22:47 here. Wanted to thank you, Muslima, for your response. I am a person whose life experience/ cultural context makes me instantly bristle when I see the head coverings so it is very helpful to get a different perspective.

Does anyone really think the full burqa with the face covering and everything should be allowed in public in America?

A man couldn't cover himself head to toe and wear a mask, and not be given a hard time in public, not be banned from stores, etc.

I am more and more irritated at places like Tysons when these mountains of black go wafting around. We have no idea who is under there, if they have bombs strapped to them, and so on.

When a person's identity is completely concealed, it should not be tolerated in public. Do that shit in your own home.

Anonymous wrote:The question I have, at least, for Muslim women, is what is the purpose of being covered? What is the spiritual significance, what is the spiritual benefit?

There are a myriad of reasons why, but the easy, one sentence answer is, because they believe God has made it an obligation for believing women. Muslims believe that their sole purpose in life is the worship of God alone, according to His instructions, as revealed in the Holy Quran, and through the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). As such, wearing the hijab is an act of obedience to God and, hence, forms the primary basis for wearing it.In Islam, hijab is not demanded of women by men but is ordered upon women by the Merciful Ever-Living.

It is an outward symbol of an inward spiritual reality and aspiration. It is not a political flag for the Islamic state, it is not a sign of women’s subjugation to men, it is not a litmus test for religiosity, and it is not a measure of a woman’s piety, family background, ect . It is also important to note that though the term hijab is usually translated as "scarf" , it encompasses more than a scarf and more then a dress code. It is a term that denotes modest dressing and modest/good behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. The headscarf is an outer manifestation of an inner commitment to worshipping Allah , it symbolizes a commitment to piety. Self or inner morality is what gives meaning to the external scarf. This can be perceived from the overall demeanor of any Muslim woman, how she acts, dresses, speaks, and so on.

Hijab can also be for some a sign of great inner strength and fortitude. A woman wearing hijab becomes a very visible sign of Islam. While Muslim men can blend easily into any society, Muslim women are often put on the line, and forced to defend not only their decision to cover, but also their religion. Nevertheless, women who wear hijab insist that the advantages far outweigh any disadvantage conjured up by media bias or general ignorance.

Anonymous wrote:The question I have, at least, for Muslim women, is what is the purpose of being covered? What is the spiritual significance, what is the spiritual benefit?

Yes, I wonder this also.

I know a lot of Muslim women who don't cover their heads/hair unless they're traveling back to the Middle East and have no choice.

The question I have, at least, for Muslim women, is what is the purpose of being covered? What is the spiritual significance, what is the spiritual benefit?

I think Raquel Saraswati is one of the most beautiful women out there. And I respect her tremendously. Liberal, opinionated, strong.

I must admit, though, I don't get why she wears hijab while also wearing tons of makeup and jewelry. If the whole point of hijab is modesty and not calling attention to yourself, she blows that out of the water by purposefully looking good. Which again, is fine by me. I just feel it's a bit of a disconnect and I don't fully understand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's sort of sad how every thread related to Islam ultimately becomes a debate about headscarves. But I guess to many of us it is an interesting topic.

To me, it's somewhat upsetting that a religious observance involves covering a woman's head, of all things. Like, what is immodest or sexually appealing about a head of hair? Some women certainly have fabulous hair, but still....

When I see a family where the man is wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and the woman is covered head to toe, I can't help but believe that this particular belief creates a double standard and overemphasizes women's bodies as sexual objects. I'm not a huge fan of women of other religions wearing haircoverings and the like, either.=

It's just not Muslims who cover their heads, e.g.:



It doesn't really matter if it upsets you. There are bigger things to worry about in this world.

yeah
yeah
yeah

Orthodox and Hasidic Jews

same line of misogynistic thinking

Sofia Loren - known to wear scarves as an accessory

not FORCED to wear them

one of the most beautiful women in my opinion

Anonymous wrote:The problem is not the wearing of head scarves, it's when the wearing of it becomes legalistic. And then inch by inch becomes more and more legalistic with added restrictions.

The picture above is an adornment worn during a Hindu wedding, similar to some women wearing a veil to a Christian wedding. She doesn't wear it all time , she doesn't have to make sure not a single hair is peeping through, she doesn't have to make sure her neck is covered, etc. She also can wear it for a few hours and take it off. She can put it on again, with hair showing or no hair showing the next day if she feels like it. Wear it in the morning, take it off in the afternoon, it doesn't have to be all time.

Anonymous wrote:I know women who didn't cover in their home nation (Turkey), but cover here because they have the freedom to do so here and Turkey doesn't allow the hijab in schools and other public institutions.

ass backward

brainwashed

Anonymous wrote:It's sort of sad how every thread related to Islam ultimately becomes a debate about headscarves. But I guess to many of us it is an interesting topic.

To me, it's somewhat upsetting that a religious observance involves covering a woman's head, of all things. Like, what is immodest or sexually appealing about a head of hair? Some women certainly have fabulous hair, but still....

When I see a family where the man is wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and the woman is covered head to toe, I can't help but believe that this particular belief creates a double standard and overemphasizes women's bodies as sexual objects. I'm not a huge fan of women of other religions wearing haircoverings and the like, either.=

It's just not Muslims who cover their heads, e.g.:



It doesn't really matter if it upsets you. There are bigger things to worry about in this world.

I posted this, didn't realize i wasn't logged in...

Anonymous wrote:OMG, Get a Hobby, go volunteer, feed a hungry kid. Muslim women don't wake up everyday thinking about you, why are you so obsessed with us? You want to make a change? With epedemic levels of domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment of women, with the sexualisation of young girls and women and the lack of equality in the workplace , challenge how women are treated in the West, you can make a difference! Rise above the assumptions surrounding the Muslim woman’s dress and speak to any Muslim woman on the streets of DC, London, Paris, New York, Cairo, Karachi, Ankara, Tunis, and even Kabul.

This falsely engineered narrative of what Muslim women think of their dress should not be tolerated. Not only is it patronising, suggesting that millions of educated women who adorn these garments globally and are active within their societies are not able to think for themselves or study their religion independent of male influence but is also highly misogynistic. Oppression is not defined by a piece of material, but rather by a sickening of the heart and a weakening of the mind. Oppression grows in a society that is crumbling because its members have lost sight of the true purpose of their existence. The stereotypes and assumptions that portray all Muslim women as complacent and voiceless individuals are oppressive in and of themselves.



Muslim women will stay with their hijabs, burqas, niqabs and tchadors, they are not going anywhere, we certainly don't need to be rescued .Liberation is worshipping the Creator and not the created!~

OMG, Get a Hobby, go volunteer, feed a hungry kid. Muslim women don't wake up everyday thinking about you, why are you so obsessed with us? You want to make a change? With epedemic levels of domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment of women, with the sexualisation of young girls and women and the lack of equality in the workplace , challenge how women are treated in the West, you can make a difference! Rise above the assumptions surrounding the Muslim woman’s dress and speak to any Muslim woman on the streets of DC, London, Paris, New York, Cairo, Karachi, Ankara, Tunis, and even Kabul.

This falsely engineered narrative of what Muslim women think of their dress should not be tolerated. Not only is it patronising, suggesting that millions of educated women who adorn these garments globally and are active within their societies are not able to think for themselves or study their religion independent of male influence but is also highly misogynistic. Oppression is not defined by a piece of material, but rather by a sickening of the heart and a weakening of the mind. Oppression grows in a society that is crumbling because its members have lost sight of the true purpose of their existence. The stereotypes and assumptions that portray all Muslim women as complacent and voiceless individuals are oppressive in and of themselves.



Muslim women will stay with their hijabs, burqas, niqabs and tchadors, they are not going anywhere, we certainly don't need to be rescued .Liberation is worshipping the Creator and not the created!~

Anonymous wrote:It's sort of sad how every thread related to Islam ultimately becomes a debate about headscarves. But I guess to many of us it is an interesting topic.

To me, it's somewhat upsetting that a religious observance involves covering a woman's head, of all things. Like, what is immodest or sexually appealing about a head of hair? Some women certainly have fabulous hair, but still....

When I see a family where the man is wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and the woman is covered head to toe, I can't help but believe that this particular belief creates a double standard and overemphasizes women's bodies as sexual objects. I'm not a huge fan of women of other religions wearing haircoverings and the like, either.=

I married into a Muslim family. I find the separation of sexes for many things, like school, parties, etc., to be more problematic when it comes to creating sexual harassment problems. I think it's critical that girls and boys, and later men and women, work together and socialize together and not see every person of the opposite sex as a potential sexual mate. It's not so much the head scarves, in my opinion, as it is this separation. Headscarves are just one small element.

Most of my relatives in Egypt don't cover. My daughter decided to wear a head scarf here at age 15. I was NOT happy. Everyone in the family tried to talk her out of it. She stuck to her guns. So there is at least one Muslim woman on the planet who was not forced to wear it.