Reasons for hijab
Reader comment on item: The Veil Unveiled: The Hijab in Modern Culture

Submitted by Alice (United Kingdom), Apr 18, 2009 at 06:25

I am European and grew up in a European country. Once I got to the age of thirteen it was the norm for older men in their twenties to hang around the school gates looking for girl friends. This society teaches girls that to be loved they need to uncover and expose their bodies as objects of gratification for men. I did my best to be desirable and attractive in order to be loved and respected, only to be treated like a piece of trash and being on the receiving end of the attention of lewd perverted men who just wanted one thing.

Islam taught me that I have the right to say "No"; that I don't have to be readily available to all and sundry when it is expected of me, and that NO, you can't see my body or my hair for your own gratification. Women who promote uncovering and nakedness are naive in the extreme. Wake up to the real world.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.