what is the reason muslim women feel they need to cover themselves up.?

Question

no racist answers please. i am just interested in the beliefs behind it.

but do ye not think that phsyical attraction is also important in a relationship as well as everything else.

Answer 1

I believe it began in the bible and then the quran where men of that time treated their women like chattel and ordered them hidden from other men who might look at them. Then, the women were told that men who were not their husbands would look at them in a lustful way if they did not cover every inch of their bodies, and it scared the women, because a woman who is raped is put to death for being a "fornicator" while the man or men that did it go free.

The quran also tells women to be modest. Regardless of the fact that we are all born buck naked, (so there is no shame in the human body, otherwise Allah would have dressed the fetus while still in the womb), Muslims interpreted that to mean that women had to wear superfluous fabric to make them appear shapeless while the men get to wear light, white fabrics to keep them comfortable in the blazing heat. Nice.

Some contemporary Muslim women maintain that they wear the maximum coverings because they want men to admire their minds instead of their bodies. Butt we ARE a body too! And men have to learn to grow up and stop being leering, lewd pigs! We ARE our minds as well as our bodies, true. But what Muslim men are looking for is NOT a rocket scientist.

Men in the west used to be bum-pinchers as recently as the 70's and 80's. You couldn't walk down the street in North America without them honking at women or passing an inappropriate comment. But, (I don't know about other areas) in Canada, the men today have evolved over the decades to appreciate a woman for her beauty, but also appreciate her for her brain.

Women in Canada, (and probably the US and Europe) are independent, modern, fashionable women. We do NOT hop into bed with any man who comes along, so we ARE modest and cautious when it comes to sex, but we are NOT so uptight, anal and inhibited that if we find a man we truly are attracted to ... we push him away and wear sackcloth to appear ugly to him.

SOME women may choose to become intimate with him. And that's HER and HIS business and it isn't our place to judge. I personally wear short sleeves in summer and perhaps wear a lower neckline, but I defy ANYONE to judge me for it. I don't follow ANYBODY'S rules but my own, but then ... I AM an agnostic. lol

So, as I've said before, modesty is highly overated if it's a possessive man's interpretation of modesty women are going by. If a Muslim woman began designing less tent-like clothes for Muslim women and if women stood up to men and said, "NO. I will not wear that and I am NOT defying the quran ... I'm just exercising my freedom of expression. If a man thinks I'm immodest and comes to attack me, I'll spray him in the face with mace and then kick him and run."

We women need to DECIDE to change the world for the better ... our own feminine ways.
:)
.

Answer 2

Basically, the Qu'ran (sp?) says women should 'dress modestly.' A long time ago, someone powerful decided that that meant 'cover up' so they made all the women cover up. It sort of stuck and no one questioned it as it was a culture thing. Now, muslims in the western hemisphere have a choice of whether to cover up or not. Many choose to as it is a mark of their culture and a way to uphold traditional values while others interpret the Qu'ran like that. If muslim women do not cover up; they could ruin their chances of a good muslim husband but I'm not sure how all that works.

Answer 3

Hia
Most adverts and billboards are full of women. If there advertising a shampoo a women is in the bath naked or when the advert is advertising mens aftershave or new razor a women has to come uo behind him and feel his cheek. It makes a women look SO cheap!
Muslims women/girls who wear the headscarf are not judged by how big there boobs are or how long there legs there. There judged on there islamic beliefs there personality.....
they also want to dress modestly and be proud of wearing the headscarf.

Also, id like to say the Allah (SWT) has chosen the women to show islam (if you get me) if a man walks out of the house, you wouldn't notice if he was a muslim or not but when a muslim women walks out the house you notice straight away because she is wearing a headscarf.

Hope i helped
xxx

Answer 4

Firstly most muslim women who cover up nowadays choose to out of personal choice as a lot of muslim women don't.
We choose to do it because the religion tells us to just as most religions tell us not to kill, drink or whatever else.
The reason for covering up is to hide the body's beauty of the hair from any outside men so that women aren't seen as objects but for their personality. Most muslim women seen it as a protection over themselves. Otherwise women are allowed to be unveiled in their own homes or amongst the presence of women and children. People argue its a cultural thing but its actually clearly stated in the hadith so its a religious requirement for women. I personally feel strong about wearing it whether people agree with it or not because its who i am. I wont ask someone to put on more clothes just because i find it offensive, so someone shouldnt ask me to take it off just bcos they do.

Answer 5

OK, here's the real truth. Men in Islamic countries stare at women in an unbelievable way, and a woman is considered a sinner if she reveals her beauty to men in general. So when a woman wears a veil, she is (by Islam) protecting herself and her marriage (if shes married), and if she's single, then she's attracting men with similar beliefs, meaning those looking for a woman who wants to be covered. Many of those women however, are forced to be covered, some do it because they believe in the meaning behind it.

Answer 6

The veil is an extension of their private space!

At home you are in a sanctuary which makes you feel safe. A Muslim women and Christian Nuns carry a space in which they are private when in public, namely the veil and the habit.

She is able to gaze out and others are not able to return the gaze other than to her eyes. There can be no leering and checking out her proportions and her attributes.

There is something very sacred about the veil and the modesty clothing that nuns as well as Muslim women wear. We should respect women who choose a chaste life whether she be Catholic / Christian, Anglican/Christian or Muslim woman who chooses similarly.

Answer 7

As far as I am aware it is the same idea as westerners keeping their sexual areas covered up except muslims see the whole of a womans body as one big sexual organ so it must be covered except when in the company of relatives to prevent other men looking at her and possibly desiring her.
To a muslim woman, going out in western clothes would be the equivalent of you walking down the street topless.

Answer 8

• Why Do I Wear Hijab ?
--------------------------------------...

By Sultana Yusufali. Published in Toronto Star Young People's Press

I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a "rebel". I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercings. I do not possess a leather jacket.

In fact, when most people look at me, their first thought usually is something along the lines of "oppressed female."

The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have questions like: "Do your parents make you wear that?" or "Don't you find that really unfair?"

A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harbouring an Uzi underneath it.

Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am a Muslim woman who, like millions of other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear the hijab. And the concept of the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment.

When I cover myself, I make it virtually impossible for people to judge me according to the way I look. I cannot be categorized because of my attractiveness or lack thereof. Compare this to life in today's society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of our clothing, jewelry, hair and makeup. What kind of depth can there be in a world like this? Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation upon this Earth. But it is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a strong spirit.

It is not for the beholder to leer at or to use in advertisements to sell everything from beer to cars. Because of the superficiality of the world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that the value of the individual counts for almost nothing.

It is a myth that women in today's society are liberated. What kind of freedom can there be when a woman cannot walk down the street without every aspect of her physical self being "checked out"? When I wear the hijab I feel safe from all of this. I can rest assured that no one is looking at me and making assumptions about my character from the length of my skirt. There is a barrier between me and those who would exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being, equal to any man, and not vulnerable because of my sexuality.

One of the saddest truths of our time is the question of the beauty myth and female self-image. Reading popular teenage magazines, you can instantly find out what kind of body image is "in" or "out." and if you have the "wrong" body type, well, then, you're just going to have to change it, aren't you? After all, there is no way that you can be overweight and still be beautiful. Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product? How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing? More often than not, that woman will be no older than her early 20s, taller, slimmer and more attractive than average, dressed in skimpy clothing.

Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this?

Whether the '90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she is being forced into a mold. She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising herself. This is why we have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats and overweight adolescents hanging themselves. When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can honestly say no. I made this decision out of my own free will. I like the fact that I am taking control of the way other people perceive me. I enjoy the fact that I don't give anyone anything to look at and that I have released myself from the bondage of the swinging pendulum of the fashion industry and other institutions that exploit females.

My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me how I should look or whether or not I am beautiful. I know that there is more to me than that. I am also able to say "no" comfortably then people ask me if I feel as though my sexuality is being repressed.

I have taken control of my sexuality. I am thankful I will never have to suffer the fate of trying to lose/gain weight or trying to find the exact lipstick shade that will go with my skin colour. I have made choices about what my priorities are and these are not among them. So next time you see me, don't look at me sympathetically. I am not under duress or a male-worshipping female captive from those barbarous Arabic deserts. I've been liberated.

Sultana Yusufali is a 17 year old High School student.

Answer 9

As a muslim revert who had already started to wear hijab I´ll tell u: I dont like guys starring at me ...u know like they always do. And I like people to give me their attention for the things I say, not for my body...is modesty and I think is also self respect, coz I know I dont need to show my body in order to be listened...

Answer 10

I want to INFORM you through the words of a sister, why and how hijab (Islamic code of dress) protects a woman and what are its advantages. This is not coming from me but from a WESTERN woman who was born and raised in the western culture, spent most of her life on the wild side, found a deep vacuum in her life, discovered Islam, accepted it wholeheartedly, and turned her life around completely - for the better. This sister is an Irish American, has a Ph.D., teaches in a prestigious US university, wears hijab wherever she goes - in the class rooms while teaching, in the conferences and meetings she attends. She is very proud of Islam and her hijab and in the following explains the advantages and wisdom of wearing hijab. So please read with an open mind. Those who are open to reason get the guidance and better their lives, but those who have "eyes but can't see, and ears but can't hear" will wander in the wilderness of life forever. No amount of logical reasoning will help them. However, our job as Muslims, i.e., those who surrendered to Allah, is ONLY to convey the message to the darkest corners of the world. Our job as Muslims is not to impose anything on disbelivers because as Allah says in Quran, "For you is your religion, and for them is theirs".

May Allah give guidance to all of us and enable us to follow Islam which is the manual of human life. May Allah grant us the wisdom to understand Islam and to live our lives to its fullest by following its teachings. May Allah make us realize that education is not only about getting a piece of paper called degree but education is about learning and understanding life, the world, and the etiquette of living. May Allah enable us to find solutions to all the problems we encounter in life in His great message - the message of Islam. Ameen.

O Allah, no amount of gratefullness will be enough to thank for the blessing of your message of guidance you have given us. O Allah, enable all human beings to know the message of Islam, so this world will become a cradle of peace and stability and so that the forces of darkness will be defeated from the face of the earth. May Allah be our guide in this journey of life. Ameen.