Are Americans subconsciously afraid of Muslim women's dress?

Question

This is not intended to be insulting, just an honest question. Muslim cleric say that by wearing traditional islamic coverings, Muslim women can avoid getting raped. I think it's true because subconsciously Americans feel very uneasy when they see a Mulsim women covered up. What do you all think?

Answer 1

Maybe, but not in the way you describe.

Maybe "afraid" isn't the right word, but I does make me a little nervous. especially when I see American women who convert to Islam and start wearing them.

To me, covering your head/face is just a step in the wrong direction! Not that I like wearing skimpy clothing, but separating women so much from others makes them extremely dependent on their husbands! It's so limiting. These women can't get a job and support themselves.

You can't know why a rapist is going to pick who he does. Being covered up make women seem submissive, which might be appealing to a rapist.

But even if a covered up woman is less likely to be raped, is it worth it? I just think women shouldn't have to limit themselves so much because of what some idiot might do.

That Muslim cleric is an moron. Even his analogy makes no sense. "Do you blame the cats, or the meat?" How can you blame MEAT for something? Yeah, that meat just had a mind of its own.

Answer 2

As american I could really give a damn, burkas are not especially sexy or fashionable. But for the same reason we are uncomfortable in a bank when someone walks in wearing a ski mask we are not especially comfortable about being around anyone hiding their face.
It is noteworthy that traditionally muslim women are property and the men keep their property hidden and used only for their own purposes. Traditionally, any woman that allows herself to be seen by a man not her husband or male relative could be killed without penalty or explanation.
To each their own eh.
The australian Cleric is a neanderthal. Though a woman is less likely to be raped if it takes a hour or more to unwrap her, much to exhausting.

Answer 3

I'm not afraid, or "subconsciously" anything, about hijab. Here are my critiques, as a non-Muslim woman, of this practice, with the obvious disclaimer that I am speaking as someone outside that culture, looking in:

1. It's restrictive of movement, particularly in conservative Muslim societies like Afghanistan where women have to be completely covered, even their eyes, and look out at the world through a lace screen. What kind of a way is that to experience life? How can a woman forced to dress this way have a job involving physical labor, or participate in sports in a meaningful way? I have a friend whose daughter married a Muslim and who converted for him...one day my friend was giving her little grandchildren a shower, with the kids running around giggling in the bathroom, and the one little girl said, "Grandma, it's so nice to be able to RUN." Normally these children were covered head to foot in one of the more conservative forms of female dress, even though they were just little kids. My friend just started to cry, at the thought that her grandchildren couldn't be active, athletic little girls...that for them freedom was running circles in a bathroom.

2. It's a practice based on a sexist paradigm where women are considered dangerous objects of lust, and where pious men need to be protected from the sight of them. A cleric in Iran once even opined that women's unveiled hair gave off "lust rays" that lured men into sin, and claimed to have special "scientific proof" for this! This attitude oppresses men as well as women, by the way...it makes men out to be testosterone-ridden beasts who can't control their own behavior.

3. It assumes that rape is an act of sexual attraction, when rape is really an act of power -- it's a way to humiliate and degrade another human being.

Answer 4

Good question, I am a mexican ex catholic and no muslim in my country. Once I traveled to Egypt where most people wears...normal...but there was a night I was walking down the street and suddenly from out of the blue this muslim women came up all dress in black all face covered and of course that was freightening!

The thing is all that long and black dresses have another connotations in our western culture, they are some times related (by fairy tales or mithology) with dark stuff, death of just evil things...

I am a muslim now, but...if some one feels unconfortable about it I can totally understand...its a matter of culture.

Answer 5

I think that Americans feel uneasy around anything that is unusual in our society and the traditional Muslim dress for women is very unusual in an American society where media forces the idea on American women to show off as much skin as possible. So, no, Muslim dress does not scare Americans, it is just something that is unknown in our culture.

Answer 6

Yes, because it is a reminder that there are still some people in the world that view women as property, second class citizens and the cause of all shame and dishonor. I appreciate the pure ideology of Islam regarding women, but it has become perverted by some extremist groups into a culture that views women as subhuman. Many of these cultures also believe in female circumcision, and you'll just have to research that yourself to find out how horrific it can be.

Answer 7

No.

I disagree with that Australian cleric. But neither do I feel threatened by the Moslem dress. I can understand there are reasons for the djellibah, the dishdisheh, the thoub, the burkah, the hijab, etc.

I'm flexible. While I think we must learn as men to respect a woman's body, I also think there are advantages to covering it in public.

There is enough room on this great globe for both ways, that of the Moslem dress, and that of the guilt free nudity.

However, should we continue to destroy our ozone layer, contaminate our air, we may find more reason to cover up.

Answer 8

I don't believe it is because of rape, but you are right about many Americans having a problem with it. I've spoken to many people who have a completely irrational hatred of traditional Muslim women's dress. Personally I can't understand it, if the woman wants to dress that way then it's no ones business but her own.

Answer 9

short answer to your question is no they are not afraid of muslime women, actually the argument can be made that since they are so strict with sex that makes it a high probability for them to be virgins in that case i would think man would want to rape them more because they are virgins. I think the reason why people seen disatracted to them or even want to approach is because of that reason along, if you wear a vail in your face the lightly hood that you are extremely into your relgions is very hight most people in america do not approach extremely religious people because c'mon they do crazy thing, look up David Carrash, the waco burning of children and people by extremely religious people. Look at Hitler extremely religious man who casue the death of millions of jews, look up Saddam who kill other people base on who they were. Look up Osama Bin Laden i don't think I nedd to remind you how extreme he is regarding religion "americans love life we love death" that is a direct quote from osama according to the news. Not just the fact that the vail is a sign of a extremely religios person, and i'm not saying they all are, is only a sign of thiefs in america all thief were mask a vail is a mask it covers your face the only thing it shows is the eyes and for that matter men can wear vails and pretend to be women if that is the case. One more point I like to make there has been people (women) who were vail according to religion who did not want to take their vail off when they got their drivers license, I'm sorry but the United State of America, GOVERTMENT AND RELIGION ARE seperate. you must obey the laws of the law. This is ridiculous, there are no exception in that subject you can practice your religion as long as it does not intervenes with the law.
some people think is because americans don't like them that's not the case is a matter of law. I'm sure this people who wear vail would not approach someone who has tattoos or piercing because their believes says it's a sin, we talk about this subject for ever the fact of the matter is that in this country your not require to wear a vail.
for the last time you can practice religion as long as it does not intervenes with the law, and religion and state are seperate in this contry the United States of America.
i can understand if your disfigure and you have to wear a vail or you have medical condition. i would not want to trust someone who's face i can't see.

Answer 10

In the west, people who hide their face are usually the guy who is robbing a bank. I don't think a bank would not have a problem if I walked in wearing a ski mask, so why shouldn't they have a problem with it?

What the cleric really said was that when a woman gets raped it is her fault. That is just stupid.