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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (ゼルダの伝説 ムジュラの仮面) is a 2000 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was the second The Legend of Zelda game to use 3D graphics, following Ocarina of Time (1998). Designed by a creative team led by Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto, Majora's Mask was completed in less than two years. It features enhanced graphics and several gameplay changes, but reuses elements and character models from Ocarina of Time, which the game's creators called a creative decision made necessary by time constraints.

The story takes place months after Ocarina of Time. Link arrives in a parallel world, Termina, and becomes embroiled in a quest to prevent the moon from crashing in three days' time. The game introduces gameplay concepts revolving around a perpetually repeating three-day cycle and the use of various masks that transform Link into different forms. As the player progresses through the game, Link learns to play numerous melodies on his ocarina, which allow him to control the flow of time, open hidden passages, or manipulate the environment. Characteristic of the Zelda series, completion of the game involves successfully navigating through several dungeons that contain complex puzzles and enemies. Majora's Mask requires the Expansion Pak add-on for the Nintendo 64, which provides additional memory for more refined graphics and greater capacity in generating on-screen characters.

Majora's Mask earned universal acclaim from critics and is widely considered one of the best video games ever made. It received praise for its level design, story, and surrealist art direction, and has been noted for its darker tone and themes compared to other Nintendo titles. While the game only sold about half as many copies as its predecessor, it generated a substantial cult following. The game was rereleased as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition for the GameCube in 2003, and for the online services of the Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. An enhanced remake for the Nintendo 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, was released in 2015.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Majora's Mask expands on that of Ocarina of Time, the first game in the series to use three-dimensional (3D) environments. Players control the on-screen character, Link, from a third-person perspective to explore dungeons, solve puzzles, and fight monsters. As in previous titles, Link can perform basic actions such as walking, running, and context-based jumping, and must use items to navigate the environment. Majora's Mask also introduces new gameplay elements including character transformations and a three-day cycle. In addition to wielding a sword, Link can block or reflect attacks with a shield, stun enemies by throwing Deku Nuts, attack from a distance with a bow and arrow, and use bombs to destroy obstacles and damage enemies. He can also latch onto distant objects or paralyze enemies with the Hookshot. Similar to other games in the series, the player must progress through a variety of dungeons, which include numerous puzzles that the player needs to solve. Dungeons also contain optional puzzles that award collectible fairies, which grant the player additional abilities when all are gathered.

Masks and transformations
Whereas the masks in Ocarina of Time are limited to an optional sidequest, they play a central role in Majora's Mask, which has twenty-four masks in total. Using the three primary masks, Link can transform himself at will into different creatures: a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora. Each form features unique abilities: Deku Link can perform a spin attack, shoot bubbles, skip on water, and fly for a short time by launching from Deku Flowers; Goron Link can roll at high speeds, punch with deadly force, pound the ground with his massive, rock-like body, and walk in lava without taking damage; Zora Link can swim faster, throw boomerang-like fins from his arms, generate an electric force field, and walk on the bottoms of bodies of water. Some areas can only be accessed by use of these abilities. Link and his three transformations receive different reactions from other characters which is key to solving certain puzzles. For instance, Goron and Zora Link can exit Clock Town at will, but town guards do not permit Deku Link to leave due to his childlike appearance.

Other masks provide situational benefits without transforming Link. For example, the Great Fairy's Mask helps locate stray fairies in the four temples, the Bunny Hood increases Link's movement speed, and the Stone Mask renders Link invisible to most enemies. Certain masks are involved only in sidequests or specialized situations. Examples include the Postman's Hat, which grants Link access to items in mailboxes, and Kafei's Mask, which initiates a long sidequest to locate a missing person.

Three-day cycle
Majora's Mask revolves around a three-day cycle (about 54 minutes in real time), in which non-player characters and events follow a predictable schedule. An on-screen clock tracks the day and time. Players may save their game and return to 6:00 AM of the first day by playing the Song of Time. Players must use knowledge accumulated from previous cycles to solve puzzles, complete quests, and unlock dungeons related to the main story. Although returning to the first day resets most quests and character interactions, Link retains weapons, equipment, masks, learned songs, and proof of dungeon completion. Link may slow down time by playing the Inverted Song of Time or skip to the next morning or evening using the Song of Double Time. Owl statues scattered across major areas of the world allow players to temporarily save their progress after activation and also provide warp points to quickly navigate the world using the Song of Soaring.

Other uses for music include manipulating the weather, calling Link's horse, and unlocking the four dungeons. Each transformation mask uses a different instrument: Deku Link plays the multi-horned "Deku Pipes", Goron Link plays a set of bongo drums tied around his waist, and Zora Link plays a guitar made from a large fish skeleton. Jackson Guitars created a limited edition 7-string guitar in this style that was the grand prize in a contest in Nintendo Power, known as the "Jackson Zoraxe".

During the three-day cycle, Link tracks characters' fixed schedules using the Bombers' Notebook. The notebook lists twenty characters in need of aid, such as a soldier who needs medicine and an affianced couple estranged by Skull Kid's mischief. Blue bars on the notebook's timeline indicate when characters are available for interaction, and icons indicate that Link has received items, such as masks, from the characters.

Setting and characters
Majora's Mask is set in Termina, an alternate version of Hyrule which is the main setting of most Zelda games. Termina is depicted as a darker, more unsettling version of Hyrule, in which landmarks are familiar but twisted and minor characters who previously appeared in Ocarina of Time are presented with individual stories of misfortune. In the skies above Termina, a grimacing moon threatens to crash and obliterate all life. It is predicted to impact on the eve of the Carnival of Time, an annual harvest festival that begins in three days. Despite the looming threat, the various peoples of Termina are preoccupied by their own respective troubles. In the center of Termina, the people of Clock Town endlessly debate evacuating the city or continuing to prepare for the festival, the failure of which would be devastating to the economy.

Story
Majora's Mask begins several months after Ocarina of Time. Link seeks his fairy, Navi, who departed after the events of the previous game. During his search, he is ambushed by a Skull Kid wearing a mysterious mask and his two fairy companions, the siblings Tatl and Tael. They steal both his horse, Epona, and the Ocarina of Time. Link pursues them and falls into a trap; Skull Kid curses Link, transforming him into a Deku Scrub, but inadvertently leaves Tatl behind. With no other choice, Tatl guides Link to Clock Town. They meet the Happy Mask Salesman, who pressures Link into recovering the mask that Skull Kid stole, promising to break the curse if he succeeds. After three days, Link manages to locate Skull Kid and retrieve the Ocarina of Time but fails to get the mask. As the moon nears impact, Tael instructs Link to awaken the Four Giants, Termina's guardian deities. Link plays the Song of Time and miraculously returns to the day he first set foot in Termina.

Mistakenly believing that Link recovered the mask, the Happy Mask Salesman breaks Link's curse. He soon discovers that Link failed and flies into a rage. He explains that Skull Kid's mask is Majora's Mask, which contains a powerful evil that can bring about the end of days. After he collects himself, the Happy Mask Salesman dispatches Link to retrieve Majora's Mask. Link embarks on his quest by going to the regions that Tael mentioned: Woodfall, Snowhead, the Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon. Link learns that the four locations are afflicted by Majora's magic. In Woodfall, the swamp is poisoned and the Deku princess was kidnapped. Snowhead has been suffering an eternal winter, driving the Gorons to starvation. Great Bay's waters have been contaminated, turning its creatures into monsters. In Ikana, inhabitants are terrorized by a plague that brings the dead back to life. Through his travels, Link learns that Skull Kid cursed the land as revenge for feeling abandoned by his Giant friends when they became Termina's guardians. Tatl and Tael befriended the lonely Skull Kid and accompanied him in the mischief that led to his theft of the mask, which has been corrupting him ever since. Under the mask's influence, Skull Kid forced the moon on a collision course with Termina.

Across numerous time loops, Link liberates the Giants and summons them on the eve of the Carnival. They manage to halt the moon's descent but Majora's Mask comes alive and possesses the moon itself, abandoning Skull Kid. Link confronts Majora's Mask inside the moon and defeats it. Link, the fairies, and the Giants all make amends with Skull Kid, while the Happy Mask Salesman recovers the now powerless Majora's Mask. The Carnival of Time begins with celebrations based on Link's accomplishments. In a nearby forest, Skull Kid draws himself with Link and his friends on a tree stump.

Development
Whereas Ocarina of Time needed five years since the previous entry in the series, Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask was released on a much shorter timetable. The game was developed by a team led by Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto, with Miyamoto primarily in a supervisory role. It was initially conceived as a remixed "Ura" edition of Ocarina of Time for the disc-based 64DD peripheral for Nintendo 64. Aonuma, who had been in charge of dungeons for Ocarina of Time, was unenthused about simply redesigning them for Ura Zelda so Miyamoto challenged his team to create a new game using the existing game engine and graphics in just one year. By reusing game assets, the smaller team was able to finish Majora's Mask in 15 months. The aggressive development schedule resulted in a great deal of 'crunch'—mandatory overtime—and the writers expressed their frustration by inserting complaints about overwork into the script. Another team finished Ura Zelda, but it never came out on the 64DD, which was a commercial failure in Japan and was not released outside its home country. It was later officially titled Ocarina of Time: Master Quest and packaged with pre-ordered copies of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for GameCube.

According to Aonuma, the development team grappled with the question of what kind of game would follow in the wake of Ocarina of Time 's success. Aonuma recruited Koizumi, who was designing a repeatable "cops-and-robbers" game that would allow players to have a different experience each time they played it. Together, they adapted Koizumi's game into the three-day system to "make the game data more compact while still providing deep gameplay". Early in development, this system originally rewound a week, but it was shorted as seven days was deemed too burdensome for players to remember and too complex to create in one year. Aonuma cited the 1998 film Run Lola Run as inspiration for the time loop concept. Miyamoto and Koizumi came up with the story that served as the basis for the script written by Mitsuhiro Takano. Koizumi said the idea for the moon falling came from one of his dreams. Art director Takaya Imamura said that the name "Majora" was a portmanteau of his own surname and "jura", from one of his favorite films, Jurassic Park. Reflecting on the game's mature and melancholy tone, Aonuma felt that players of Ocarina of Time had grown up somewhat and could be motivated by different emotions like sadness and regret. The game's signature sidequest, the Anju and Kafei wedding quest, was intended to highlight the contrast between a joyous occasion and the impending cataclysm. In addition to saving time, the reuse of character models from Ocarina of Time allowed the team to recontextualize them in the more sombre setting.

Majora's Mask first appeared in the media in May 1999, when Famitsu reported that a long-planned Zelda expansion for the 64DD was in development. It had a playable demo at the Nintendo Space World exhibition on August 27, 1999. The Space World demo included many elements from the final game, including the large clock that dominates the center of Clock Town, the timer at the bottom of the screen, and mask transformations. In November, Nintendo announced a "Holiday 2000" release date. The final title was announced in March 2000.

The game was supported by a $8 million marketing campaign.

Technical differences from Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask runs on an upgraded version of the engine used in Ocarina of Time and requires the use of the Nintendo 64's 4MB Expansion Pak, making it and Donkey Kong 64 the only two games that require the peripheral. IGN theorized this requirement is due to Majora's Mask's origins as a Nintendo 64DD game, which would necessitate an extra 4MB of RAM. The use of the Expansion Pak allows for greater draw distances, more accurate dynamic lighting, more detailed texture mapping and animation, complex framebuffer effects such as motion blur, and more characters displayed on-screen. This expanded draw distance allows the player to see much farther and eliminates the need for the fog effect and "cardboard panorama" seen in Ocarina of Time, which were used to obscure distant areas. IGN considered the texture design to be one of the best created for the Nintendo 64, saying that although some textures have a low resolution, they are "colorful and diverse", which gives each area "its own unique look".

Music
The music was written by longtime series composer Koji Kondo with contributions from Toru Minegishi. The soundtrack largely consists of reworked music from Ocarina of Time, complemented with other traditional Zelda music such as the "Overworld Theme" and new material. Kondo described the music as having "an exotic Chinese opera sound". As the three-day cycle progresses, the theme song of Clock Town changes between three variations, one for each day. IGN related the shift in music to a shift in the game's atmosphere, saying that the quickened tempo of the Clock Town music on the second day conveys a sense of time passing quickly. The two-disc soundtrack was released in Japan on June 23, 2000, and features 112 tracks from the game.

Reception
In Japan, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask sold 601,542 copies by the end of 2000. In the United States, it was the fourth best-selling game of 2000 at 1,206,489 copies. In Europe, it was the eighth highest-grossing game of 2000. Overall, 3.36 million copies were sold worldwide for Nintendo 64.

Like its predecessor, Majora's Mask was lauded critically. The game holds a score of 95/100 on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 27 reviews. Many reviews compared it favorably with Ocarina of Time, which is often cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. Critics from the St. Petersburg Times, who previously called Ocarina of Time "the Gone With the Wind of video gaming", claimed Majora's Mask outdid its predecessor. Reviewers did not take issue with the reuse of game engine, control mechanics, and visual assets from Ocarina of Time;   Jes Bickham of GamesRadar said they were already "nigh-on perfect after all" and the recycling allowed the development team to concentrate on delivering new content.

Critics praised the game's signature three-day cycle, comparing it to the film Groundhog Day. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer called it "one of the most inventive premises in all of gaming", and also stated that "without question, Majora's Mask is the finest adventure the Nintendo 64 has to offer". Fran Mirabella III of IGN appreciated the way the time mechanics interacted with mask-based puzzles. Some critics found that the time restrictions made it one of the most challenging games in the series. The Famitsu reviewer suggested that the three-day cycle increased replay value. On the other hand, Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot felt that the cyclic structure put too much focus on minigames and sidequests.

Multiple outlets took note of its darker tone and story compared to other games in The Legend of Zelda series. Matt Casamassina of IGN described the game as "The Empire Strikes Back of Nintendo 64", making an analogy to the film's status as a more mature and sophisticated sequel to Star Wars. Edge magazine referred to Majora's Mask as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Zelda games". The GamePro reviewer characterized the story as "surreal and spooky, deep, and intriguing" and the game as "living proof that the N64 still has its magic". Johnny Liu of GameRevolution wrote that it "takes a little longer to get into this Zelda", but also that "there are moments when the game really hits you with all its intricacies and mysteries, and that makes it all worthwhile".

Majora's Mask was a runner-up for GameSpot's "Best Nintendo 64 Game" award, losing to Perfect Dark. It was also nominated for "Best Adventure Game" among console games. During the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Majora's Mask was honored with the "Console Action/Adventure" and "Game Design" awards; it also received nominations for "Console Game of the Year" and "Game of the Year".

Legacy
Majora's Mask makes consistent appearances on lists of the best games in the Zelda series, as well as the greatest games of all time. It has also placed highly in fan-voted polls. Critics have compared it favorably to its closest contemporary, Ocarina of Time. Writing for Polygon, Danielle Riendeau observed that Ocarina of Time provided the foundations for Majora's Mask to become the "most innovative" game in the series on a structural level. She commended the way it shifted the focus away from the "chosen hero" narrative common in the series to the myriad people that Link meets on his adventure, most of whom were given more compelling characterization than in Ocarina of Time. Tomas Franzese of Digital Trends saw Majora's Mask as the template for the way Tears of the Kingdom later retrofitted new mechanics onto the world of Breath of the Wild. Marty Sliva of The Escapist placed it in conversation with Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in the way it challenged series conventions.

Retrospective analyses of the game recognize its mature themes and complex time loop gameplay. Yahtzee Croshaw of The Escapist opined that its progress-resetting mechanics defied prevailing game design trends that prioritized player empowerment and a game of its type was unlikely to be repeated due to the conservatism of big-budget game development. Sliva identified the short development cycle and reuse of assets as a limitation that sparked the design team's creativity. Jonathan Holmes of Destructoid called Majora's Mask a game about "being a young adult", with all the responsibility and confusion that entails. He saw Link as an adult in a child's body who must step up when the other adults in the game fail to do so in the face of crisis. The existential horror of the falling moon is another common topic of analysis, providing both pathos and a prism to understand the themes of loneliness and forgiveness. Majora's Mask has been cited as a thematic and mechanical inspiration for games such as Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Outer Wilds, and Elsinore, among others. Author and literary critic Gabe Durham of Boss Fight Books has also observed the game's influence on films like Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow.

Ports and emulated releases
In 2003, Nintendo rereleased Majora's Mask on the GameCube as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, a special promotional disc which also contained three other The Legend of Zelda games and a twenty-minute demo of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This disc came bundled with a GameCube console, as part of a subscription offer to Nintendo Power magazine, or through Nintendo's official website. The Collector's Edition was also available through the Club Nintendo reward program, with a bonus discount offered in 2004 with the purchase of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures during the month-long "Zelda Collection" campaign.

Similar to other GameCube rereleases, versions of the games featured in the Collector's Edition are emulations of the originals using GameCube hardware. The only differences are minor adjustments to button icons to resemble the buttons on the GameCube controller. Majora's Mask also boots with a disclaimer that some of the original sounds from the game may cause problems due to their emulation. Aside from these deliberate changes, GameSpot's Ricardo Torres found that the frame rate "appears choppier" and noted inconsistent audio. The GameCube version also features a slightly higher native resolution than its Nintendo 64 counterpart, as well as progressive scan.

Majora's Mask was released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in Europe and Australia on April 3, 2009, and Japan on April 7. It was later released in North America on May 18 and commemorated as the 300th Virtual Console game available for purchase in the region. During January 2012, Club Nintendo members could download Majora's Mask onto the Wii Console at a discount. A similar deal was offered at the discontinuation of Club Nintendo in 2015. The game was released for the Wii U's Virtual Console service in Europe on June 23, 2016 and in North America on November 24. Majora's Mask was released through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service on February 25, 2022.

Nintendo 3DS remake
After the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, a remake for the Nintendo 3DS, director Eiji Aonuma suggested that a Majora's Mask remake was dependent on interest and demand. Following this news, a fan campaign called "Operation Moonfall" was launched to demonstrate that demand. The campaign name is a reference to a similar fan-based movement, Operation Rainfall, set up to persuade Nintendo of America to localize a trio of role-playing games for the Wii. The petition reached 16,000 signatures after a week. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé acknowledged the campaign but said that the ultimate decision would be based on financial projections rather than a fan petition. Both Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and Miyamoto expressed interest in developing the remake.

The remake, titled The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, was released worldwide in February 2015. Like Ocarina of Time 3D before it, the remake features improved character models and stereoscopic 3D graphics, along with altered boss battles, an additional fishing minigame, and compatibility with the New Nintendo 3DS, particularly its second analog stick used for camera control. To update the game for modern audiences, Aonuma and the team at Grezzo compiled a list of gameplay moments that stuck out to them as unreasonable for players, colloquially dubbed the "what in the world" list. The game's release coincided with the launch of the New Nintendo 3DS system in North America and Europe. A special edition New Nintendo 3DS XL model was launched alongside the game, with the European release featuring a pin badge, double-sided poster, and steelbook case. The UK retailer Game offered a Majora's Mask-themed paperweight as a pre-order bonus for the standard edition of the game.

Cultural impact
Majora's Mask was the primary inspiration for the 2010s web serial Ben Drowned by Alexander D. Hall, which helped define the creepypasta genre of online storytelling. Building on the horror elements of the game, Ben Drowned is framed as an urban legend about a "haunted" Majora's Mask game cartridge that causes unexplainable events in-game and in the player's real life. Eric Van Allen of Kotaku compared it to a campfire story adapted for the digital age. Victor Luckerson of The Ringer attributed part of Majora's Mask's enduring cult following to its ambiguous themes, malleable and receptive to reinterpretations like Ben Drowned. Sliva considered Ben Drowned an inextricable part of the game's wider legacy.

Features based on Majora's Mask have also appeared in the Super Smash Bros. series. A stage based on the Great Bay appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Skull Kid appears as a computer-controlled Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Ultimate, while the Moon appears as an Assist Trophy in Ultimate as well. A Skull Kid-themed mask is available as customizable headgear to be worn by Mii characters in Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Ultimate.

Ember Lab made an animated short film called Terrible Fate in 2016, based on characters from Majora's Mask. The studio would later develop Kena: Bridge of Spirits as a "natural next step".

title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask


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Talk:Outkast

Grammy Performance Apology
I removed the statement that OutKast had apologized for their 2004 Grammy performance of "Hey Ya!" that was considered racist by some Native American groups. The reference cited only mentions an apology from CBS, and a web search has turned up nothing about one from the band, except for articles about people continuing to ask for one. Foetusized 12:54, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Rosa Parks Lawsuit
"In 1999, OutKast and LaFace Records were sued by Rosa Parks"

Based on the paragraph that follows it is not clear that Rosa Parks was ever really involved. Insert quote from Dick the butcher in Henry VI Part 2 Act 4, scene 4 71-78. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.57.109.180 (talk) 14:23, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

 * This makes no sense:
 * “In 2003, the Supreme Court turned down an appeal to overrule the lower court's decision. The judge ruled that the song was an "expressive work" and that it was protected by the First Amendment. The judge stated that there was a definite linkage between the song and Rosa Parks.”

 * The US Supreme Court? It is not a judge, as mentioned, and there could be no SCOTUS ruling if it turned down the appeal. Nicmart (talk) 03:14, 20 April 2020 (UTC)

 * The judge mentioned is the lower court judge in the initial (2001) ruling. I've reordered the section to clarify.

 * When updates on an appeal show up in the news, the articles typically state what happened with the appeal (in this case: denied) and then give a brief summary of the earlier decision. (e.g., "SCOTUS denied an appeal in the case of PMRC v. Melanie. The lower court ruling held that while 'Brand New Key' was loaded with sexual innuendo, little kids wouldn't 'get it' and Tipper should find a new hobby.") - Sum mer PhD v2.0 15:12, 20 April 2020 (UTC)

Meanings Behind Rosa Parks
"Other lyrics in the song relating to André meeting a woman on a bus have nothing to do with Parks: rather, they are probably a reference to Erykah Badu (his verse begins, "I met a gypsy and she hipped me to some life game" - Badu is famed for her head-wrap which could arguably be considered the trappings of a "gypsy" look; the verse continues by describing a conversation between André and the "gypsy" in which she sets him thinking about how his "favourite group ain't comin' wid it", which ties directly in to the song's predominant theme about a lack of creativity in mainstream hip hop, something OutKast are here to challenge)."

^^^ I'm more than sure Andre 3000 would be the last person to confuse African head wraps with gypsy clothing (I don't think they wear head wraps, lol). More likely this is just someone's opinion and can't be verified. However, if it can be verified, provide the citation and add it back. Richard Corey 20:39, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Um, the section about History doesn't make much sense. Can that be clairified?

Hip Hop Albums To Go Diamond
If im not mistaken, 2pac "All Eyez on Me", Eminem "Marshall Mathers LP" and Vanilla Ice "To the Extreme", are all hip hop albums ertified diamond but are not listed in the introduction?

 * Vanilla Ice sold 11 million, but I'm guessing that's worldwide, because I can't find diamond certification. You are right about the Marshall Mathers LP though, that has been certified platinum. All Eyez on Me hasn't officially been certified diamond, "only" 9 times platinum in 1998, but I'd be willing to make a small wager that it has sold enough in the US to warrant the certification. However, it is not official, hence it shouldn't be mentioned in this context. Same goes for Licence to Ill which was certified 9 times platinum back in 2001. I can see interest in both acts waning, but still being strong enough to sell fair amounts each year. Still, until they are certified, you can't really use them here. --62.142.194.125 19:47, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Additionally, one of 2Pacs many collections has also achieved the 9*platinum status, so that should be looked at too... --62.142.194.125 19:47, 10 July 2006 (UTC), again.

Ms. Jackson
Um, weren't these the guys who did "Ms. Jackson"? If so, seeing it's one of very few songs by black rappers that has been a crossover hit lately, it should be mentioned. --Robert Merkel 01:36 Jan 6, 2003 (UTC)
 * Done. Odd that we still don't have an article on Erykah Badu, though.  Gaps in wikipedia pop up periodically.  --KQ

The link at the end of the entry seems to be dead as of right now, I found a copy hosted @ rockthevote.com, (http://www.rockthevote.com/multimedia/candidates/clark.artv.affl.150k.mov), but I don't know how long that sort of thing will stay hosted there, until the end of the primaries, until the end of the 2004 election, etc. --AA 22:32 Dec 6, 2003 (UTC)

Anyone else think the Wes Clark story is a bit dated? CB

Capital "K"?
I don't think it's OutKast, isn't it just Outkast? Andre ( talk ) 00:12, Apr 1, 2005 (UTC)

No its OutKast

I just went out to the car and perused the liner notes for both Southernplayalisticaddilacmuzik and Aquemini (my copy of ATLiens is MIA). The group was officially founded as "OutKast" with the capital "K". Both spellings (captiol "K" and small "k") have been used officially since then: Andre and Big Boi tend to spell it with the capital "K", while the label tends to spell it with the lower-case "k" (BOTH spellings appear in the Aquemini liner notes). In addition, they're listed as "OutKast", not "Outkast", at both mtv.com and allmusic.com. --FuriousFreddy 03:59, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

The ATLiens cover says OutKast. I always liked the lowercase "k" better, but since I checked it out, I adjusted. (Rishi B 19:57, 23 August 2006 (UTC))

Should all instances of "Outkast" be changed to "OutKast" in the article or since as mentioned by FuriousFreddy, both spellings occur in a single album's liner notes, just leave the somewhat random use of "Outkast" and "OutKast" throughout the article? 68.3.23.223 (talk) 19:45, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

10 the Hard Way
I removed the 10 the Hard Way information, because I scoured the web and came to the conclusion that it really doesn't exist. Obviously, it isn't going to be released tomorrow - the line in question had its release date stated as June 10th. Anyone have any concrete, up to date info on a new OutKast album, other than the HBO soundtrack? --Gumbo T 20:52, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Then you must not have searched hard enough. It is their upcoming album's name. Please read MTV's MTV.com: 2005: A Look Ahead: One of the albums is a soundtrack to the Prohibition-era musical, and Big Boi has referred to the second, 10 the Hard Way, as a return-to-roots record, due in June. I'm reverting back to the previous revisions and blanking an article is consider vandalism. (referring to your blanking of someone's "10 the Hard Way" article if you don't like a certain article. Please refer to Votes for deletion. Thank you. --Chill Pill Bill 20:56, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Also, I reverting back the deletion of "My Life in Idlewild" because it seems will still be called that according to IMDB which is reliable. --Chill Pill Bill 20:59, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * I take that back. I guess it will not be called My Life in Idlewild. --Chill Pill Bill 21:12, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * I yanked the 10 the Hard Way information because the supposed release date is upon us with nary a promotion to be seen from anywhere. I considered the MTV info to be out of date, given this...anyway, good call, keeping the reference but leaving the release unspecified is a smarter idea.--Gumbo T 21:19, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

10 The Hard Way is scheduled to be released on August 23rd.

Oh, my gosh, 10 THE HARD WAY EXISTS! IT WILL EVENTUALLY BE RELEASED, BUT OUTKAST USUALLY MISSES THEIR DUE RELEASE DATES

Obviously, according to HMV, the album may not be released until October, that's why I changed it. Yeah, the waiting sucks. -- Mike Garcia | talk 15:22, July 29, 2005 (UTC)

The funny thing is that outkast already has the movie and the albums pretty much finished. They posted Dec. 2005 as a realease date for the album "Idlewild" on their official website. Then I read somwhere online it should be out befor april 06. I'm typing this in MAy and we havent seen it. I would not post release dates on an encyclopedia from unreliable web info and big boi talking about new stuff, because these sources are unreliable. We know these projects are in existance, but we dont know the release date. Let me copy and paste someting above to prove my point:10 The Hard Way is scheduled to be released on August 23rd. If anyone has any real information, please post it. --- April 22,2006

'Hip hop', 'sales', and 'fugees'
anyone else confused about the opening lines? The fugees are cited as the other biggest selling 'hip hop' artist, but arent counted as 'hip hop' when the album sales come around. They sold 18 million copies of 'the score' which is more than 'diamond' (10 million), so I can only assume it wasnt considered 'hip hop'.

 * The Score only sold six million copies in America, making it a six-times platinum album according to the RIAA. --FuriousFreddy 07:28, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

 * And globally? 85.226.122.222 16:47, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

 * RIAA certifications only count US sales. --FuriousFreddy 03:27, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

What do sales have to do with cultural classification? The Fugees are hip hop just as Outkast are hip hop. Richard Corey 18:56, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

Way too much uncited/unsourced material
I'm sure some of the marked comments can be verified, but need to have citations indicating what album ranking they appeared on, but much of what I marked is obvious POV, and needs to be removed or cited by reliable sources.---Jackel 18:10, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Somebody thought there should be a citation by the Stankonia section saying it was released to excellent reviews. But if you go to the Stankonia page, you can see seven reviews from respected sources, all of them very high. --Freepablo 07:15, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

 * I had added that, and have now removed it. Thanks. ---Jackel 15:28, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Rumors
Haven't they're been rumors about the group splitting up? I'm sure there's some source that officially makes this claim.--Torourkeus 22:11, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually Big Boi clears this up way back in "The way you move" on the Speakerboxxx album right at the beginning of the song. He says "Not clashin' not at all but see my n**** want to do a little actin." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.95.37.124 (talk) 16:08, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

Idlewild included???
Idlewild shows that Outkast is no longer rumored to be splitting up. Yet no mention of the album or the movie is being made. could someone more versed in wikipedia make this change? 66.41.200.130 16:15, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Picture
The picture currently on the page is supposed to have been deleted, so I found a new picture from npr.com and asked for permission to post it for one year. Just thought I'd leave this as a note to anyone having a problem with the current picture. Wikipedia's  False Prophet   holla at me   Improve Me 01:49, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Idlewild sells
It says gold, but on the Idlewild page it says sold 2 million —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.184.167.3 (talk) 17:31, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

 * Someone decided to mess with this and state "Outkast, 'one hit wonder' etc....". Let me be the first to say, they are not, and never were a one hit wonder. They have done more for the rap game than anyone else out there. Period.

 * While certainly not a 'one hit wonder' by my standards (I'm a fan), with a bold statement like They have done more for the rap game than anyone else out there followed by the arrogance of Period, you'll need to define 'done.' Public Enemy, for example, has 'done' at LEAST as much for hip-hop as OutKast. wbm (talk) 06:17, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Aqueminicvr.jpg
Image:Aqueminicvr.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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Fair use rationale for Image:Outkast-big-boi-and-dre-present.jpg
Image:Outkast-big-boi-and-dre-present.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 05:31, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Why is the title Outcast, when the band is clearly Outkast?
Can anyone explain this one to me? A wiki search of Outkast redirects to "Outcast (band)" which is stupid because it should be the other way around...

Smkohnstamm 04:42, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Hey Ya! date requested for front page
Click here. –thedemonhog talk • edits • box 00:00, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

ROSA PARKS
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress later called "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement".

ROSA PARKS WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 1,1913.DECEMBER 1,1995 IN MONGOMERY,ALABAMA,ROSA PARKS REFUSED TO OBEY BUS DRIVER JAMES BLAK'S ORDER THAT SHE GAVE UP HER SEAT TO MAKE ROOM FOR A WHITE PASSENGER.Her action was not the first of its kind: Irene Morgan, in 1946, and Sarah Louise Keys, in 1955, had won rulings before the Supreme Court and the Interstate Commerce Commission respectively in the area of interstate bus travel. But unlike these previous individual actions of civil disobedience, Parks' action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This movement turned Parks into an international icon of resistance to racial segregation and launched boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr. to national prominence in the civil rights movement. Parks eventually received honors ranging from the 1979 Spingarn Medal to a posthumous statue in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall.

At the time of her action, Parks was secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and had recently attended the Highlander Folk School, a Tennessee center for workers' rights and racial equality. Nonetheless, she took her action as a private citizen "tired of giving in". Although widely honored in later years for her action, she also suffered for it, losing her job as a seamstress in a local department store. Eventually, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she found similar work. From 1965 to 1988 she served as secretary and receptionist to African-American U.S. Representative John Conyers. After retirement from this position, she wrote an autobiography and lived a largely private life in Detroit. In her final years she suffered from dementia and became embroiled in a lawsuit filed on her behalf against American hip-hop duo OutKast. Her death was a front-page story in the United States' leading newspapers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.56.76.158 (talk) 19:56, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Mr. DJ
Please stop removing Mr. DJ from the list of members. He's the group's DJ, has been with the group and continues to be with the group both as DJ and producer since the first album. I'm not sure what qualifications you are using for "members" but if contributing musically to the creation of the group is the standard, then he should be listed. He's not an associated act. If this status has changed with the new album coming out, then he needs to be a "former member." If not, please leave him in the list. 205.219.133.1 (talk) 19:48, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Our qualifications are that a reliable outside source, like a magazine or newspaper, states that a person is a member. If you can find that source, it won't be reverted. -- w L <speak·check>

I have a great source. Read the liner notes of any album by Outkast. He's on them all. Seriously... I can't think of a better source then that. 205.219.133.1 (talk) 18:09, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Wow. You guys are seriously wrong. I mean, he's a part of the group. Quick! Go remove DJ Premiere from the Gangstarr page. And make sure you take Eric B. out of the Rakim page. Let's marginalize the entire DJ contribution to hip hop altogether. Great job, wikipedia. Never mind that I'm absolutely 100% correct and that the liner notes back me up (pick up Southernplayalistic for instance, or ATLiens to see what I mean). You're certainly correct and I am not. Outkast only has two members. What was "Wheelz of Steel" about again? It doesn't matter. Who produced a bunch of songs on several albums and has been with the guys since day one? It doesn't matter apparently. Color me impressed with your collective ignorance. Say... here's a crazy idea. One day, sit down and actually READ the liner notes from their albums. Why are there three people giving shout outs on the first record? Why are there photos of three people in the second one? Hmmm... Now, excuse me. I've got to go remove Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers page. Who cares what a bassist does anyway... 24.23.88.171 (talk) 12:10, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Oh... and make sure you remove his membership from the "Mr. DJ" page. Apparently whoever wrote that is laboring under the same well-informed delusion I am. 205.219.133.1 (talk) 13:40, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

In fact, let's read his page: ''"Raised on the southside of College Park, Georgia, Mr. DJ entered the music industry as a DJ for Atlanta-based hip-hop group OutKast. After touring with the group for a year, he began to focus more on production rather then deejaying. By sharpening his beat making skills, Mr. DJ got the opportunity to help produce OutKast's 1996 sophomore album ATLiens.[1] He later formed Earthtone 3 production group with Andre 3000 & Big Boi. Collectively, they produced roughly 90 percent of all the OutKast albums, except the groups first album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, produced entirely by Organized Noize.[2] In additon, Mr. DJ continued to DJ on every OutKast album, except Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which he mostly produced. To date, his most notable hits include "Da Art of Storytellin'", "Bombs Over Baghdad," and "Ms. Jackson." He is also a part of the Atlanta-based hip-hop/R&B/soul musical collective The Dungeon Family.

Mr. DJ has won two Grammy Awards, one in 2002 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson", and another in 2004 for Rap Album of the Year for his work on OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. In 2008, he started his own label, Camp David Records, with several new artists including Chinkie Brown and Shawty Redd. Public Relations Associate Keith Kemp was quoted as saying:

“ Camp David will be recognized as the premiere record label in music, as Mr. DJ and his artists produce cutting edge material that will cross cultural boundaries and send music to an unchartered level."''

I'm really struggling to imagine how you can read that and think he's not a member of the group. Do they give a grammy to "Best Rap Group" to people who are not in the group all the time or was this just an exception? Seriously... please, explain it to me. I want to understand where this narrow-minded foolishness is coming from. I'm putting him back in. Stop taking him out. Or take out everything from his page that indicates he is a member just for the sake of wikipedia's continuity. 205.219.133.1 (talk) 20:46, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Move?

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was move. Jafeluv (talk) 10:37, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

OutKast → Outkast —
 * Per MOS:CAPS. Also, a Google search reveals that both variations are used. Most importantly, the group's official website does not capitalize the "k". —  Σ  xplicit 19:31, 13 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Not that I oppose the move, but MOS has nothing to do with it. "OutKast" IS allowed because CamelCase is allowed. The only reason I don't oppose the move is because their official website appears to spell it "Outkast".  TJ   Spyke   23:44, 13 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Support — per above arguments. 「ɠu¹ɖяy」 ¤ • ¢ 21:41, 22 September 2009 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

No consensus to move. Vegaswikian (talk) 01:03, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Outkast → — It appears to me that for the longest time, the group was referred to as OutKast with the 'T' capitalized, and intentionally did so to emphasize the misspelling. All but one of the group's albums used capitalized font on the cover, and the one that didn't (ATLiens) has the K capitalized. I understand that the group's website, which doesn't seem to heavily involve the members at all, spells it Outkast, but one website related to the group should not be the single basis for shifting an entire name. It is referred to everywhere else on the site as being "OutKast". Before the title change on this site, all of the official music websites referred to the group as "OutKast".

In our last discussion regarding the name change, there was only a single vote (in the affirmative) before changing the page.

I also want to point out that I just went through much of the group's album's liner notes. In their three most recent albums ([excluding Idlewild which was written in all-caps] Stankonia, Big Boi & Dre Present...OutKast (their greatest hits album), and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below all refer to the group as "OutKast". I think this should be seriously taken into consideration when considering changing the name. JSelby (talk) 19:44, 16 June 2010 (UTC)

You are correct about other music references having a complete consensus in spelling it "OutKast" rather than "Outkast", and more importantly in the group's own album liner notes they are referred to as OutKast. The K certainly usually capitalized and with the exception of the website is capitalized in capacities in which the group would seem to have had input (and you are correct the group's input to the website is questionable). So I support the move BBonds (talk) 03:50, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

I support the move. —Preceding unsigned comment added by MasahiroHayamoto (talk • contribs) 08:57, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

 * Oppose- It may be one site, but it is also their official site. And what you said about the albums is wrong, they are written in all capitals. Should we change the article to all caps because of that? I don't think so. It is just an unnecessary stylization, and like with Kesha, Wikipedia articles aren't stylized. The fact that their website doesn't capitalize it shows that it isn't necessary to them either. --WikiDonn (talk) 21:22, 22 June 2010 (UTC)

No, look in their liner notes. They refer to the group as OutKast. Also, this vote is now closed I believe, since it has been 7 days. JSelby (talk) 20:38, 25 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Comment Renaming is not determined by a "vote", but by arguments put forward, and remains open until the discussion is closed by an administrator.  Don't try to bulldoze the proposal through: it is more important that we get the correct name, than that you "win the vote".  However, WikiDonn is wrong about stylization.  CamelCase is allowable if that is the more common form.  As set out at Manual of Style (trademarks), the nearest equivalent to this case, Trademarks in CamelCase are a judgment call. CamelCase may be used where it reflects general usage and makes the trademark more readable: OxyContin or Oxycontin—editor's choice.  So OutKast is specifically acceptable.  What needs to be determined is whether this is the normal useage in English prose.  Skinsmoke (talk) 05:46, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Alright, I wasn't trying to bully them in or anything like that. I just wasn't sure if Wikipedia automatically closed the vote or not after seven days, and I wanted to make it clear to anyone else who had wanted to vote. And by prose, do you mean general use of our language, or how the word "OutKast" is specifically used? JSelby (talk) 20:08, 26 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Comment By English prose, I mean how OutKast is used in whole sentences, not just lists of words.  Skinsmoke (talk) 06:02, 28 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Oppose. When this group is written about in newspapers, etc., no one ever capitalizes the K, as far as I can see. Maybe that just means I'm not reading media that is hip enough to be in the know. I don't read music magazines, for instance. Good Ol’factory (talk) 05:03, 30 June 2010 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Album of the year Grammy: "first and only for a hip hop group"
Wasn't Lauryn Hill the first, making Outkast the 2nd? (and definitely not the first and only). But maybe I missed something?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn_Hill

76.94.124.173 (talk) 22:30, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Now that the part about it being "The first" hip hop album of the year winner has been removed, this remaining mention of the 1999 Lauryn Hill win is out of context and should probably be removed.

Bazilisk (talk) 22:02, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

GA review?
Seems like this is good enough to be nominated for a GA? Anyone agree? Kaleidoscopic God (talk) 18:11, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 2 one external links on Outkast. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20090301055304/http://www.grounduphiphop.com:80/2007/07/11/andre-3000-reveals-a-solo-album-is-on-the-way/ to http://www.grounduphiphop.com/2007/07/11/andre-3000-reveals-a-solo-album-is-on-the-way/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110825055441/http://mauricegarland.com/2011/02/killer-mike-big-boi-and-pill-recording-album-together/ to http://mauricegarland.com/2011/02/killer-mike-big-boi-and-pill-recording-album-together/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 07:47, 30 January 2016 (UTC)

New primary photo
The current photo does not show the duo's faces and isn't a decent quality at all. It's also quite outdated, going back 15 years. The community might consider changing it to something more recent and better quality. Free.enchant (talk) 21:37, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
 * I agree. The current photo is rubbish. Snooganssnoogans (talk) 03:06, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

Legacy Section?
These guys were huge & pretty influential. You think we should include their legacy & some of the artists they've inspired? NotPlanningOnDoingMuch (talk) 19:41, 3 May 2022 (UTC) hey ya was there biggest hit — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lowry2001 (talk • contribs) 17:50, 29 September 2022 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Outkast


text:
Burqa

A burqa or a burka (برقع) is an enveloping outer garment worn by some Muslim women which fully covers the body and the face. Also known as a chadaree (چادري) or chaadar (Dari: چادر) in Afghanistan, or a paranja (паранджа́; пәрәнҗә) in Central Asia, the Arab version of the burqa is called the boshiya and is usually black. The term burqa is sometimes conflated with the niqāb even though, in more precise usage, the niqab is a face veil that leaves the eyes uncovered, while a burqa covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground, with a mesh screen which only allows the wearer to see in front of her.

The wearing of the burqa and other types of face veils have been attested to since pre-Islamic times. Face veiling has not been regarded as a religious requirement by most Islamic scholars, either in the past or the present. A minority of scholars in the Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) consider it to be obligatory for Muslim women when they are in the presence of non-related (i.e., non-) males. This is in order to prevent men from looking (perversely) at women. Additionally, this does not oblige men to wear eye-covering, but instead to lower their gaze. Women may wear the burqa for a number of reasons, including compulsion, as was the case during the Taliban's first rule of Afghanistan.

The following nations have fully or partially banned burqas: Austria, France, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Netherlands (in public schools, hospitals and on public transport), Germany (partial bans in some states), Italy (in some localities), Spain (in some localities of Catalonia), Russia (in the Stavropol Krai),  Luxembourg, Switzerland, Norway (in nurseries, public schools and universities), Canada (in the public workplace in Quebec), Gabon, Chad, Senegal, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon (in some localities), Niger (in some localities), Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan (in public schools), Turkey (in the judiciary, military and police), Kosovo (in public schools), Bosnia and Herzegovina (in courts and other legal institutions), Morocco (ban on manufacturing, marketing and sale), Tunisia (in public institutions), Egypt (in universities), Algeria (in the public workplace), and China (in Xinjiang).

Pre-Islamic use of the face veil
The face veil was originally part of women's dress among certain classes in the Byzantine Empire and was adopted into Muslim culture during the Arab conquest of the Middle East.

However, although Byzantine art before Islam commonly depicts women with veiled heads or covered hair, it does not depict women with veiled faces. In addition, the Greek geographer Strabo, writing in the 1st century AD, refers to some Persian women veiling their faces; and the early third-century Christian writer Tertullian clearly refers in his treatise The Veiling of Virgins to some "pagan" women of "Arabia" wearing a veil that covers not only their head but also the entire face. Clement of Alexandria commends the contemporary use of face coverings. There are also two Biblical references to the employment of covering face veils in Genesis 38:14 and Genesis 24:65, by Tamar and by Rebeccah, Judah and Abraham's daughters-in-law respectively. These primary sources show that some women in Persia veiled their faces long before Islam, Egypt, Arabia, ancient Israel veiled their faces long before Islam. In the case of Tamar, the Biblical text, 'When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; because she had covered her face' indicates customary, if not sacral, use of the face veil to accentuate rather than disguise sexuality.

Coptic Orthodox Christian women historically have worn dark-coloured full garments, along with a Christian head covering that included a veil to wear in public. Women who are unmarried wear white-coloured veils and married women wear black-coloured veils.

Face veiling in Islam
Despite legal requirements and prevalence in certain regions, most Islamic scholars and most contemporary Islamic jurists have agreed that Islam does not require women to cover their faces.

Scriptural sources
Although the Quran commands both men and women to behave modestly and contains no precise prescription for how women should dress, certain Quranic verses have been used in exegetical discussions of face veiling. Coming after a verse which instructs men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty, verse 24:31 instructs women to do the same, providing additional detail:

"Tell the believing women to lower their eyes, guard their private parts, and not display their charms except what is apparent outwardly, and cover their bosoms with their veils (, sing. ) and not to show their finery except to their husbands or their fathers or fathers-in-law [...]"

The verse goes on to list a number of other types of exempted males. Classical Quranic commentators differed in their interpretation of the phrase "except what is apparent outwardly". Some argued that it referred to face and hands, implying that these body parts need not be covered, while others disagreed.

Another passage, known as the "mantle verse" (33:59), has been interpreted as establishing women's security as a rationale for veiling:

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the women of the faithful, to draw their wraps (, sing. ) over them. They will thus be recognized and no harm will come to them. God is forgiving and kind."

Based on the context of the verse and early Islamic literature, this verse has been generally understood as establishing a way to protect the Muslim women from a hostile faction who had molested them on the streets of Medina, claiming that they confused them with slave girls.

Interestingly, a sahih hadith (authentic tradition) elaborates the circumstances under which the verse was revealed and attributes it to Umar ibn al-Khattab for taunting one of Muhammad's wives while she was on her way to address nature's call.

The exact nature of garments referred to in these verses, and, has been debated by traditional and modern scholars.

Islamic scholars who hold that face veiling is not obligatory also base this on a narration from one of the canonical hadith collections (sayings attributed to Muhammad), in which he tells Asma', the daughter of Abu Bakr: "O Asmaʿ, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this", pointing to her face and hands (Abū Dawūd, Book 32, Number 4092). According to Yusuf al-Qaradawi, traditional hadith scholars have not viewed this narration as providing proof on its own, because its recorded chain of transmission made them uncertain about its authenticity, but those who argued that face veiling is not required have used it as supporting evidence strengthened by other textual sources, such as those recording customary practice at the time of Muhammad and his companions.

Classical jurisprudence
When veiling was discussed in early Islamic jurisprudence beyond the context of prayer, it was generally considered an "issue of social status and physical safety". Later, during the medieval era, Islamic jurists began to devote more attention to the notion of (intimate parts) and the question of whether women should cover their faces. The majority opinion which emerged during that time, predominant among Maliki and Hanafi jurists, held that women should cover everything except their faces in public. In contrast, most medieval Hanbali and Shafi'i jurists counted a woman's face among the, concluding that it should be veiled, except for the eyes. The Hanbali jurist Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE) was an influential proponent of the latter view, while the Hanafi scholar Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani (d. 1197 CE) stressed that it was particularly important for a woman to leave her face and hands uncovered during everyday business dealing with men. There was a difference of opinion on this question within the legal schools. Thus, Yusuf al-Qaradawi quotes classical Shafi'i and Hanbali jurists stating that covering the face is not obligatory.

In the Shi'a Ja'fari school of, covering the face is not obligatory.

Salafi views
According to the Salafi point of view, it is obligatory for a woman to cover her entire body when in public or in presence of non-mahram men. Some interpretations say that a veil is not compulsory in front of blind men.

The Salafi scholar Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani wrote a book expounding his view that the face veil is not a binding obligation upon Muslim women, while he was a teacher at Islamic University of Madinah. His opponents within the Saudi establishment ensured that his contract with the university was allowed to lapse without renewal.

Reasons for wearing
Reasons for wearing a burqa vary. A woman may choose to wear it to express her piety, modesty, political views, and cultural views among other reasons. A woman may also wear a burqa on being forced to do so by law, as was in the case of Afghanistan during the first period of Taliban rule.

Cameroon
In July 2015, Cameroon's Far North Region banned Islamic face veils, including the burqa, after two female suicide bombers dressed in Islamic garments detonated themselves in Fotokol, killing 13. The ban is now active in five of the country's ten regions.

Chad
In June 2015, the full face veil was banned in Chad after veiled Boko Haram members disguised as women committed multiple suicide bombings in N'Djamena.

Republic of the Congo
In May 2015, the Republic of the Congo banned the face veil in order to counter Islamic extremism. The decision was announced by El Hadji Djibril Bopaka, the president of the country's Islamic High Council.

Gabon
In 2015, Gabon banned the face veil in order to counter Islamic extremism in public and places of work.

Morocco
The government distributed letters to businesses on 9 January 2017 declaring a ban on the sale, production and importation of burqas. The letters indicated that businesses were expected to clear their stock within 48 hours.

Afghanistan
The full Afghan chadaree covers the wearer's entire face except for a small region about the eyes, which is covered by a concealing net or grille. They are usually light blue in the Kabul area, white in the north in Mazar-i-Sharif and brown and green in Kandahar in the south.

Before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the chadaree was rarely worn in cities, especially Kabul. While they were in power, the Taliban required the wearing of a chadaree in public. Chadaree use in the remainder of Afghanistan is variable and was observed to be gradually declining in Kabul, until the city fell to the Taliban on 15 August 2021. Due to political instability in these areas, women who might not otherwise be inclined to wear the chadaree must do so as a matter of personal safety, according to Khalid Hanafi. The Taliban, immediately after re-taking Afghanistan, declared that while women may return to work, they must always wear the hijab while outside the house, while the chadaree was not mandatory. In May 2022 the Taliban issued a decree that all women in public must wear a chadaree.

China
In 2017, China banned the burqa in the Islamic area of Xinjiang.

India
Among the Muslim population in India (about 14.2% as of the 2011 census), the burqa (बुरक़ा, بُرقع) was formerly common in many areas, such as Old Delhi, for example. In Nizamuddin Basti, the obligation of a woman to wear a burqa is dependent on her age, according to a local informant: young, unmarried women or young, married women in their first years of marriage are required to wear the burqa. However, after this the husband usually decides if his wife should continue to wear a burqa. In addition, the Indian burqa is a slim black cloak different from the style worn in Afghanistan.

Israel
A group of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish women in Israel began to don the Burqa as a symbol of piety. Following its adoption by Bruria Keren, an Israeli religious leader who taught a strict interpretation of Jewish scripture to female adherents, an estimated 600 Jewish women started to wear the veil. Keren claimed to have adopted wearing the burqa to "save men from themselves. A man who sees a woman's body parts is sexually aroused, and this might cause him to commit sin. Even if he doesn't actually sin physically, his impure thoughts are sin in themselves." However, a rabbinical authority said "There is a real danger that by exaggerating, you are doing the opposite of what is intended [resulting in] severe transgressions in sexual matters," and issued an edict declaring burqa-wearing a sexual fetish, and as promiscuous as wearing too little.

According to The Jerusalem Post, in 2010, a Member of the Knesset intended to put forward a bill to "prohibit the wearing of a full-body and face covering for women. [The] bill would not differentiate between Muslims and Jews".

Sri Lanka
In April 2019, face-covering clothing was banned in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings by jihadists.

Syria
Syria is a Baathist state and discourages the wearing of hijab. Ghiyath Barakat, Syria's minister of higher education, announced that the government would ban students, teachers or staff from covering faces at universities, stating that the veils ran counter to "secular and academic principles of the country".

Tajikistan
In 2017 the government of Tajikistan passed a law requiring people to "stick to traditional national clothes and culture", which has been widely seen as an attempt to prevent women from wearing Islamic clothing, in particular the style of headscarf wrapped under the chin, in contrast to the traditional Tajik headscarf tied behind the head.

Austria
In 2017, a legal ban on face-covering clothing in public spaces was adopted by the Austrian parliament including Islamic face-covering garments. The government stated that accepting and respecting Austrian values is essential to the peaceful co-existence between the Austrian majority population and immigrants. The ban came into force on 1 October 2017 and carried a fine of 150 euros.

It is reported that there are 150 Austrian women who wear the burqa.

Belgium
On 29 April 2010, the lower house of parliament in Belgium passed a bill banning any clothing that would obscure the identity of the wearer in places like parks and in the street. The proposal was passed without dissent, and was then also passed by the Senate. BBC News estimated that only "around 30 women wear this kind of veil in Belgium, out of a Muslim population of around half a million." The ban came into effect in Belgium in July 2011. On 11 July 2017, the ban was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after having been challenged by two Muslim women who claimed their rights had been infringed.

Bulgaria
The Parliament of Bulgaria outlawed the wearing of any clothing "that partially or completely covers the face" in public places such as government offices, educational and cultural institutions, and places of public recreation, except for health or professional reasons from 30 September 2016. Anyone who violates the law is liable to a fine of up to 1,500 levs (US$860). The Muslim community makes up 15% of the Bulgarian population of 7.1 million.

Denmark
In Denmark, the burqa is often described as "oppressing women", and incompatible with Danish values.

In autumn 2017, the Danish government agreed to adopt a law prohibiting people to wear "attire and clothing masking the face in such a way that it impairs recognizability". A full ban on both niqabs and burqas was announced on 31 May 2018. The ban came into force on 1 August 2018 and carries a fine of 1000 DKK, then about 134 euro; repeat offenses are punishable with fines up to 10,000 DKK. The law targets all garments that cover the face, such as fake beards or balaclavas. Supporters of the ban claim that the ban facilitates integration of Muslims into Danish society, while Amnesty International claimed the ban violated women's rights. On the date the law came into force, a protest numbering 300-400 people was held in Copenhagen's Nørrebro district organised by Socialist Youth Front, Kvinder i Dialog and Party Rebels, with protesters wearing various head coverings including party masks.

France
Wearing the burqa has not been allowed in French public schools since 2004, when it was judged to be a religious symbol, similar to the Christian cross, and was outlawed for wear within schools as an application of an established 1905 law that prohibits students and staff from wearing any clearly visible religious symbols. The law relates to the time where the secular French state took over control of most schools from the Catholic Church; it does not apply to private or religious schools. This was followed on 22 June 2009, when the then-President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, said that burqas were "not welcome" in France, commenting that "In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity". The French National Assembly appointed 32 lawmakers from right- and left-wing parties to a six-month fact-finding mission to look at ways of restricting its use. On 26 January 2010, the commission reported that access to public services and public transport should be barred to those wearing the burqa. On 13 July 2010, the Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill banning burqas and niqabs.

On 14 September 2010, the French Senate overwhelmingly approved a ban on burqas in public, with the law becoming effective beginning on 11 April 2011. When the measure was sent in May to the parliament, it was stated that "Given the damage it produces on those rules which allow the life in community, ensure the dignity of the person and equality between sexes, this practice, even if it is voluntary, cannot be tolerated in any public place".

The ban is officially called "The bill to forbid concealing one's face in public". "It refers neither to Islam nor to veils. Officials insist the law against face-covering is not discriminatory because it would apply to everyone, not just Muslims. They cite a host of exceptions, including motorcycle helmets, or masks for health reasons, fencing, skiing or carnivals".

In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the French ban on burqa, accepting the argument of the French government that the law was based on "a certain idea of living together".

In 2022, France's top administrative court ruled against allowing body-covering "burkini" swimwear in public pools for religious reasons, arguing that it violates the principle of government neutrality toward religion.

Germany
In a 2016 speech, accepting her nomination for reelection, the German chancellor Angela Merkel called for banning the burqa in Germany "wherever legally possible", which was interpreted as support for the earlier proposal by Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière to outlaw full-face veils in public buildings. The announcement was seen as an attempt to counter public anger at Merkel's handling of the migrant crisis and electoral gains by the anti-immigration AfD party. In 2017, a legal ban on face-covering clothing for soldiers and state workers during work was approved by the German parliament. Also in 2017, a legal ban on face-covering clothing for car and truck drivers was approved by the German Ministry of Traffic. In July 2017 the state of Bavaria approved a ban on face-covering clothing for teachers, state workers and students at university and schools.

In August 2017, the state of Lower Saxony banned the burqa along with the niqab in public schools. This change in the law was prompted by a Muslim pupil in Osnabrück who wore the garment to school for years and refused to take it off. The law was instituted to prevent similar cases in the future following the completion of her schooling.

In July 2020, the state of Baden-Württemberg banned face-covering veils for pupils, an extension of the ban already in force for school staff.

Italy
In Italy, by an anti-terrorism law passed in 1975, it is forbidden to wear any dress that hides the face of a person. At that time, Italy was facing domestic (not Islam-related) terrorism. In May 2010, it was reported that a Tunisian woman was fined €500 for this offence.

Latvia
In 2016, it was wrongly claimed in foreign media that a legal ban of face-covering Islamic clothing was adopted by the Latvian parliament. After long public discussions draft legislation was approved by Latvian government on 22 August 2017; however, it was never adopted by the parliament as a law.

Malta
Malta has no restrictions on Islamic dressing such as the veil (hijab) nor the full face veil (burqa and/or niqab) but strictly speaking face covering is illegal. An official ban on face covering for religious reasons is ambiguous. It is guaranteed that individuals are allowed to wear as they wish at their private homes and at the Mosque. Imam El Sadi stated his belief that banning of the niqab and the burka "offends Muslim women". Elsadi said that the Malteses' attitude towards Muslim women is positive and, despite cultural clashes, they tolerate the dressing. Some Muslim women share the belief that it is sinful to be seen in public without veiling themselves; however, they are legally required to remove it when needed.

Netherlands
On 27 January 2012, a bill was agreed upon by the Dutch cabinet, banning any clothing that would hide the wearer's identity, with potential fines for wearing a burqa in public going up to 380 euros. However, it did not pass in Parliament. In October 2012, this law was mitigated by the succeeding cabinet to pertain only to public transport, health care, education and government buildings, rather than all public spaces.

On 22 May 2015, a bill was agreed upon by the Dutch cabinet, banning wearing a burqa in public places. Public places would have included public transportation, educational institutes, public health institutes, and government buildings. In the courtroom, a burqa or a niqab could not be worn, with both allowed in public spaces. Police officers could have requested one to remove face-covering clothing for identification purposes. There were exceptions, such as during carnival or other festivities, and when face-covering clothing was necessary as a sports or job requirement. Opposition party D66 commented on the burqa abolishment as tokenism, while PVV labelled the ban unsatisfactory. Minister of Internal Affairs, Plasterk, has stated that setting a norm is important.

The May 2015 bill did not pass either, but a new bill was proposed in November 2015, which was eventually made into law. On 26 June 2018, a partial ban on face covering (including burqas) on public transport and in buildings and associated yards of educational institutions, governmental institutions and healthcare institutions was enacted, with a number of exceptions. From 1 August 2019 a national burka ban was introduced in the Netherlands.

, 200-400 Dutch women were believed to wear a burqa or niqab.

Norway
In June 2018, the parliament of Norway passed a bill banning clothing covering the face at educational institutions as well as daycare centres, which included face-covering Islamic veils. The prohibition applies to pupils and staff alike.

Sweden
In December 2019, the municipality of Skurup banned Islamic veils in educational institutions. Earlier, the municipality of Staffanstorp approved a similar ban. The ban was overturned by the Supreme Administrative Court in December 2022 since it was deemed to be a violation religious freedoms as defined in the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression.

In 2012, a poll by Uppsala University found that Swedes responded that face-covering Islamic veils are either completely unacceptable or fairly unacceptable, 85% for the burqa and 81% for the niqab. The researchers noted these figures represented a compact resistance to the face-covering veil by the population of Sweden.

Switzerland
The burqa was outlawed in the canton of Ticino after a citizen initiative to hold a referendum. With 65% in favour of a ban, it was ruled that the ban was constitutional, and took effect in July 2016. Those who violate the law face a fine of up to CHF 10,000.

In September 2018, a ban on face-covering veils was approved with a 67% vote in favour in the canton of St. Gallen. The largest Islamic community organisation in Switzerland, the Islamic Central Council, recommended that Muslim women continue to cover their faces.

During the federal votation of the 7 March 2021 regarding the prohibition of face-covering, the Swiss people voted for the prohibition. The question submitted for the referendum was initiated from a right-wing political group affiliated with the Swiss People's Party. Although very few women in Switzerland actually wear a burqa or niqab, the proposition has been made with the intention to forbid these outfits in public spaces. 51.4% of the population participated in the vote, 51.2% of them agreed with the initiative.

United Kingdom
Face veils have caused debate in the United Kingdom. Former Labour party MP for Blackburn Jack Straw attracted controversy in 2006 after asking Muslim women from his constituency to remove any veils covering their faces during face-to-face constituency surgeries. Despite explaining to the media that a female staffer would remain in the room during any potential meeting, reaction was varied, with some Muslim groups saying that they understood his concerns, and others rejecting his request as prejudicial. A poll in 2011 indicated that 66 per cent of British people supported banning the burqa in all public places. However, a ban on burqas was ruled out by the Conservative government, and in 2018 Theresa May stated "we do not support a ban on the wearing of the veil in public".

Australia
In 2010, Australian Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi called for the burqa to be banned in Australia, branding it "un-Australian". The ban did not go ahead, but the debate about the burqa continues.

In 2011, Carnita Matthews of Sydney was sentenced to six months jail for making a statement accusing a police officer of attempting to forcibly lift her niqab, which news sources initially referred to incorrectly as a burqa. The officer had pulled her over for a random breath test and then ticketed her for a licence infringement. Matthews allegedly then submitted a signed complaint to a police station while wearing a niqab. Judge Clive Jeffreys overturned the conviction in June 2011, citing what he thought were differences between the signature on her license and that on the complaint. She then proceeded to seek legal costs. Matthews was subsequently revealed to have a considerable record of unpaid fines and licence revocations that cast doubt on her character.

On 4 July 2011, New South Wales became the first Australian state to pass laws allowing police to demand that burqas (and other headgear such as motorcycle helmets) be removed when asking for identification.

In October 2014, the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra decreed that female visitors wearing a face covering would have to sit in the separated glassed-in areas of the public gallery normally reserved for schoolchildren. This was in response to a planned disruptive action by a political activist group. Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that he opposed this restriction. The decision was subsequently reversed.

In August 2017, Senator Pauline Hanson arrived at the Senate wearing a burqa in protest, calling for the garment to be banned. Following the incident, ReachTEL polled 2,832 Australians and found that 56.3% supported banning the wearing of the burqa in public places.

Quebec
On June 16, 2019, Bill 21 was passed which banned all religious symbols in the public sector for those in a position of authority i.e teachers, police officers, judges and lawyers amongst others. It also banned the face veil (niqab, burqa) when receiving public services. It has so far been upheld by the courts due to the passing of the notwithstanding clause.

title: Burqa


text:
Talk:Samuel Morse

Marston Morse: 5th or 6th cousin twice removed?
See Talk:Marston Morse. Thatsme314 (talk) 08:17, 5 June 2022 (UTC)

 * Please say either 5th or 6th, not both? Trump2024KState (talk) 17:14, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 12 April 2024 at 12:12
Trump2024KState (talk) 17:12, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. PianoDan (talk) 18:08, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

Chris Mullinix
Chris is a former coach of the Kansas State and Butler universities from 1996 to 2023, before stepping down in November of 2023. Trump2024KState (talk) 17:17, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
 * What does this have to do with the inventor of the telegraph? PianoDan (talk) 18:08, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Samuel Morse