How serious is not wearing one? Why?
well said hartfire 
"Wouldn't you wonder WHY they are hiding behind a cover?"
If I wondered about a thing I'd find out more about it. If it's something a group of people was doing then in addition to researching it on non-biased sites I'd ideally want to personally talk to as many of the people in the group as possible, and find out why. I'd continue to learn more until I did not have a problem with women who cover their faces as I have none with others who cover their faces like bikers, skiers or beekeepers, for example. Simple as that, really. Suspicion and intolerance of an innocuous practice by a tiny minority is neither healthy nor conducive to peaceful coexistence.
it HF
For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.
Rosie, I among some of the replies here there are clear answers to your original question.
It seems you keep asking the same question again in different ways. I know you are well educated, incredibly bright and quite capable of doing the research yourself.
Clurt has posted some excellent videos.
Others have posted quotes from the Koran and Hadith - these show that there is a slight logical inconsistency. One the one hand, Mohammed publicly announces that it is OK for a woman to show her face and hands. On the other, one of his close companions, declares after the Prophet has died, that while on his deathbed in the company of his family, he advised full cover. So, it is between these two differing sets of instructions that divisions of opinion arise.
But further to that, it can be asked by thinking Muslims, such as feminists: if the Prophet were alive today, what would his instructions be now? Given that he was a great reformer of women's rights during his lifetime, would he not also support women's rights now?
It seems strange to the Western ear to think Mohammed supported women's rights, but he actually did. He was the first to give women the right to own property and to inherit. He forbade the practice of female infanticide which was common in his day. Elsewhere, Clurt points out a list of important rights which Muslim women had 1,000 years before we won them in the West.
The simplest answer is that there is a division between modern-Moderate-Westernised Muslims, and conservative/fundamentalist/ radical Muslims. For the Moderates, covering the face is solely the woman's choice based on how she reads the requirements of her faith and what she considers most important. Among conservatives, the social pressure for full cover is much stronger. In countries with Sharia law, the Hadith has been understood to dictate a much higher degree of covering, either full, or with just eyes showing, and it is not choice but the law.
But please, if you are not satisfied with our answers, look up the information on all sides of the debate, and tell us what you think.
Fair points HF
FITNA - Geert Wilders' Unedited Film from Jewish Pulse Radio on Vimeo.
I watched about 5 minutes. That's horrible. Rather than condemning those Muslims that followed those verses, you are likely to be condemned for posting that video that shows the Quranic verses these misguided terrorist are trying to follow.
I wish we never had to read those old verses, but it is a foundation to understand what is happening right now.
I agree they are misguided by the Quran. Head coverings had something to do with this. A study in the history between Islam, Jews, and Christians is needed to understand modern day events.
It's a showing of modesty, in the case of Muslim though, it's being less than. A woman ain't s--t is what it's really portraying.
YF
1- Regarding your statement that "In this day and age covering the face is a security issue, how do you know if it's a man or woman under there." As far as gender identification is concerned, does it really matter whether it's a man or a woman behind the face veil? What if it's a face with no facial hair and shoulder length hair? Would that identify it as a man or a woman?
2- "Face covering is a double standard, while Muslim women insist they be allowed to cover their faces in public if anyone walked into a bank or a store wearing a ski mask then I'm pretty sure I know what would happen." - People walking about in a ski mask where the nearest ski slope is hundreds of miles away is bound to arouse curiosity. What is curious about a woman wearing a face veil?
MG
1- HQ verses in many cases are a record of what happened. There were wars between Muslims defending their new home city of Medina and the Pagans attacking Medina for offering the Muslims refuge there. Many battle verses address these events. Reading them gives us a glimpse of what happened.
2- I read the HQ quite frequently including the battle verses. I also read the Bible too and know that it has far more violent verses than anything you'll find in the HQ.. I Samuel 15:3 is one example. In it God commands, "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."
3- Arnoud van Doorn was a strong supporter of Geert Wilders, the roving ambassador of Islamophobia and producer of the anti-Islamic film ‘Fitna’. It is said that in his quest to make another anti-Islam film, van Doorn took to learning more about the religion that he strongly advocated against. In that process he got spiritually inspired by the religion and later became a Muslim. Here he is giving a short 18 minute version of his story:
How do you know what the Muslim religion requires?
How do you KNOW?
If they don't all wear that stuff obviously it DOES'NT require it.
I thought about the security issue.
In "The Thousand and One Nights of Sherezade," there are several stories in which men dress in women's clothing for nefarious or mischevious purposes. This suggests that, despite it being against Islam to cross dress, such things have happened since ancient times.
However, I have seen a Syrian documentary (produced by ISIS) of a female terrorist going through purification and prayer rituals with her female relatives. It includes walking down into and lying in an open grave to feel the reality of burial. After purification she is loaded with explosives, dressed, covered in a burqa and then chauffeured to the site in a market-place. The film shows her blowing herself up and the aftermath.
My point is that it does not matter whether or not a male or a female is under the cover. Nor does it matter whether the cover is a burqa or an ordinary European parka or overcoat. Bombs or other instruments of terror can come in all shapes, sizes and appearances. And what is
What is certain is that ISIS will become more inventive in finding ways to catch groups of people off guarde, especially at culturally significant events and places.
So it is an alarmingly foolish strategy to target religious coverings on grounds of security.
On grounds of identity, say in a court, for a driver's license or similar moments, it does make sense to reveal the face. As a witness in court, facial expression is an important component of understanding testimony.
"So it is an alarmingly foolish strategy to target religious coverings on grounds of security". I couldn't disagree with you more. I think it is "alarmingly foolish" to justify wearing anything that hides one's
face. If a religion required adherents to wear ski masks would you sanction that too hartfire? Well as I said elsewhere we have had our disagreements. This is one of them. Thank you for your thoughtful reply! :)
dissertation acknowledged , get a life, lol.
My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
again get a life
get a life. Really!!!!!!!!!! Lol.
Get a life.
Please get a life!
