From: ali@utrcv1 (ALI BABA)
Subject: Re: Modest Dress
Organization: United Technologies Research Center
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 20:31:49 GMT

In article <1992Sep21.181121.26375@sarah.albany.edu>,
ys3359@thor.albany.edu
(Yazmasterj) writes...
>In article <18SEP199216025603@utrcv1> ali@utrcv1 (ALI BABA)
writes:
>>Dear peter;
>>  First of all women don't have to wear chadors in Iran.  Secondly
>>believe it
>>or not today women in Iran have more freedom and respect than the
>>women in here..
>>Despite all the talk of women's liberation in the west, women are still
>>viewed
>>by many western men as mere objects for sexual gratification.
>
>I don't understand what your concept of viewing women only for sexual
>gratification is.  In Iran if a woman is not completely covered she is
>asked for proof that she is not a prostitute.  Is this the way she is
>respected and free?  A woman is told to cover up completely or others
>will mistake her for a whore.  Is this how she is NOT thought of in
>terms
>of sexual gratification.  Now I will be the first to admit that the women
>in the West have not achieved the equality they seek however NO ONE
>has EVER
>mistaken me or any other woman I know for a prostitute just because
>we don't
>wear veils or cover our hair.  Women and men go to school, go to work
>and
>generally go about their business without anyone implying that any
>ontact
>will result in a sexual liason.  This to me sounds like women are NOT
viewed
>only as sources for sexual gratification.
>
>>  The will of Allah is clearly written not only in the Holy Quran but it is
>>also
>>stated in the Holy Bible .
>>  This is what Holy Quran says about it,
>>  " 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 husbands' fathers...etc."   from surah Alnoor 31th verse.
>
>So please explain to me where in this passage is there anything about
>covering
>yourself from head to toe.  Seems to me that there is only a general
>command
>to be modest which is subject to interpretation.
>
>>Below is what the Holy bible says about it,
>
>Since the Bible is not a commanding force for Muslims, it is irrelevant
>in this discussion.
>
>Yasmin
>
>**************************************************************************
>*                                   *                                    *
>*  Yasmin Sohrawardy                *  "Only Nixon can go to China"      *
>*                                   *                                    *
>*  Internet:  ys3359@csc.albany.edu *            - Ancient Vulcan        *
>*                                   *              Proverb               *

Dear Yasmin;

sexual gratification of women  is  clearly  visible in the western society,
you  might  not  be called a whore in western society but you  might  be  a
victim of rape and  sexual  harassment  in  here.  Let's take a look at the
case in central park in New York city.  Do you think it would have occurred
in Muslim society and if it  would  what  would  be  the punishment for the
criminals.  You may be forced to wear (russary) in Iran, but you may  never
be a victom of the Charles  Staurt  case,  the  one where he killed his own
pregnant wife so he could collect insurance money.  With all the talk about
women's right and respect in here, statistics show that over 40% of college
women attending the University of Connecticut were raped at college  campus
in 1991.  Women have a very important  place in Islamic society.  But there
are  still  people, especially in the west, who have misgivings  about  the
status of women in Islam.  When was  the last time you entered a public bus
or  a train in the United States and some one offered you his seat  because
you were standing or when was the  last time your car was broken along side
of the highway and some gentleman without first glancing at your body parts
first offered you some help? Islam is  a religion of common sense and is in
line with human nature.  It recognizes the realities of life. This does not
mean it has recognized equality of man and women in every respect.  Rather,
it has defined their duties in keeping with their different biological make
-up.  God has not made man  and  women  identical,  so  it would be against
nature  to try to have total equality between a man and a woman.  It  would
destroy the social balance.  Society  would  not prosper, but would instead
have insoluble problems such as broken marriages, illegitimate children and
the break-up of family life.  These problems are already visible in western
society.

sincerely yours

Ali Eslami

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