• RedShirt77 Practices of "modesty". As disproportionately applied to women are a practice designed to limit the sexual options of women. In societies where men are often the economic drivers it prevents women from forming even minimally flirtatious of relationships with men that might be alternatives should their primary love interest turn out to be abusive or mistreat them. Its common in patriarchal societies, particularly those that are religiously orthodox and/or allow polygamy. forgive me if I don't stand up to applaud the "modernization" of the practice of treating women like a sports car you keep under a cover to keep the neighbors from coveting it.
From a website and comments there about how the market for hiijab and “wrappings” for Muslim women are invariably turning into another source of discomfit for women, who do not want to be exploited, as objects, so others (even Muslim businesses) can make money.
I disagree with the comment above from that discussion, because it is not (as the non-Muslim believes) that the society insists on the women to be covered (although Saudi Arabia does), but that women choose to cover for religious reasons. Hiijab is first and foremost a religious duty, ordained by Allah in the Qur’an.
As for women’s “sexual options/promiscuity” being hindered, that’s exactly one of the results. If only some of the Muslim women cover and others don’t; esp. if those uncovering are wearing less and less modest clothing, what happens is that the same problems in the West with promiscuity, fornication, adultery, dating, date rape, and the list goes on, will happen to Muslims to the same degree it happens presently in non-Muslim countries. That would be a downward moral spiral, not a good thing, nor “freedom of choice”. Muslim women and men generally don’t want that.
Hiijab is not only to protect from harassment of a sexual nature, or cover the woman wearing the hiijab, but to protect the general society from these real dangers. I find this nothing short of a miracle, in this day and age.
For women who have been married, and then divorced or widowed, there is more freedom (her right to seek a spouse, not a boyfriend) than there is for the virgin girls. Mature women (those who have been previously married is the idea here), have the right to marry anyone of their choosing of the category of permissible men; Muslim, responsible age, similar interests and level of education,body type, and any other criteria she believes will help her to choose a compatible husband are all reasonable considerations.
As for the virgin women (or “girls”; a commonly used expression in Arab Muslim societies) they are given the choice to accept or reject the proposal of anyone within the category of permissible youth/men. “And her acceptance is her silence”, while her rejection must be said aloud, as clearly stated in the traditions.
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