Covered Women Reveal Weak Men
Aleppo, Syria

Modesty, envy, jealously, and control. I believe these to be the four pillars supporting the covering of women in the Islamic society—can you guess which three deal with Muslim men?

Covered non-Christian women are generally the status quo in this country, though the degree to which such a thing is done varies greatly (and has become a causal point of interest for me).

A pair of Islamic women in their late-teens or early twenties. One wears a headscarf, the other in head-to-toe black, including gloves and full head wrapping without a slit for the eyes.

Some women opt for a headscarf that covers some or all of their hair. Some wear closed shoes and/or loose-fitting clothing to help disguise the femininity of their figure (obscuring their neckline, breasts, etc). Then some are on a more extreme level…

These women are head-to-toe in black. Some are wearing gloves and fabric that completely covers the face—not a centimeter of skin or much of a figure to be found anywhere—just a black, billowy phantom moving along the street.

One of the American girls I've been hanging out with refers to the near-completely covered women with only a slit for the eyes as 'mailboxes'. Most laughably insensitive western people, including myself, call them all ninjas.

I'm under the impression that the Koran says nothing about covering women, but that both men and women should practice modesty in public (likely to help reduce the sins that spur from temptation).

Who do you think is dressing modestly? Who do you think has a weak Muslim man at home?

But I believe it really all comes down to the Muslim men, and their rampant insecurity.

Insecurity, which manifests itself under the guise of jealously and control, is one of the weakest attributes that a man can display.

So, by that rational, I say that the more covered a women is, the weaker the men in her society that promote such behavior are.

Do you hear me Muslim men? The ones who cover your women from head to toe: YOU'RE WEAK.

There's a difference between modesty, and making your daughter or wife to wear 50 meters of fabric to keep other men from looking at them.

So Muhammad has said that, "…the adultery of the eyes is looking at [that] which is not allowed…"

Fine. Well, how about having a little effin' self restraint?

No? Can't manage that? That's because you're… that's right, weak.

Envy, jealously, controlling… all I see is weakness.

Get over it. Grow up and try learning some respect for the female gender, not suppression for fear of your inability to control your temptations.

More on Covered Women, Eye Patches for Sexy Eyes

Hijab is the Arabic word for "curtain / cover" (noun), based on the meaning "to cover, to veil, to shelter". In popular use, hijab means "head cover and modest dress for women" among Muslims, which most Islamic legal systems define as covering everything except the face, feet and hands in public.

Along with scriptural arguments, scholars argue that head covering should not be compulsory in Islam because the veil predates the revelation of the Koran. Head-covering was introduced into Arabia long before Muhammad, primarily through Arab contacts with Syria and Iran, where the hijab was a sign of social status. After all, only a woman who need not work in the fields could afford to remain secluded and veiled.

That is to say, a veiled woman silently announced that her husband was rich enough to keep her idle.

The burqa is the garment that covers women most completely: either only the eyes are visible, or nothing at all. Originating in what is now Pakistan, it's more commonly associated with the Afghan chadri.

The chadri was created by one of Afghanistan's rulers trying to stop anyone from seeing his wives' faces. He came up with the chadri, which became a sign of an upper class citizen; however, as times changed, the new government decided that chadris weren't modern enough and banned them. The upper class people then gave them to their servants. (The chadris in those days were made out of silk and the mesh at the front was lace.)

Before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the chadri was infrequently worn in cities. But during their rein, Taliban doctrine required women to wear of a chadri in public. Still today, bands of extremist Islamic men can be found running around tossing acid on the faces of (attractive) women who opt not to cover their faces.

Some contemporary Muslims take a relativist approach to hijab. They believe that the commandment to maintain modesty must be interpreted with regard to the surrounding society. What is considered modest or daring in one society may not be considered so in another. It is important, they say, for believers to wear clothing that communicates modesty and reserve in the situations in which they find themselves.

But on the other side of the coin there's always extremity. I hear there's currently some cleric going around in Saudi Arabia saying the women's eyes, with all their makeup, are too sensual and provocative. He's advocating that women should wear a patch to cover one of their eyes to reduce this sinful effect!

…An eye patch!!

Explore photos from Syria

Browse more entries