[Andy]

Why do Middle Eastern women have to have everything on their bodies covered except their eyes?

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Name : Andy, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 14, City : St. Charles, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : High School student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Michael-W20643]

The custom doesn't apply to all Middle Eastern women but only to those whose religion is Islam. While all Muslims do not agree, conservative Muslims believe their holy book, the Koran, teaches that it is indecent for women to display any part of their body, and that to do so will cause men who see them to feel sinful lust toward them.

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Name : Michael-W20643, Gender : M, City : Tampa, State : FL Country : United States, 

[Karim]

First, the basics: Even the most fundamentalist Muslim women say they are supposed to cover their body and hair but can leave their face, hands and feet bare. So covering the face is not an Islamic habit even by the most fundamentalist accounts. In fact, covering the face is prohibited when you are doing a pilgrimage to Mecca, so it can't even be thought of as advised.

Second, the complications: Most Muslims who wear a scarf point to a verse in the Qur'an where God tells women to lower their scarves so that they cover their bosoms. The Qur'an then tells men and women to dress modestly in general. The modesty advisory is for both sexes, but the verse on the scarves is interpreted by most Muslims as a sanction for wearing a scarf and making it long. Some people disagree and say that in pre-Islamic Arabia, women used to wear veils that covered their faces but would walk around with their breasts bare, so they say the verse doesn't tell women to cover their hair but to cover their breasts. As usual this is highly debatable; most individual Muslim women weigh the options and arguments and make a personal decision about wearing a scarf. This is not possible in some fundamentalist countries like Saudi Arabia, but it is possible in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Morocco, etc.

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Name : Karim, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Nadia Basidiq]

We can show our feet, hands and face. We cover ourselves because we don't want other people watching us and judging us depending on our appearances. Also, the Koran states that Allah said: 'And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers or their sons or their husbands' sons or their brothers or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know not of women's nakedness.' [Chapter/Surah 24:31].

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Name : Nadia Basidiq, Race : Asian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 13, City : Ceres, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Zach24074]

Middle Easterners are sexist and think that women don't serve a purpose, so why should they be seen?

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Name : Zach24074, Gender : M, Age : 15, City : St.Charles, State : IL Country : United States, 

[Jennifer30853]

There are several reasons many Middle Eastern women cover their bodies completely in public. The origin of this type of dress is both religious and cultural. The Quran says people should dress modestly, but does not specify hijab or any other type of clothing. Because of this, there are varied interpretations of what it means to dress modestly. To some people that means long sleeves, to others it means a burqa. According to the Islamic religion, dress is a matter of personal choice. Culturally, the practice of women covering themselves completely came about as a means of protection. There is a history of war in the Middle East, and many times a warring tribe would kidnap the women of another tribe and sell them into slavery. As a form of protection, Middle Eastern houses were built like fortresses with interior courtyards and rooftops for the people to be outside yet still protected, and women wore clothing to obscure who they were so that any potential kidnappers would have no idea who any of the women on the street were. This tradition has continued and become part of the culture. Currently, several of the totalitarian governments in the Middle East require that women wear a hijab or otherwise completely cover themselves as a form of social control. These governments claim they are being true to the Quran, but really they are using this as a method to immobilize half the population.

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Name : Jennifer30853, Gender : F, Age : 28, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Rox]

Most people from the Middle East are of the Islamic faith. This is part of the requirements in the Koran, that the woman is not to be seen by anyone but her husband, so as not to treat her as a sexual object.

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Name : Rox, Gender : F, Age : 21, City : Ashland, State : VA Country : United States, 

[Aisha]

I am a muslim, and just wanted to clarify that Middle Eastern women DO NOT have to cover everything except their eyes. However, we are required to dress modestly. For many women this includes wearing a headscarf, known as 'hijab'. For some women, this includes covering their face as well. The covering of the face is cultural, and not religious, and varies from country to country. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me at andaz@charter.net if you would like any more information on Islam, or what women's rights are in Islam.

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Name : Aisha, Age : 24, City : Indianapolis, State : IN Country : United States, 

[Wesley]

Yet, without judgement there can be no life. How does one attract a mate without showing skin, sure sure it's quite important to have personality , and intellect, but the face, the eyes, the body, and many other parts relating to the female persuasion, attracts a man. It is neither right nor just for a religion, creed, or ideal to cause an avoidance, a rather uneccessary evil, to be protected or projected from the female or male body. It is nonsensical, and rather authoritarian.

User Detail :  

Name : Wesley, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 22, City : Empire, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Tech, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Sorgul]

in usa many women are treated like trash such as selling their bodies. thats is not allowed in Islam and many men go after the look for the female body and in most countries it is part of their culture

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Name : Sorgul, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : KURDISH, Religion : Muslim, Age : 20, City : ATL, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : STUDENT, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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