Her outrage may seem strange to many in places where this sight commonly occurs and largely goes unnoticed. Such behavior however, has far more of an impact where the Islamic environment or local culture is relatively more conservative than in most places. The author's evident dismay and perhaps disgust at what may initially appear a relatively mild lack of adherence may indeed seem extreme to those outside her context. Indeed we realize that perhaps most Muslim women would find absolutely nothing wrong with what she describes and may even view such women in their midst as quite conservative considering that most other women in their locale don't at all consider a face veil necessary, and who may even commonly wear merely a scarf and slacks, dresses that do not reach the ankles, no abaayah or jibaab, some make up, perfume, or maybe nothing close to Islamic hijaab and often interact with members of the opposite sex. What should be considered is if the author is comparing the state of affairs to the requirements of Islamic Hijaab, not merely local culture, and if those requirements are being adhered to or not by the majority.
Western civilization is built upon the appreciation of the naked form in art and in life.
It is well known that today's women are encouraged to be as unashamed of their bodies as possible and to never allow themselves to be restricted. Every day life is full of images and interaction involving every type of woman and sexual openness is considered healthy while anything restricting that is considered repressive and backward. Not to mention the treasure trove of good Islamic books, the presence of institutions of learning and memorizing the Qur'aan and hadeeth for women, and on top of all that she sees it among women whose native tongue is Arabic and whose heritage is Islam and therefore have little excuse to be uninformed. Our sister, and many other men and women like her, faces a seemingly unwinnable battle to stem the tide of western influence in Islamic areas. They are painted as fanatics and regressive while those who advocate relaxation of Islamic sharia are deemed reasonable and progressive, especially with regards to women and their usual first target is observance of Islamic hijaab.