What are the facts behind the various head coverings and why Muslim women wear them?
Pauline Hanson says she might propose a ban on the burqa in certain public buildings in Queensland.
Ms Hanson says she has grand plans for her party in her home state of Queensland, claiming the major party politicians are too timid.
Misconceptions abound when the topic of Islamic headdresses is raised.
But a closer look reveals why, what and how Muslim women cover up is far more complex and it varies, depending on the cultural practices of individual countries.
Shakira Hussein is a researcher, author and honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute.
She says many people, even Muslims, believe there is a universal glossary defining what each head covering is, but that's not really the case.
Dr Hussein says the long robe covering a woman's face, sometimes with netting over the eyes, is often considered a burqa. But she says, in some countries, the word refers to a different item of Islamic dress.
"In Pakistan, that's actually called the shuttlecock burqa. The reason why it's referred to as a shuttlecock burqa is that there's other types of dress that are also referred to as being burqas and which, in parts of the Arab world, would be referred to as niqab," she said.
Ms Ihram, who converted to Islam 40 years ago, says most Muslim women make a conscious choice to wear the hijab, or another item of covering, but for a variety of reasons.
"For some women, though, it is an identification that they are on that path of spirituality. So, for a lot of women, they feel it's a really important thing to be able just to say, 'Look, I'm visibly a Muslim woman.'"
Ms Ihram says other women choose to wear the hijab to preserve their beauty for those they feel truly appreciate it, usually their husbands and families.
Professor Kevin Dunn, dean of Western Sydney University's school of social sciences and psychology, said it's certainly linked to cultures and an embracing of hijab-wearing as an identifier of both Muslimness but also affiliation to community and, therefore, generating a sense of community.
Professor Dunn says the head coverings arise out of an Islamic requirement for both men and women to dress modestly.
But he says the matter has become focused on women and the covering of their heads.
Professor Dunn says the cultures often determine the level of cover a woman needs to preserve her modesty.
In many countries, wearing Islamic head coverings is not considered compulsory for women.
But Silma Ihram says some countries and sects of Islam are more strict than others.
Ms Ihram says what many people do not know is men are also required to abide by certain standards of modesty in their clothing.
That includes covering themselves from the navel to the knees, sometimes with a long-sleeved ankle-length robe.
