Hijab--only for religious Muslims?

Submitted by Serena (United Kingdom), Mar 29, 2008 at 12:59

Amin, You make numerous points in your email, so I will just respond briefly to a couple of your points.

If wearing a hijab is something only for religious Muslims and is akin to a nun's habit, then we are agreed. Non-Muslim women have no business wearing them and, given the photos, are laughable imposters.

If, however, these women were asked to wear hijabs (as I thought was the case with Oriana Fallaci) or encouraged to wear them as a sign of respect, then my comments stand. If they are not merely for religious Muslims, they are cultural. If Western women are encouraged to wear hijabs as a sign of respect for another culture, then, as stated previously, the favor should be returned and visiting Eastern women should wear miniskirts.

I don't know anything about this Western superiority to which you refer. I most certainly have not said anything of the sort. If I had, I would not only require visiting Eastern women to sport miniskirts, but belly piercings, as well.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".