> The Qur'an prescribes the same conservative dress for
> women regardless of their class, and has for about
> 1300 years now. [The Bible does, too, but it's rarely
> adhered to.]
That's true -- I'd forgotten about the women covering their heads bit in Paul. But that's only in church, no? Of course the early Xtians stressed anti-sexual attitudes and behavior a great deal, in opposition to the gentiles' "licentiousness."
Orthodox Jewish female attire is also quite modest; perhaps there is a connection with the Moslem custom.
Of course, from one point of view, all of this can be subsumed under the general heading of patriarchy -- the males of a family wanting to keep "their women" under control, especially so that the family's property remains under control. And perhaps that's basically what it's about. But it's interesting that the strictness of the rules about covering up female bodies seems to rise and fall within a wide range over history.
On Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 09:55 PM, kjkhoo at softhome.net wrote:
> Thus, there has been considerable variation across the Muslim world --
> with the most famous example probably being the Tuareg of the Sahara
> where it's the men who go around with only their eyes showing. In SE
> Asian Islam, women traditionally have worn only a loose head covering
> and that for formal occasions such as weddings, etc., and a full
> prayer dress for prayer times. That loose head covering shows plenty
> of hair, something deemed a no-no by latter-day Islamists, and
> historical photographs show that women in preparation for bath or
> around the home would wear a sarong tied to cover the breasts, showing
> plenty of shoulder, and a bit of leg.
Are there any systematic explanations for these differences, or are they just random variations from one geographical area to another?
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ A sympathetic Scot summed it all up very neatly in the remark, 'You should make a point of trying every experience once, excepting incest and folk-dancing.' -- Sir Arnold Bax