Just the facts

i just read another ignorant post about Muslim women wearing their hijab and I can't help but wonder where they pull their information out of.

Conservatives like to compare women wearing the hijab to Muslim oppression and extremism.  My question is, have you ever visited a Muslim country and actually spoken to a Muslim woman about her hijab.

I have.  I've spent time in Saudi Arabia, a country that practices some of the most extreme oppressions against women, as does Afghanistan, and Iran.  Here is the difference, in real time.  In these countries of human rights violations, women do not wear a hijab.  They have to totally cover themselves in a burqua, so no part of them has s visible.  This wearing of the burqua is not voluntary, that's true.   But there is a big difference between a burqua and a hijab.

I've had the wonderful opportunity to spend time in more moderate Muslim countries, such as Egypt and Jordan.  I've been able to sit and visit with women of that country, one on one and ask about their religious beliefs and the wearing of the hijab.  Their answers were enlightening.

First, contrary to the extremism countries where the all encompassing burqua is required, wearing the hijab is voluntary.  Women are NOT required to wear it.  Most  choose to, to practice modesty,  but it's their choice.  The wearing of hijab is in no way related to the oppressive wearing of the burqua.  The hijab covers a women's hair out of her modesty, while the burqua makes a woman invisible.

The hijab does not cover a woman's face.  And most women wearing a hijab are clothed in modern apparel.  A hijab is a religious sign of modesty and is in no way meant as a terrorist statement.

There are many religions that ask women to be be modest.  I remember the Basilica in Venice.  There were guards stationed outside the door that prevented people from coming in if they were not modestly dressed.  This included shorts, sleeveless tops, no hair covering.  And that's only one example of a Christian sample of modesty.


Please, if you've never visited these countries, or actually spoken to a moderate Muslim woman, don't  make generalizations based on media hysteria.  Find out the truth yourself before speaking.

You Might learn a lot.