…let her be covered,

What the religions say:

ISLAM

What the Qu'ran says:

24:31 (English translation): "Tell the faithful women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their scarf to cover their bosom."


What it means:


Muslim women must dress modestly. The ambiguity of the phrase "what is apparent of it" has led to disputes between Muslim scholars about how much a woman needs to cover up. Some argue they should cover everything while others contend this is not necessary. The decision is left up to each woman - some do not cover up at all while others wear a burka as an expression of their faith and Islamic identity.

CHRISTIANITY

What the New Testament says:

There is no specific command to cover the head in the New Testament, but in his first letter to the Corinthians (chapter 11, verse 6), St Paul says: "For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered."


What it means:


The early Christians believed that women had an obligation to dress modestly and that women should cover their heads as a sign of obedience to God. Nowadays, only nuns routinely cover their hair. In the Catholic Church, the religious significance of the mantilla, as worn by Cherie Blair, is mainly historical.

JUDAISM

What the Torah says:

As with Christianity, there is no scriptural ban on women showing their hair but Numbers (chapter 5, verse 18) says: "And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head." This is widely interpreted to mean that women should cover their hair.


What it means:


Unmarried women can show their hair freely. Married, widowed and divorced women should cover their hair to preserve their modesty. This obligation has evolved into the practice among orthodox women of covering their heads with a wig, or sheitl. -


Muslim dress code explained


HIJAB
The Arabic word for "veil" or "curtain" is commonly used in Britain to describe the traditional Muslim headscarf. It fulfils the Qu'ran's edict that a woman should cover her beauty "except what is apparent of it" - that is, the face and hands. Worn by Muslims worldwide.


AL-AMIRA
A two-piece headdress consisting of a close-fitting cap and a tube-like scarf which covers the head, shoulders and upper body. Al-Amira, literally translated, means "princess scarf". It has its origins in the Middle East.


CHADOR
Predominantly worn by Iranian women when they venture outside, the chador covers the whole body except the face. A chador has no hand openings or closures but is held shut by the hands or by tying the ends around the waist.


NIQAB
A veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. It is common in Saudi Arabia and worn in other parts of the Middle East and north Africa. It was the niqab that Jack Straw was referring to when he said he would prefer Muslim women not to wear veils.


BURKA
The most extreme form of female Muslim dress, it usually comes in black or blue. The burka covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through. This garment came to symbolise the oppression of women under the Taliban in Afghanistan. .

Dress and the Muslim Woman

Allâh subhanahu wa ta’âla says, "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their private parts; that they should not desire beauty except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bossoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their fathers-in-law, their sons, their step-sons, their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves whom their right hands possess, male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of women’s privacy; and that they should not strike their feet in order for their hidden beauty to be known. And turn all together towards Allâh, O you who believe, so that you may be successful." (Sûrah Nûr, Ayah 31)

Allâh Ta’âla says in another verse, "O Nabî! Inform your wives and your daughters and the women of Mu’minîn that they should lower upon their selves their outer garments. That is the lowest requirement in order for them to be recognised (as women) and thus not be molested. And Allâh is Most forgiving, Most Merciful." (Sûrah Al-Ahzâb, Ayah 59)

My respected and noble sisters, why don’t we uphold our religion which for the protection of our affairs? Why don’t we execute Allâh’s orders and follow the life pattern of Nabî ; which are two aspects, and if upheld by us, would enable us to be guided. We will then attain the best of both worlds, this world and the Hereafter. Whatever we adopt from the West, the East, the North or from the South which is described as modes of civilised living or whatever we wear of Western or Eastern clothing that does not befit a Muslim woman, then we are in great danger.

The various fashion shows in all parts of the world, do not have any other objective besides the unveiling of the Muslim woman’s privacy, the destroying of her modesty and distancing her from her religion and from the Sunnah of Nabî . Why? This is because if such shows are successful in that, then it would imply that the shows nerve succeeded in destroying and shaking the mother. This is detrimental since the nurturing of Muslim generations in the home with a pious upbringing is amidst the Muslim woman's great obligations.

As for the woman in the West, her privacy is open and her honour is violated. There is no shame before Allâh and neither any shame before people. Nabî says: "When you do not have any shame, then do as you please."

The Western woman does not care anymore, whether she wears clothing or whether she be naked! This is because there is no religion to which she is obligated, there are no principles to adopt and neither any example to follow.