From my understanding, Islamic women cover their face and body, to avoid lust of another man. Say a teenager pretty girl, goes walking down the street with a tang top and a mini skirt. Of course, men are going to look at her perversely. Islamic women, try to avoid this, I think it's their religion. Because the women is the man's wife, and another man cannot look at the women in a lustful way.

If that is, in fact, true, it sure doesn't give men much credit. And it doesn't address the fact that rape is related more to power and dominance, and not so much lust.

I though it was for modesty. HOWEVER, according to the Islamic world, you can legally rape a woman for not being 'properly clothed.' In fact, some Muslims used this in America and got away with it. I think the ACLU might have defended the Muslims too, I don't remember though.

wiki: The reasons for it are to keep Muslim women from worrying about their appearances and to conceal their beauty. But this is what a newspaper reported: "In August, the group Lashkar-e-Jabar demanded that Muslim women in the Muslim-- majority state cover themselves in public, or they would be attacked. Men then threw acid in the faces of two women. The deadline, which had been August 31, was extended to September 10 as women scrambled to buy the burqas." http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_200110/ai_n8959322

It's all about men controlling women who are seen as 2nd class citizens and are under the ownership of the husband.

That's pretty much my understanding. A friend left years ago to work in the United Arab Emirates. While there she dated a man, converted from being Catholic to Muslim, became a 2nd or 3rd wife (no one ever really knew for sure), had three children, returned to her family and secretly had her tubes tied with their help as this type of operation is apparently illegal in Muslim countries and her husband sure wouldn't have gone along with it. She wore all the required clothing covering herself up even around her closest family members, especially if they were male because she wasn't "allowed" to reveal any of her "beauty" to any other men because it was her responsibility to not incite their lustful thoughts or actions. Or, so she told us. If anyone wrote to her, her mail had to be sent to her husband who would read it and then "tell" her anything worth relating to her. She professed to love the censorship. And she loved covering up and hiding herself. Or so she said. Although, that one stretchy head deal that they wear really is excellent for holding up a double chin in check. I'll have to give them that.

No. It's simply a matter of humility. Look at the Wikipedia article on hijab, that will explain it to you. Hijab is the word for modest dress, a concept that applies to both men and women. However, since Islam is a Theistic faith, many of its following persecute women, and some men have taken the concept to mean that hijab applies more to women than men. All of the other answers here are practically wrong. Here's something I put in a comment, that I think works with my answer: Consider that sexual harassment has only been considered a crime in most Western countries for the past twenty years. We may like to think of many Islamic countries as hundreds of years in the past, but in reality European societies were doing pretty much the same thing up to the Renaissance. Even then, in the Victorian era, women were seen as either whores or angels, and of course whores invited rape.

In the time of P.Mohd, and prior Arabia, women covered themselves to ensure they were not distractions to men while praying. Also, it helped women by lessening their chance of being raped. The Veil/hijab also helps in the desert, which was the region, and it was also common on travels by both men and women. women had it worn all the time, thus it was a commonality, as well as a formality. Nowadays, people believe it is a religious affiliation, when really, it is a cultural affiliation. hope that clears up any misunderstandings.

In Islam women are not to be exploited or treated as objects for the pleasure of men (One only has to look at the advertisements in the west to see how women’s bodies are used to sell, or tune into public opinion to know how disapproving they are about hijab) Women are required by the HQ to be dressed in a way that would carry dignity and command respect and honour. The HQ's basic requirements for Muslim women's dress are in in the following two quotes: > HQ 33:59 "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons: that is most convenient, that they should be known (for respect) and not annoyed (by unwanted attention)." > HQ 24:31 "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons...and that they should not stamp their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments." btw the Biblical requirements, quoted below, are not that different: > “that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array" - 1 Timothy 2:9 > "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God" - Deuteronomy 22:5 > "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 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" - 1 Corrinthians 11:5 Why not hear it from the women themselves: . .

Mushen: yes, really Q4:11 "...to the male, a portion equal to that of two females.... These are settled portions ordained by Allah." Allah is blamed for Mo's low opinion of woman's rights Q4:43 Believers, approach not prayers with a mind befogged or..if you are ill, or on a journey, or come from answering the call of nature, OR YOU HAVE TOUCHED A WOMAN, and you find no water, then take for yourselves clean dirt, and rub your faces.." Touching your wife is purified by cleaning yourself with dirt! Q4:15 "If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; if they testify, confine them to houses until death claims them." If you can get 4 mates to testify.. Yet Q24:6 "And for those who launch a charge against their wives, accusing them, but have no witnesses or evidence, except themselves the testimony of one of them be four testimonies,..." If you aint got 4 mates you can do it yourself.. just say it 4x. plus many more Quranic gems and examples from the life and sayings of Mohammad in the ahadith lead me to believe a woman's worth is next to nothing. Cheers

no, no, it's the men who are so beautiful and irresistable, and the women who can't control themselves.....and I'm not kidding.

well it is written that way in the koran but that book was written by men in need to control women. god does not exist. macho man who beleive they should cover women do not deserve my respect. religious books are books of outdated lies not good for the modern world.

Before I answer your questin, let me try to take you back in time and make you reflect. How the virgin Mary Peace be upon her used to dress? She always covered her hair. How jewish women dresses? They cover their hair and dress modestly. How Nuns dress? Cover their hair and dress modestly. How women in general used to dress just few decades ago? Very modestly and many used to cover their hair out of respect when enetering the church or any place of worship. Covering a woman's body and hair is a form of obedience and respect for God and has nothing to do with men. God in the Quran ordered women to cover themselves except for face hands and feet. Those who cover their faces as well are a bit too much but covering their hair is a must if you seek to obey God. It's also a form of modesty. WE don't think that men are inherently rapist, I don't know where you got this information from. Actually in Islam, men need to dress modestly too. Shorts above knees are forbidden in islam for me. Silk is forbidden for me. Tight cloth in general are forbidden for both men and women. I hope i answered your question.

The irony in this is that if a man does rape a woman, they blame the woman for it and the guy gets a slap on the wrist if even that.

No, that is the excuse given - probably by men who want to use it as justification for rape. The reason is that the Qu'ran says so, nothing more nothing less. It is linked to "modesty", but the actual interpretation (ie, what must they cover up) is subjective, and different Muslims wear different styles.

If you think about it, you wouldn't want to see a 10 year old walking around in a thong bikini. It is distasteful and anyone that would see it would say "where are her parents? Why is she walking around looking like a slut/whore showing off her body? Who allows their children to be sexuallized?" Even in western culture there are some articles of clothing that are considered overly sexual. It has nothing to do with men being inherantly rapists...it has to do with the fact that all people in society feel that some things are just too much. If there is going to be a rule about it you can't make a rule that says "you can't wear xxxx" because someone will say "if I can't wear xxxx then I'll wear xxxy because it's close and not xxxx". The only way to make a modestly rule is to say "you must wear yyyy", it gets rid of confusion and alternatives. Allah of course knows this to be the truth so he made the rule with set limitations that cannot be manipulated. That is why 1500 years after the presentation of the Koran, people are still dressing modestly and not being sexuallized. It seems to me that people are upset that Muslims are happy with our lives and non-muslims fear the unknown culture. Instead of asking "because men are inherently rapists", just ask why hijab. No need to start the thread with a negative feel

http://middleeast.about.com/od/religionsectarianism/f/me080209.htm