A niqab is a garment worn by some Muslim women as part of an interpretation of hijab. It is a veil that covers the face, leaving only the eyes uncovered. The niqab is not mentioned in the Quran, which mandates only modest clothing for both men and women more generally. Muslim women who wear the niqab do so in places where they may encounter non-mahram (unrelated) men, and they wear it for cultural or religious reasons. The niqab is somewhat controversial in some parts of the world, but it is most often worn in its region of origin: the Arab countries of the Arabian Peninsula – Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates, where it is common and considered as culturally belonging to the region, though not compulsory.