[Magda]

I have always been curious, but too embarrassed to ask, about why Muslim people cover themselves from top to bottom, even in extreme heat. What is the significance of not being able to show your hair to people? Also, why is it that some Muslim girls wear the scarfs and others don't, and some cover their entire face while others don't?

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Name : Magda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 20, City : Melbourne, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : student, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Yusuf]

All of a Muslim’s actions are to be a direct result of obedience to Allah. According to the Quran, women are obligated to cover their whole bodies, except for their face and hands. Men are obligated to cover everything from the navel to the knees. Both obligations are for when in public and when offering prayer. On hot days, the free-flowing clothing protects from exposure to the sun, so in actuality Muslims aren't as hot as one might think. As far as face covering, that is totally optional and not a commandment in the Quran. Disobedience to the obligatory is only to be due to certain extreme or extenuating circumstances. Otherwise, the issue is raised of how strongly one believes.

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Name : Yusuf, Gender : M, Religion : Muslim, Age : 24, City : Richmond, State : VA Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, 

[Jamaluddin21082]

Muslims cover to be modest, because that is what we believe God has asked of us. The whole point of Islam is to strive to conform our lives to God's Will, and we believe this applies to every aspect of our lives, from how we pray to what we eat and what we wear. As to the question of hair, we believe that hair is a potent symbol of sexuality. The degree to which a woman must cover her hair and face varies according to the different schools of Islamic law.

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Name : Jamaluddin21082, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, City : Bay Area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Journalist, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[a-muslim]

A big aspect of islam, is to practice general modesty. modesty in how you present yourself physically (looks), yourself in character, modesty in your home, belongings, etc. pretty much the reason that some muslims females do or don't wear extra coverings (just a scarf, or full burqa, veil, none at all, etc...) is that everyone as an individual has a different idea of what modesty IS. it can be different in different parts of the world, climates, and so on. along with the most common things like the veil, scarf and so on, make-up, nailpolish, and other clothing also constitute modesty. really though, it's all up to the individual, and between them and God. BUT... it isn't just for women. a man's pants or clothing should not go higher than their knees, and are encouraged to dress modesty from head to toe. nor are they allowed to wear gold jewelry, as it's considered 'showy' - the antonym of modesty... :)

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Name : a-muslim, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, City : n/a, State : NA Country : United States, 

[Sarah28124]

The Koran is all based on interpretations. It was written in Arabic and in Arabic one word can have 3-4 meanings. So you can see how wild one can get in his understanding Arabic. In the times when the Koran was written women were sitting on sidewalks, half naked, breast feeding. Muhammed, the Prophet of Islam, said that women should cover their private parts. He probably did not feel the need to specify which parts. So the interpertations from these so called religious men in the middle east went all the way. In some nations they said they should wear long sleeved shirts and skirts. Some said they should not show their hair (all these may arrouse a man and make him think 'bad' things about someelses wife/sister/daughter/mother). Some wen all out and said eyes, lips whole face. So all it is is how one interperts the Koran and nothing else. Unfortunately, in countries in the middle east most are uneducated and can not read and write and they must believe the heads.

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Name : Sarah28124, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Orooj]

You shouldn't be embarrassed. Muslim women are required to wears scarves for modesty. It has to do with respect and decency. When a woman with a mini-skirt, and a shirt revealing her breast walks in a room and a woman all covered walks in who will be considered a sex object and who will be considered a person? Advertisments exploit women showing men what they want to see, while covered women are NOT giving men what they want thus giving covered Muslim women more respect and dignity. Hair is the essence of beauty. Is is covered to hide that beauty from certain men, and can be revealed to certain men, ie, husband. Some women do not cover thier hair becasue they are misinformed and to caught up in the Western ideoligies of 'freedom' but they are being decieved.

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Name : Orooj, City : Lombard, State : IL Country : United States, 

[noha]

i'll tell you a story that may make this clearer: if somebody offered you a box full of candy ,some of it was wrapped and branded and some wasn't wrapped at all ,which would you choose? most people would choose the wrapped candy because it's sealed from any microbes in the atmosphere and because it's protected from anything harmful and you're sure you are the only one who ate this candy,noone chewed it or has taken a piece before you.this is the same as covering yourself,your then protected from anything from the outside ,anyone who sees you will know you haven't been touched by another man ,none has tried you before and you'll be solely for your husband. that's the part relating to marriage. another thing is that through covering yourself'wearing a viel' you are protecting others from thinking badly,you aren't 'selling' yourself to the public,men won't be inclined to feel attracted to you unless they like your will or your way of thinking and they'll either want to marry you or just be friends,they won't want to 'take you to bed'! i'll tell you another story: if you've got a bowl of your favorite food ,you'll want to keep it away from others so you could eat it and enjoy it,so you'll cover it and hide it somewhere until you want it,women are these favorite foods of men ,so God told us to cover ourselves so that only one man who knows our worth will uncover us and taste us and enjoy us (our husband)! so when covering yourself your taking the best from people and your giving others the best of you too. about covering the face or not .it's said in the quran that we should cover our bodies ,but some poeple say you should cover your face and some say your face and hands can show ,this is just a matter of belife, it's known though that if you're very beatiful and if any man looked at you will be atrracted to you you should cover your face because then you'd be making them want you otherwise , people don't agree on wether or not you SHOULD cover your face..i'm a muslim by the way and i cover myself but i'don't cover my face.i hope my answer satisfies you and please tell me if you want to ask about anything

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Name : noha, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Muslim, Age : 16, City : cairo, State : NA Country : Egypt, Occupation : student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Exton]

Having European backgrounds, it normally would not make sense to you or I to wear MORE clothes in the presence of extreme heat. However, traditional Arabian gard...not just muslims...serves an important role in the Middle Eastern environment. The head dresses, full body cloaks, and whatnot, are not made of heavy frabrics; they are light and breathable. In terms of the environment, it is necessary to cover one's entire body when in a desert or similar conditions, in order to shield the body from the sun. This prevents sunburn, heastroke, and dehydration from excessive sweating. There is, of course, another reason many muslims choose to wear the outfits that they do. In many cases, it is a matter of cultural tradition. Depending on what country you are in depends on what degree of covering you will see. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, every inch of a woman's body is covered, head to toe, when in public; in Saudi Arabia, that is what is demanded by the law. The justification given by Saudi lawmakers is the potential for scandelous actions to occur between a woman and a strange man; one of the beliefs shared by many muslims is that it is important to avoid situations that would open a person to sexual temptations that could lead to sinning. Depending on the person, and the country they live in, depends on what extreme they take the body cover to. A predominantly muslim country unlike Saudi Arabia is Iraq; even before American occupation, women there were not required to cover themselves by law. As a some women chose not to, although many continued to wear the full dress out of choice, because it made them comfortable.

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Name : Exton, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : nontheist, Age : 18, City : Medway, State : MA Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

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