Activist Nazlin Umar has weighed in on whether or not women are obligated by Islam to put on the niqab. 

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According to Umar, the niqab is a cultural piece of clothing and not religious.

In a Facebook post, the self-described mother of the nation boldly claimed that it was un-Islamic. 

The significance of the niqab is still contested among Muslims with a section seeing it as mandatory for women while others seeing it as optional. 

Umar in her post says that the Quran does not allow women to cover their faces or hands. 

According to her, only the prophets' wives were obligated to don the niqab because they are the mothers of the ummah.

"Infact if i have to be bold about it, it is unislamic. At the advent of Islam, in the last phase of revelation through the last nabee Muhammad saw, high status christian women used it to segregate themselves from the public in a show of social class. In fact it contradicts Islams teachings as a woman's face and hands must show at all times says Allah and there should be no social class segregation (sic)," Umar says in the Facebook post.

"All women must be recognised wherever they are. This is a great rule as it is a control measure for those who may use the veil to abuse it. This is the teaching directly from Holy Quran. But Niqab was prescribed for The Holy Prophets wives. Because they are mother's of the ummah. Other women are not mothers of the ummah and should not pretend to be (sic)," she added.