

"al-Qubaysiat" is a quasi-Sufi Islamic group that was founded by Munira al-Qubaysi in Syria and has spread into many other countries.Fact|date=June 2008 The group is for women only and is not involved in politics. It organized religious lessons in homes and has been instrumental in spreading religious sentiment among young women. It was banned in Syria until 2006, when the Syrian government gave its approval for this long-established movement to teach religion in mosques.

Members of the group are often identified by their distinctive style of dress, a hijab tied with a large knot under the chin, buttoned overcoats coming down the mid-shin level, and thick brown panty-hose. The color of the hijab and overcoat vary with the specific members rank, with members of higher rank wearing dark blue hijabs and overcoats and those lower rank wearing white hijabs and beige overcoats (those of intermediate rank often wear light-blue hijabs).

External links

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/world/middleeast/29syria.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Islamic Revival in Syria Is Led by Women, New York Times]