The University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research has conducted an extensive survey in seven Muslim-majority countries -- Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- looking at Tunisia as the birthplace of the Arab Spring and how happenings in Tunisia effect other Arab countries.
The study itself is very interesting - read it as a PDF here - however what caught my eye was a January 2014 article by the Pew Research Center (using UoM's data) looking at the way MEN prefer women to dress in public places in the above-mentioned countries.
While countries like Tunisia and Turkey seem quite 'Westernised' when it comes to acceptable dress for women, countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan enforce a much stricter dress-code. The study results do not surprise me, however they do very much interest me.
The survey treated the question of women’s dress as a visual preference. Those who took the survey were asked to choose one of six women depicted on a flash card. The women portrayed on the card wore coverings ranging from a burqa (stricter) to a 'standard' headscarf to no head covering at all.
According to the Pew Research Center website:
"An important issue in the Muslim world is how women should dress in public. A recent survey conducted in seven Muslim-majority countries finds that most people prefer that a woman completely cover her hair, but not necessarily her face. Only in Turkey and Lebanon do more than one-in-four think it is appropriate for a woman to not cover her head at all in public."
Confused yet? Let me explain. Very simply put, men only need to wear navel-to-knee shorts as this covers their 'private parts' - the parts that shouldn't be seen by strangers or those one isn't directly related to. As for women - that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Some say loose-fitting and non-revealing clothing is enough to satisfy Islam's clothing requirements. Others go further, stating that loose-fitting clothing isn't enough and women need to cover their hair. Others say that covering just the hair isn't enough and women need to cover the entire head and neck or even the entire face.
Why are there so many differing opinions over appropriate cover for women? Because the 'basic requirements' aren't completely clear. Again simplifying greatly - This is because the Arabic as used in the time of Muhammad has changed and evolved into the Arabic in use today which means that meanings of words have changed as well.
Compare for instance Shakespearean English and modern English where meaning and pronunciation change, just as with the Arabic.
What does the Qur'an say about dress and modesty exactly? The links below take you to the quran.com website which allows you to view several different translations side by side thus allowing you to figure out for yourself what exactly you think the meaning of the words should be.
http://quran.com/24/30-31
These verses tell both men and women to lower their gaze and be modest / guard their private parts. The first verse talks specifically to men, the second verse to women. The second verse goes on to tell women to draw their [headcoverings?] over their [bosoms?] and gives a list of men
http://quran.com/33/59
This verse admonished Muhammad's wives and daughters and the women of the believers to cover themselves with part of their outer garments. Even the differing translations at quran.com give VERY different meanings for the words.
The study itself is very interesting - read it as a PDF here - however what caught my eye was a January 2014 article by the Pew Research Center (using UoM's data) looking at the way MEN prefer women to dress in public places in the above-mentioned countries.
While countries like Tunisia and Turkey seem quite 'Westernised' when it comes to acceptable dress for women, countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan enforce a much stricter dress-code. The study results do not surprise me, however they do very much interest me.
The survey treated the question of women’s dress as a visual preference. Those who took the survey were asked to choose one of six women depicted on a flash card. The women portrayed on the card wore coverings ranging from a burqa (stricter) to a 'standard' headscarf to no head covering at all.
According to the Pew Research Center website:
"An important issue in the Muslim world is how women should dress in public. A recent survey conducted in seven Muslim-majority countries finds that most people prefer that a woman completely cover her hair, but not necessarily her face. Only in Turkey and Lebanon do more than one-in-four think it is appropriate for a woman to not cover her head at all in public."
Confused yet? Let me explain. Very simply put, men only need to wear navel-to-knee shorts as this covers their 'private parts' - the parts that shouldn't be seen by strangers or those one isn't directly related to. As for women - that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Some say loose-fitting and non-revealing clothing is enough to satisfy Islam's clothing requirements. Others go further, stating that loose-fitting clothing isn't enough and women need to cover their hair. Others say that covering just the hair isn't enough and women need to cover the entire head and neck or even the entire face.
Why are there so many differing opinions over appropriate cover for women? Because the 'basic requirements' aren't completely clear. Again simplifying greatly - This is because the Arabic as used in the time of Muhammad has changed and evolved into the Arabic in use today which means that meanings of words have changed as well.
Compare for instance Shakespearean English and modern English where meaning and pronunciation change, just as with the Arabic.
What does the Qur'an say about dress and modesty exactly? The links below take you to the quran.com website which allows you to view several different translations side by side thus allowing you to figure out for yourself what exactly you think the meaning of the words should be.
http://quran.com/24/30-31
These verses tell both men and women to lower their gaze and be modest / guard their private parts. The first verse talks specifically to men, the second verse to women. The second verse goes on to tell women to draw their [headcoverings?] over their [bosoms?] and gives a list of men
http://quran.com/33/59
This verse admonished Muhammad's wives and daughters and the women of the believers to cover themselves with part of their outer garments. Even the differing translations at quran.com give VERY different meanings for the words.
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