Forgetting our cultural similarities

Women of the Western world and from Christian societies used to cover their bodies and heads just like how we see in the pictures and statues of the Virgin Mary. These women, which are the basis of Christianity wear loose dresses, which cover their bodies to their ankles, and cover their heads.

The police in France who rudely told a Muslim woman to take off her shirt at the beach were violating that woman’s freedom. Before making such outrageous rules, these countries of the Western world should scroll through their history of modesty.

Clothes not only save us from harsh weather, but also keep the society within limits and civilised. Now, wise people can understand why in Islam women cover their bodies and sometimes their face, too. For those who don’t understand why women sometimes cover their faces, in the Quran it says that beauty should be covered. When a man looks at a woman, often their eyes first go to the face. The face is the most attractive part of the body, so women prefer to stop men from gazing upon them.

Islam is a religion that has no compulsion. If women in Islam are told to cover modestly that is for the betterment of the society. Women who are covered gain more respect in Muslim cultures.

Before, Muslim women whenever they went to the beach, they used to sit on the beach fully covered and no one bothered them. But beaches seem to be shrinking for Muslim women. We all need to remember that regardless of religion, we’re not so different. People tend to forget that.

- The reader is a freelance writer based in Dubai.