Not OP but I do have a question in case anyone knows - in Saudi Arabia the women wear black and in Iran the women wear blue. Why don't women in Saudi Arabia wear blue? Wouldn't in be cooler? Is the color dictated by the government?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same reason Christian women wear pretty blouses but still cover their boobs.

PP from below. This is the correct answer, and I like it more than the more drawn out explanation I gave.

lol, thanks. Although it's not 100% identical. My Muslim relatives will remove their headscarves in their houses in front of dads and brothers and uncles, but Christians don't generally remove their shirts in front of these same types of relatives. But in public, it "feels" very similar, at least in my opinion it does.

I don't remove my shirt, but I'd definitely wear shapeless pj's without a bra that are more revealing (although not sexy) around close relatives. I won't wear strapless clothes, because I don't own them, but I'm not horrified if they see me going from the shower in just my towel, whereas I certainly wouldn't open the door to the plumber like that.

Anonymous wrote:I am not muslim however I believe it has to do with their hair, as it does in some Jewish sects.


I am catholic and I veil, it has everything to do with humility before the presence of God and nothing to do with modesty, so maybe it is a bit of that too, since the "big 3" religions are so intertwined.

Great question, I'll be interested in learning more!

Why? That went out with Vatican II

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same reason Christian women wear pretty blouses but still cover their boobs.

PP from below. This is the correct answer, and I like it more than the more drawn out explanation I gave.

lol, thanks. Although it's not 100% identical. My Muslim relatives will remove their headscarves in their houses in front of dads and brothers and uncles, but Christians don't generally remove their shirts in front of these same types of relatives. But in public, it "feels" very similar, at least in my opinion it does.

Yes, there is a standard for inside the house with family and outside the house. Perhaps a bit similar to the differences in standards in the West for different environments.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same reason Christian women wear pretty blouses but still cover their boobs.

PP from below. This is the correct answer, and I like it more than the more drawn out explanation I gave.

lol, thanks. Although it's not 100% identical. My Muslim relatives will remove their headscarves in their houses in front of dads and brothers and uncles, but Christians don't generally remove their shirts in front of these same types of relatives. But in public, it "feels" very similar, at least in my opinion it does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not muslim however I believe it has to do with their hair, as it does in some Jewish sects.


I am catholic and I veil, it has everything to do with humility before the presence of God and nothing to do with modesty, so maybe it is a bit of that too, since the "big 3" religions are so intertwined.

Great question, I'll be interested in learning more!

WHAT?

How old are you? The last time I saw someone Catholic "veil" was in my father's hometown in Italy. She was in her 80s.

I'm very curious about this too. I've only ever seen nuns veil here. I have veiled in churches in Russia and Rome but haven't seen it here.

Anonymous wrote:I am not muslim however I believe it has to do with their hair, as it does in some Jewish sects.


I am catholic and I veil, it has everything to do with humility before the presence of God and nothing to do with modesty, so maybe it is a bit of that too, since the "big 3" religions are so intertwined.

Great question, I'll be interested in learning more!

WHAT?

How old are you? The last time I saw someone Catholic "veil" was in my father's hometown in Italy. She was in her 80s.

Anonymous wrote:Same reason Christian women wear pretty blouses but still cover their boobs.

PP from below. This is the correct answer, and I like it more than the more drawn out explanation I gave.

Whoa! Over the top response. OP was under the impression that the hijab was worn to essentailly hide oneself. Thus, she is confused by an attention-getting one and is wondering if hijab is about something else.

Answer--it is about something else. It is about covering what the Quran refers to as "zeinat" or beautiful things. It is not really clear what this means, but some interpret it to mean your hair, body, arms and legs. Faces, hands, and feet are okay (but the more extreme versions in Islam would say those need to be covered too).

As long as you cover those things, your dress can be as sober or as garish as you wish, though, again, the more extreme forms of Islam would have every piece of clothing be black, or, as in Afghanistan, white or blue.

What the hijab is designed to cover can be compared to modesty codes in the West, but we are fine with more being uncovered. We also tend to have different standards for different venues--church and office are one thing, weekend wear another, and beach and resort yet another. Traditional Muslims, however, tend to employ the same modesty standards everywhere. That said, many Muslim women are perfectly fine with the Western modesty code.

Same reason Christian women wear pretty blouses but still cover their boobs.

Anonymous wrote:Christian here, who has a question.

My understanding of the hijab or other forms of scarves or clothing worn by some Muslim women is that they are supposed to be a sign of modesty to help draw attention away from their physical selves. Earlier today as I was at a red light a woman crossed the street in front of me wearing a hijab, however it was gold and sparkly with what looked from a short distance to be rhinestones or some other type of shiny ornamentation. I'm curious if anyone of the Muslim faith can explain to me why this would be, or if it conforms to some interpretations of Islam. I've seen women wear hijabs that are black or white but never something so attention-getting and colorful.

I don't mean this with disrespect but from a place of curiosity as I have no friends or colleagues that I'm close enough to that I'd feel comfortable asking.

If you aren't muslim what does it matter to you how they practice/interpret their faith. I know you stated you meant no disrespect but your post is kind of smug.

"You're an atheist how dare you have a christmas tree"

"You are a mulim woman how dare you look beautiful in your hijab"

I wonder if this would be allowed in one of the countries with a conservative Islamic government.

I don't wear hijab, and am not a Muslim, but I do see women in beautifully colored hijab pretty regularly. I guess I don't see it as different from other religions. For example, as a Christian, I probably wouldn't wear a strapless wedding dress. In fact, in a church, I'd probably choose something with sleeves, because I am not in the habit of exposing my cleavage at church. But that doesn't meant that I wouldn't choose a beautiful eye catching dress. I particularly like lace, but I don't have a religious objection to rhinestones or sparkly beading. I guess I don't have a problem with catching someone's eye, I just don't want to catch their eye with my boobs. I want people to say "what a beautiful bride", even if I don't want to look "sexy".

I just sort of assume that a Muslim woman, at least one who has made a choice to wear hijab with Western dress, might have no objection to looking beautiful, even if they don't want to look sexy. In their culture, a woman's hair is a very sensual body part, kind of like breasts in our culture, so they cover it.

I am not muslim however I believe it has to do with their hair, as it does in some Jewish sects.


I am catholic and I veil, it has everything to do with humility before the presence of God and nothing to do with modesty, so maybe it is a bit of that too, since the "big 3" religions are so intertwined.

Great question, I'll be interested in learning more!

Christian here, who has a question.

My understanding of the hijab or other forms of scarves or clothing worn by some Muslim women is that they are supposed to be a sign of modesty to help draw attention away from their physical selves. Earlier today as I was at a red light a woman crossed the street in front of me wearing a hijab, however it was gold and sparkly with what looked from a short distance to be rhinestones or some other type of shiny ornamentation. I'm curious if anyone of the Muslim faith can explain to me why this would be, or if it conforms to some interpretations of Islam. I've seen women wear hijabs that are black or white but never something so attention-getting and colorful.

I don't mean this with disrespect but from a place of curiosity as I have no friends or colleagues that I'm close enough to that I'd feel comfortable asking.