Next time you are having dinner with a Bahraini dignitary, don't embarrass yourself by confusing the Queen's abaya with a burqa. Simply print out and carry a copy of "Know Your Veils: A Quick Look Guide to Middle Eastern Head Coverings," and you too can prevent many awkward and embarrassing veil-related situations!
Certain colors and styles are more common to some regions over the others, and many of the looks are worn for cultural tradition rather than religious reasons. This slideshow doesn't go into significant details, but with a little help from Northwestern University Qatar students Yara Darwish and Dina Mutassem, "Know Your Veils" is a brief guide to preventing Westerners from shaming our entire race of people by calling every head covering a burqa.
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erinlibby said on 27 Thursday 2011 am31 10:42 am: anne, you should totally do a thobe guide next. i want to read all the comments about men being forced to wear the ghutra. |
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http://qa.Âsunnipath.Âcom/issue_Âview.asp?HÂD=1&ID=514Â&CATE=2
Among proofs for the veil in the Sunna are the following authentic hadiths (traditionÂal reports) of the Prophet.
Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1:349) explained that showing the face and hands are a specific dispensatiÂon within the general meaning of the hadith "All of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness [to those outside the mahram relationshÂip or her husband]." (al-mar'atÂu `awra)
According to Quran women should wear hijab.
http://qa.Âsunnipath.Âcom/issue_Âview.asp?HÂD=1&ID=514Â&CATE=2
"... And when you ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a veil. . ." (33:53) Al-Qurtubi said in commentary of this verse: "The consensus of Muslims is that the genitals and backside constitute nakedness for men and women, as well as all of woman except her face and hands, but some disagreed about the latter two." This means the consensus of Muslims included them in the definition of her nakedness based on verse 33:59 and the hadith cited below.
Women in the modern era wear shoes that are purely decorative and impede the ability to run if the need arises. American women can still be arrested for not covering our breasts even when we are nursing infants (the primary function of the mammary glands is providing nourishment to infants, for goodness sakes!).
Women in all cultures are clothing constrained and subject to severe sanctions for not following those constraints. Those sanctions can include beatings, rape or even death. How many rape victims have been questioned about what they were wearing when attacked?
What is acceptable covering for women varies from culture to culture and one historical period to the next. Covering portions of the female body that men find appealing coupled with sanctions for not covering are universal.
Completely covering the body also leads to increased fungal infections. The single cheapest prevention and treatment for fungus infection is sunlight. In hot climates dark colored full body covering increases the risk if dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
They have sponsored a campaign called "Choose Your Cover", encouraging people to protect themselves from skin cancer.
One of the recommended methods is wearing clothing that covers skin and protects against the sun's UV rays.
The campaign's section on clothing notes that "a long-sleeved shirt and long pants with a thick weave provide the best protection."
And lest we forget, before global warming and skin cancer warnings were ever issued, most of the Muslim and non-Muslim men and women living in the scorching deserts or cities and villages of Africa and Asia, which experience tremendous heat in the summers [if not most of the year] did NOT emerge from their homes virtually naked.
In fact, they covered themselves more to protect themselves from the sun." Dr. Hesham Hassaballa
Also, the body soaks up Vitamin D through the skin of the face and hands, both of which can be exposed according to Islamic dress code.
People disregard the resurgence of interest in religion stemming from 2nd and 3rd generation muslim immigrant youths - who battle even with their own family for the religous freedom and expression. Not every Muslim family is religious, and not every Muslim woman is brain-dead without a mind of her own. In fact, I believe that the majority of the time the opposite is true.
Maybe if more people really held that attitude, there'd be no oppressive 'sting' to it either way.
No kidding. The separation of church and state, plus the legal status of women here, counts for something and provides some protection against subjugaiton. (No ERA notwithstanding.) Not that western women aren't similarly oppressed by sexualized or degrading representations of females in the corporate-owned media, or by women and girls being treated like objects without even realizing it, or by enormous social pressures telling us to dress and behave in certain ways that have nothing to do with being liberated. Societal sex discrimination, as well as culturally dictated, institutional disrespect for women, are wrong, no matter how, when, or where they manifest themselves. But least here we've got the law and, for the most part, the prevailing cultural notions about gender equality, on our side.