fundies of all kinds and makeup

[saraelise]

You have to also take into account that the Muslim veil existed well before Islam did. Women in desert regions/the Arab world in general veiled themselves to protect themselves from the weather. The Saudi Arabian niqab and abaya, as extreme as it is, I read offers great protection from the sun and the heat (and I suppose, the desert wind/sand).

Berber women etc. have face tattoos and wear kohl and Pakistani women don't shy away from henna, even though they veil themselves. I don't really think the Muslim commandment to veil was never related to "don't wear tribe jewellery, don't use henna, don't wear make-up" because doing all of those things have been the norm for Muslim women since Islam came into existence, really.

I also think you have to be careful in comparing Muslim women who wear veils to fundie women, to be honest. Most Muslim women who veil aren't fundamentalists.

[saraelise]

I can recommend a book called Seven Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks. She's a journalist who's spent years travelling around the Muslim world talking to women about their lives, religion and so on. She gives really good historical explanations for various Muslim customs founded in Muslim religious texts and history. It's really interesting.

[lilwriter85]

I know a few Muslims that do wear makeup.

[NurseNell]

I can recommend a book called Seven Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks. She's a journalist who's spent years traveling around the Muslim world talking to women about their lives, religion and so on. She gives really good historical explanations for various Muslim customs founded in Muslim religious texts and history. It's really interesting.

That was an excellent book.

Nell

[LynnKaboom]

I think for most Muslim women modesty has more to do with keeping yourself covered up than trying to look as humble and plain as possible. I have several Muslimah friends, and they always dress very nicely. There's also a girl at my university who wears niqab, but in the most obnoxious colors you can think of (she was wearing a traffic-cone orange one on Thursday, she's in my night class).

So yeah, for Muslims, it's totally OK to wear nice things/wear makeup, at least it is with the ones I know.

[HijabiLady]

Hi there, I hope you don't mind me dropping in. I've been lurking for a while and since I am Muslim and wear hijab I thought I would give my perspective.

Make up, sexy lingerie, jewelry, and other forms of beautification are not only allowed in Islam but encouraged when married. Both the husband and wife are expected to try and present themselves as attractive as possible for their spouse. Sex within marriage is considered a sadaqa (or blessing that leads to reward) and anything that leads to sex in the marriage is ok. Only two things are not permitted in the marriage bed, anal sex and sex during menstruation. All else is free reign.

Now hijab means more than headscarf, it means wearing modest clothing when outside your home and in the presence of the opposite sex. So previous posters were right when stating that skin tight clothing basically goes against the purpose of wearing a head scarf. Make up is somewhat controversial among the scholars, many say women shouldn't wear it when they are outside where non-related males can see them. However wearing henna and kohl on the eyes is considered a sunnah, or practice that brings reward.

There is no ruling on the colors we wear and we can dress like a Christmas tree as long as it's loose fitting and covers the areas prescribed in the Quran and hadiths. I am not here to push my religion and have enjoyed reading posts so I hope no one is offended or angered by my posting here. If you have any questions I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. My only request is I don't like answering personal, identifying information about myself so please avoid asking questions about my personal life. Thanks!

[UmmSqueakster]

As previous posters have mentioned, amongst muslims hijab does not equal fundamentalist. I self-designate as a FUNdamentalist to turn the stereotype on it's head.

There are a whole range of muslims, and although we don't have nearly as many denominations as Christians do (we're basically mostly sunni, with a large minority of shia and then several smaller groups), we do have a wide variety of interpretations within these 2 main groups.

I'm of the camp that I can dress however the heck I want, so long as my body is covered. Who cares if anyone looks at me, so long as they're not going to see anything? I particularly like neon colors, which is why I'm known as the girl in the hot pink hijab. Last week was hot pink week - hot pink socks, hot pink scarf, pink star wars rebel alliance flight pin and pink bling bling ring all week. Worn with a skirt and a loose long sleeve top, I felt I met the requirements of hijab. I don't however, wear makeup. I stopped wearing makeup around the age of 17 when I realized it took too long to put on in the morning and my skin was a lot better without it.

Now on the other end of the spectrum, there are muslims who believe that to wear hijab means to dress only in dark colors, and to cover everything except the eyes (or in some cases, including the eyes).

In my research into this, I point to 'urf as the reason for these variations. 'Urf means culture, and is one of the sources of fiqh (jurisprudence). 'Urf obviously varies by culture and country, so that beyond the basics, Islam can be practiced to fit within one's culture. Clothing is probably the most visible manifestation of 'urf.

In Saudi Arabia, the culture tends towards black abayas for women and white thobes for men, even before it was mandated by the government. In Pakistan and India, both men and women wear shalwar kameez, a loose tunic + pants. In Malaysia, men traditionally wore baju melayu, a tunic + pants with a sarong around the waist. Women there traditionally wore baju kurung, a (many times) very colorful tunic and skirt.

And here in the US, where the 'urf is very mixed, muslim women wear clothes from every muslim country imaginable. Many young muslim women are going beyond trying to simply find modest american clothes at the store and design funky western hijab wear.

[liltwinstar]

Thanks for answering the questions about Muslim customs! I'm always fascinated to read about other cultures/traditions :)

I have some questions, if you don't mind answering:

1. At what age are women expected to start wearing a veil? I've seen little girls in Muslim families who dress just like any other American kid, and I've seen little girls in veils (including one particularly adorable little girl in a silver sequined veil). Is there a set age for veiling, or does it vary by region or tradition? Is it something the woman/girl chooses for herself when she feels ready?

2. Is there some cultural prohibition against women eating in public? When I was in college, there was a woman who wore a full black robe, veil, and scarf over her nose and mouth, and she would eat in a corner, by herself. It seemed kind of a lonely thing to me, so I'm just wondering if that was a modesty thing or what.

3. I knew a different woman in college who was from some part of Africa (can't remember where at the moment - Somalia, maybe?). She was Muslim, and she was very strict about never shaking hands with men. She would shake hands with me and my sister and share her lunch and whatnot, but she was very particular in how she interacted with men. So, is there a guideline about how unmarried women are to interact with men?

Thanks :)

[HijabiLady]

1. According to writing a female should begin wearing hijab when she begins puberty.

2. Women are completely permitted to eat in public. However this would be very difficult if the woman wears niqaab (face veil) so mayne that is why the woman ate alone in a corner? :think:

3. Women and men are not supposed to touch each other unless related or married. It's basically just like the rules of the orthodox jews in this respect. Of course all bets are off if it is an emergency situation or a medical need.