I have traveled in Muslim countries before and I’m used to seeing women covering their hair as a matter of modesty. But sometimes when I see a women here with her hair all covered up in typical Muslim head covering, the thought passes through my mind, “Why don’t they just go with the local custom so they don’t stand out?”
But I think a good analogy is to imagine my wife, mother or sister traveling to, or being forced to live in, a country where it is customary for women to bare their breasts in public. Would I expect the women in my life to just “go along with the local custom”? No, I don’t think I would. The idea is deeply ingrained that it would be shameful, even if the locals wouldn’t care or notice.
I know that many women from Muslim countries feel the same shame and modesty about uncovering their hair, and I need to respect that, as long as they are doing it voluntarily. But I can’t push that tolerance to the point of accepting the full body covers that leave just a mesh to look through. That’s just inhumane, and I can’t believe any intelligent woman would voluntarily submit to it.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Donna // Nov 8, 2013 at 10:28 pm
One point you didn’t make is that most Muslim women wear head coverings for religious reasons, as well as cultural. That means not covering their head would make them feel not only naked, but sinful.
2 Daryl // Nov 8, 2013 at 10:31 pm
I think that a lot of Christian women feel that it would be sinful to bare their breasts too.
3 Don // Nov 9, 2013 at 9:41 am
A more important question is where is this place where it’s customary for women to bare their breasts in public? I think I’m due a vacation and was wondering where I should go.
4 Daryl // Nov 9, 2013 at 10:49 am
I guess it was a hypothetical location, at least these days, unless you count primitive cultures in South American or New Guinean jungles. Those would both make interesting, though challenging, vacation destinations…
5 Dale // Nov 10, 2013 at 10:45 am
It is here in Quartzsite! I walked through there with Dianna last year. It was totally by accident but Richard didn’t see it that way.
6 Daryl // Nov 10, 2013 at 2:37 pm
You’re saying this hypothetical place exists in Quartzsite? Who would have imagined it!
7 Richard // Nov 10, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Trust me when I say that you won’t be very interested in any of the bare breasts at the clothing optional area in Q.
8 Don // Nov 10, 2013 at 8:13 pm
Ewwww.
Leave a Comment