Now for my comments on the article–I find it interestin that they say that muslim women feel more protected in the hijab.
I met a Christian woman at a homeschooling convention–she is a fascinating speaker and dresses extremely modest.
Her entire body is covered except for her face. She wears long sleeves, shirt buttoned as high as it will go to her neck (no cleavage). Her skirt only goes between mid-calf and her ankles and she has stockings beneath that. She also wears a scarf on her head as it has a specific name, but I forget. It is not a hijab though. It just wraps the long hair and is secured with bobby pins.
Her comments were similar to these Muslim women and I had no doubt but trust her.
Think about it–when you have very modest folks–they do feel more safe covered up EVEN IF it is not within their culture to do that. I.e.–I won’t wear a bikini. I tried in my younger school age days, but I am not confortable wearing “bra and panties” as a swim ensemble. I do feel “safer” in a one piece.
Now whether or not that safety is real safety, I cannot tell you. But it is a matter of comfort.
For muslim women reared in wearing a hijab–sure they would feel safer.
And I don’t have to be a muslim to understand the importance of what it means for a female to be scantily clad. She just cannot be taken seriously–ever.
As for quotes within the article:
“I definitely feel safer wearing hijab and dressing modestly in general,” Cari Abudeyeh, another American living in Jordan and a practicing Muslim of twelve years told
IslamOnline.net.
“I feel it is my barrier against men staring or disrespecting me and my boundaries. It is a barrier to prevent or change that first instinctive look men give you to check you out and see what you are ‘about,’ a barrier to prevent sexual feelings you didn’t intend them to feel or ideas in their heads that are created by dressing provocatively.”
I have to say that I dress the way that i do for similar reasons. I won’t go so far as a hijab as that isn’t ordinary in my area anyway, but it is unfair to devalue this woman’s statement when it is very true that men check women out and if she doesn’t want that, the hijab protects her from that.
The women I mention in the beginning who is Christian and wears a scarf head/hair covering–would provide testimony that she to is doing it out of obedience to God and that she has similar feelings about how it protects her and that she garners more “gentleman” respect that she had from men in public prior to wearing the covering.
It is very unChristian to devalue any woman or judge her as being naive or whatever in their beliefs and perceptions.
Note that the muslim woman states:
“There will always be those who will or may attack women regardless of their manners or style of dress,” acknowledges Mohammed. However, she sees the Muslim hijab as “an added help to ward off possible physical approaches.”
It is injustice to judge the article and disregard that they do consider that they are not immune to being victims due to the hijab.
I have to say that the article provided more insight to the justifications for the hijab especially when I tie it to the Christian woman whom I met last year who also dresses as she does and covers her hair for quite similar reasons of respect.