Beautifully written.

"We talked about our views, how one culture's sign of respect, can be viewed by another's as a sign of inequality."

A niqab as a sign of respect? What a load of crap from a stupid dhimmi. Why doesn't she try a good stoning as 'a sign of respect'?

" I know I will be forever grateful for a thin and delicate piece of cloth that helped me see with a new set of eyes."

Hello, that "thin and delicate piece of cloth" is a coffin for the living dead. Some women don't need men to subjugate them, they will do it to themselves. This is so unbelievable. How stupid can one be?

"I know I will be forever grateful for a thin and delicate piece of cloth that helped me see with a new set of eyes."

They oppress women, period. It's in their culture and due to their moral. Don't despite Islam, despite the niqab.

Wearing one of those is the same thing as wearing a sign that says "trash". You can spit in my face and I won't notice.

Never encourage their oppression.

The niquab is a human rights violation and should be banned worldwide through a UN resolution. The only country that has stood up against this practice is France. Vive la France!!

I was hoping that this article would've been more substantial,but rather, I found it most guarded in detailing the results of a week's experience in wearing a veil,possibly even evasive: A veiled opinion :)

The problems associated with full face covering niqab are many. ( Mostly bank robbers and thieves cover their faces in the west)

1. If a woman driver in a full face covered niqab kills a pedestrian and does a 'hit and run' and claims she was not the driver, how can the police identify the driver? Security cameras at ATMs, banks and other pubic areas would be useless. IDENTIFICATION is the main reason for banning the full face covering veil.

2. A niqab wearing lady once introduced me to her two teenage daughters - I told her politely that I am delighted to know their names but I would not be able to identify them if I see the again because all of them were wearing face covering veils. A big social impediment.

3. Facial expressions and body language are the most important elements in communication. Poor communication leads to poor education and learning. This is the main reason for high levels of under-achievement in Muslim societies as compared with societies where women are given a equal if not higher status and opportunities.( ie Buddhist- Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China, Thailand – atheist – Denmark, Norway, Sweden).

4. Osteporosis and knee problems ( bow legs)are common in muslim ladies who had worn full length burkas all their life. Full length Black full garments prevent UV absorption by the skin and can lead to Vitamin D deficiency. High incidence of ' bow -leg' deformity and osteoporosis is seen in Muslim women in many countries.

5. : A niqab wearing lady is more like to suffer from 3rd degree burns in case of her clothes catching fire . More likely to die in a emergency because medical staff will taking a longer time to remove clothing, gain essential venous access and to perform CPR effectively.

How do you figure its a "delicate piece of cloth"? Trying to make it sound more appealing, or seem different than it really is I suppose. I've worn them many times before and they are no more delicate than a shirt or dress.

There was an Islamic Teachers college near where i live. It trains female Islamic religious teachers. One year, there were 9 pregnant unmarried female religious teacher trainees in the college. It caused an uproar on how their bfs managed to have sex with them amidst tight dorm security. Seems that the bfs wore the Niqab and entered the female dorm to spend nights with their gf !

Dear Gena,

As a Muslim living is Saudi Arabia, where most of the women wears niqab, i was actually surprised by the way you, as a western woman, have handled this subject.

We need more articles, like this one, written with open minded people reflecting how other cultures live without criticizing them.

It was well said in your phrase " we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs.."

Thank you again for this, well written article.

Allah protect you wherever you are during your mission.
EM

I find it both baffling and disgraceful how people turn themselves into pretzels trying to justify this type of treatment of women.

Wanting to be respectful and understanding of different cultures is generally a good thing. But it is only with the most extreme and repulsive forms of cultural and moral relativism that you can take seriously the idea that the way women are treated in Yemen is "pure" in its intentions or a "sign of respect."

It is also very easy to play "Yemeni woman" for a few weeks and then come home and talk about it like it was some kind of beautiful, enriching experience. I imagine its quite another thing to be born into such a culture and live that way your whole life. In that sense, you are very selfish to feel so self-conscious about negative stereotypes about westerners while going along with, and tacitly encouraging, this kind of overt misogyny.

So in the end, you felt sympathy for a culture/or religion that would mask women in this way? More importantly, in your piece is the fact that you could stand there and feel like you were not an entity. That you could not have your "own voice" or express your own feelings. CNN is such a liberal voice that they want to accept everything. Let me, as a women and a citizen of the United States continue to have the freedom to speak and be heard, to stand up as a person and not someone to be ignored. I guess you have to truly identify and clarify what true respect is. Is it respect to require a human being to cover themselves so only their eyes are visible, is it respect not to acknowledge their own statements? I find that disregard, devaluing as a person and subjection, not respect!!!

Amazing experience and amazing article. As a Muslim, I believe a woman should be respected whether she chooses full niqab or the regular hijab. In any case, respect from both sides and an open mind makes us both more humane and wise.

What an incredibly thoughtful and well written article; amazing piece of journalism.

The author brings out her own feelings on what its like but it never has the air of condemnation or disgust; it is not written in a hostile fashion. Bravo. Thank you for giving it a fair eye and most importantly for not trying to push an agenda, either for it or against it.

I really appreciate the article and the approach she took to see things from a rare perspective. I would be very interested in the same approach done in a western atmosphere.

Thank you for sharing this. This is purely beautiful.

Great blog Gena, I hope this could be repeated in different aspects other than Niqab( which is not a must to ware in Islam compared to Hijab) ,this will make people of the west more understanding of the Islam.

So a CNN reporter says she will be "forever grateful" for the niqab, while millions of women in the Arab and Muslim world continue to be oppressed and denied the most basic rights, and cannot remove their veil. She had to wear it only for a week, and used it only to open doors into the oppressive society she admires so much where she had enjoyed such "gentle and beautiful moments". But this society where women are often punished as adulterers for being raped, and where little girls are married to old men, is not so "gentle" towards its women. Not to mention that it also spawned such humanitarians as Osama Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda who spread their "gentle" love all over the world.

It is beatifully written, and great prespective.

I am glad to finally see some one figures it:( there is an all-too-common misconception of westerners when we travel: we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs)

I think this piece by Gena Somra is extremely interesting. I myself am a Muslim man but who grew up with the values of the west which I have learned to greatly appreciate. There is a certain fundamentalism in the Middle East that is oppressive and repressive, but most of it is not borne out of religious or cultural convictions, it is the consequence of the poverty, the internal strife, the wars and occupations, authoritarian and theocratic fiefdoms. The West can never bring about the freedoms that we consider universal to the Middle East by supporting the status quo or by force. The change has and can happen from within as the society progresses and grows in peaceful times. This article reminds us of such reality. Great piece!

Meerkat21,
funny 5 points. But dude, not all the world spins in the way you look. And honestly, for many people, it has nothing to do with niqab, or women, or rights.... It has to do with an anti-islamic resentment from a West that feel cannot stop the number of Muslims coming over and showing their way. Dude, if you don't like niqab, simply don't wear one.

A woman should be respected whatever she chooses to wear. Fuly covered or naked. I would have given the author of this more credit if she spent one week as stated and then requested that the community respect her while she wore a miniskirt for the next week. Accommodation goes both ways.

However, cultural or not the full cover is dangerous and should not be worn where there are interactions with the public or while driving a car etc.

And apart from all of this there are some cultures, cultures of oppression that simply should not be respected in any way.

To experience being a true Yemeni woman, you did not just need a few pieces of jewelery, but you needed to live in a household where you are nothing but a "woman" who gets beaten when you misbehave. How about you made dinner for your family and your husband did not like it, well, you get beaten. Your child did not say hello nicely to your husband when he arrived, well you get beaten. Your in-laws did not call on the weekend, well you get beaten, because it was probably your fault. How about you have cramps with your period, well you get beaten.......the article is very well written, but you still do not understand.

I am not a Muslim but i guess we should not just discount other people's cultures just because they are not like us and especially if it is not practiced on our land. I have heard western women who complain about the skimpiness of girls' clothes in the west. Of course the moslems wouldn't agree either, but would you like the moslems to tell Americans what they should and shouldn't wear. History has shown that when people are oppressed they will struggle out of it just like the western women earned their rights e.g to vote (by the way this was less than 100 years ago). So, if the niqab is a symbol of oppression, it will disappear on its own. The west needs to stop thinking that they have answers for everything for developing countries especially seeing that western societies are not prefect either!!

@uzi4u Women are punish for being raped? Maybe you should check out that the Middle East have the highest punishs for rapers and forced marriage is illegal.

I can't believe this article - the couple things mentioned that counterbalance all of the isolation, all of the physical discomforts... and one of them is:

"Or when our guards and driver invited me to share their lunch with them; a homemade stew that they were feasting on out of a single pot. A very high honor, a sign of earned respect, and apparently an almost unheard of gesture to offer to a woman."

An almost unheard of gesture to offer a woman? Interesting, a sign of respect nearly unheard of for women. I'm not sure what to make of this, but after all of the discomforts... someone offers you food, but you note that women rarely receive this honour? (and somehow that makes you feel good?)

If anything, all I've seen in this article is a whole bunch of female oppression, whether it was performed openly or in a subtle manner... it's all over this page. After all these years that equal rights activists have fought, and women will still write articles that make concessions in the face of such discrimination... Sigh.

It sounds like a fun experience to wear the niqab for a week, but you should thank the Lord everyday that you come from a Western society, where you do not need a niqab or head cover or long skirt.

This Middle East is a scary, traditional, religious, irrational, restrictive society. I grew up in America. Now I live in Israel. I have some Palestinian friends, some of which wish that they could be free to take off their head covers, but society would never allow that. Their society grants them education, but other aspects of their lives are so limited.

You should thank G_d for the Western society where you could grow up equal, learning in the same schools, doing after-school sports and arts and having the same opportunities no matter race, religion or gender. I do, and I can't wait to go back.

Wearing nikab at certain places is a problem where face must be shown. However, there had always been flexibility on both sides to not let it be an issue and deal with it on basis of common sense. It has recently become an issue since everyone is just jumping on the bandwagon and calling veiled women "oppressed women of West". I personally and partially blame those wannabe London bombers who wore full face veils to go on the run after their failed suicide bombing attempt on London buses after 7/7. They are the one who gave an excuse to people like Ninja (comments below) to have that narrow minded opinion and people to listen to them.

Surprising lack of insight from this reporter. Isn't it obvious that the friendly policeman became more comfortable with her when she was put in her place as a "woman" and no longer an equal with the men?

I am amazed at how american feminist will protest about small things here in the US, but will tolerate the oppression of women in other parts of the world. If it is important to tolerate and respect other cultures, then why don't muslims respect other cultures when they live in Western countries. They want to continue their way of life no matter where they are

In Islam its not compulsory to wear NIGAB. Its compulsory to cover every part of the body except face and hand.Thers is misunderstanding among some westerners and muslim societies regading the NIGAB due Some 'scholars' Fatwa. Islam is not such a harsh religion ,its suitable for every culture and society foever,Please learn Islam from a trustworthy scholar,not an extremist Thaliban style scholar

You might have felt 'accepted' but remember everyone knew you were a western woman and not a local. The gentlemen in your story would never have reached out to a local woman as they did to you! Local women remain invisible! The longer you would have stayed the more isolated you would have become. Remember the growth in movements that have permitted women to become equal sprang from the ability of women to join forces. Veiled, secluded women can not come together and form a political movement. It is women and men outside those countries that must speak up loudly and clearly against either cultural or religious oppressions. Human Rights should trump cultural and religious practices. Islam is going through their Inquisition now and only time will tell whether they will move past the veil into the enlightenment. Keep in mind that all humans are one and every man and woman is born through a woman's body both equal and naked.

To their credit, it's refreshing to know that (as mentioned in the article) men do not want to "gaze" out of respect and women want to dress modestly to prevent being a sex-object. But he hasn't figured out that a man does not have to stare even if she doesn't wear a tent. And she hasn't figured out that wearing a tent isn't the only definition of modesty. "Balance" people! A westerner can dress modestly without a veil and tarp. That doesn't mean we're dressed as inappropriate as a prostitute or Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

What a wonderful piece. I think all too often we in the western world try to interpret the muslim world using our values, and our culturalperspective. It was a couragous and valuable lesson to hear your words and your try to understand your feelings. I suspect that a woman that was used to wearing one of these garmets would feel equally ill-at-ease if she were to wear a bikini at a pool in a western country. I believe at some point, there will be a mixing of the cultures that arrives at an acceptable middle point for all, but until then, I am glad that you took the time to at least TRY to see things from another's standpoint.

The niqab is not required in Islam; in fact, it used to be worn before Islam by rich Persian women. I do believe, however, that if a person wants to wear niqab, they should be allowed to. However, I do not believe they should be forced to wear it if they do not want to.

I was in the UAE last winter, and there were many women in niqab walking hand in hand lovingly holding their husband's hands. Some women also worked in a University I visited, and talked to us directly.
If you look at Yemen, the poorest, most ignorant, Arab country whose oil and water will run out of 5 years and where there is so much war and turmoil social change is practically impossible to occur, then yes, the niqab is used by the patriarchal society to keep women under them. However, you can still be a successful woman and wear the niqab; the two are not exclusive. I know two women at Rutgers who wear the half face niqab, and both talk to their friends a lot and are very smart.

The niqab is more of a cultural thing than an Islamic thing, and you will see it primarily in the Arabian Peninsula and South east Asia.

Since most Arab nations are corrupt, in a war, or poor (and in many cases the corruption is put in to place by foreign powers just to get oil like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which does not even follow mainstream Islamic views but really "conservative" often incorrect ones), social change is not going to be the priority, but staying alive and not getting in to trouble will be. It is a sad fact, but that is what happens in these societies.

I think Americans really need to start seeing the other cultures from those cultures' perspectives. Too many times, I've seen Americans impose their own views and morals on other people. I think this article and the author is a great example of trying to understand someone's culture by going outside one's own comfort level. Based on some of the comments here, it is unfortunate that there will ALWAYS be those that are stuck in their "American" ways and can never see beyond that.

For the islamophobes here, who just leave no chance to defame a religion which more than 2 billion people on earth follows and has the spread rate more than any other religion.

The veil covering face of the women is not a compulsation in Islam at all. According to Islam, all you have to do is cover your head with piece of cloth just like Christian nuns do. Kindly don't write articles like these to ridicule a religion and let senseless sheep (the islamophobe commentators) follow the trend of bashing islam.

Thanks you Miss Gena for a beautiful piece of mind.

The crime and abuse that happened among Muslims are not because of Islam, it is because of the improper and lack of practice of the true Islamic values and teachings in life.

Niqab (as seen in the picture) is not a must in Islam and it is more like a cultural thing. The Muslim women only required to cover their hair, ear and neck with the regular hijab, which still shows their faces. Basically there is no such thing like security issues, identity confusions, and communication issues happened when they are wearing the hijab.

The Muslim women are required to cover their body with loose clothings that do not reveal the shape of their body. This serve as the basic protection for them against sexual harassment and as the sign of respect to the women. Women is the invaluable asset in the Muslim society. In analogy, if women are like the diamonds, you would not want to show and tell the world that you have the diamonds because you do not want somebody to steal or damage them even when you have the tightest security to guard the diamonds. At least when the women have such basic protection by covering their body, they can prevent the men (except from their husband) from having the unwanted sexual attraction and also keep themselves from sinful act.

In some countries, little girls are married to the older men to ensure that the girls get the proper life guidance from their husbands. This is not the act of pedophile as the husband are prohibited to have sexual relation with their wives until they have reached puberty. The reported news on the married little girls has been sexually abuse were caused by the improper and lack of Islamic knowledges among the husbands. That is why Islam put a tight regulations on a man in which the man must have a proper Islamic knowledges and practices, poses a good behaviour and have the sufficient fund before he can marry a woman.

Good article.
@Axel: wht makes u think wearing niqab is human rights violation? u expect everyone to be wearing bikinis and revealing dresses as that is what u consider freedom.. what a sick mentality!!

I strongly agree with most of these intelligently written comments above (Fabian, Axel, Bernie, Meerkat, Wingmaster, Fallen, Lee, uzi4u...), think the comments section in this case speaks much more than the article.

hmpfff my beautiful wife wears niqab, chooses to wear niqab and would NEVER desire to take it off in public. Silly, you call it oppressing. I will tell you whats oppressive and disrespectful: half the stuff on TV, half the glamor magazines with half naked women walking around, merely as sex objects and hot pieces of meat. Nevermind anything outside their physical attraction, nevermind the record setting number of women who have been mentally scorned with impossible expectations of the body set by glamor magazines, sparking waves of misery and anorexia. Why don't you look around your own culture, and realize its far from perfect and has PLENTY of problems. I bet you theres plenty of women who are miserable, and have been made miserable by their own illusion of liberation set by the rules and opening gates of sexual-expression.

You say the Niqab represents trash. I say it represents respect, and a women who wants to be viewed for who she is, and what she has to say, and her views, rather than her body. When I see a woman posing in a bikini, to me that is as you said: like holding a sign that says TRASH.

Why is "oppression" the only word that westerners can repeat ad nauseum when attempting to understand the Muslim woman?

There is mention of women in the muslim world being denied their basic rights. THAT would be a CULTURAL deficiency and NOT islamic . NO ONE can force a woman to wear hijab & make it mean anything to her & Allah. To wear the scarf is a CHOICE! Just because westerners can't fathom that a respectable, religious woman – yes, respectable – CHOOSES not to display her thighs in minis,or Daisy Dukes, tease with off-the-shoulder styles, tube tops, trashy tattoos that apparently can only be on the lower backs that encourage anybody & everybody to look at such a personal place, and even wear some items better left in the bedroom, does NOT mean she has made the WRONG choice. It is a CHOICE. Do the western women have such a choice in how they dress? I think not. Those women are dressing for MEN. Pick up any w omen's magazine & you are bombarded from cover to cover on how to dress your sexiest for this or that. Sorry to break it to you, but women do not dress sexy for themselves. Competition is the name of the game. Muslim women can walk the streets without the degrading "catcalls" that many of my friends detest. When I am in the states, men wait until I catch up & hold doors open for me (as does my husband), smile politely and generally trip over themselves with respect for us in our scarves. I don't really know what you guys that are sooo against the hijab, niqab or such are ranting about. My question has always been: How is WHAT I'm wearing affecting YOUR life?
I could go into an admittedly looong essay as to how the west are the "oppressed," "not to mention that the U.S. has also spawned such humanitarians as" Timothy McVeigh, et al and the Ku Klux Klan "who spread their gentle love all over the world," but this is all I will say.

Fundamentalist Islam is all about keeping women oppressed. Iran started the ball rolling by forcing the Iranian women to wear the veil and then the Taliban took it up a notch. The veil was never a requirement in the Koran but it sure made sense when you were riding through the desert on a camel by both sexes. It is time to put our camel to pasture and this stupid and senseless style. Do not tie to Allah. It has nothing to do with religion.

Beautifully written.

Bravo! It is amazing that you were able to write about this subject and the difference between cultural attitudes without criticizing one or the other.

=)

why dont you guys just ask a muslim women who wear niqab how they feel, rather than passing judgement on their feeling? If there any person forcing a women to wear niqab, it should be stopped. at the same time if any one "hate" a culture or religion because their women chose to wear niqab is nothing but racism. My mum and sisters do not wear face cover, but I rather have them wear a extra piece of clothe on their body than walking naked on the street for sick people to watch and enjoy.

"we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs..."

Watch BET or MTV to see how Rappers/Rockers threat women...What words are used to NAME THEM... every 45 sec a woman is being beaten in US. Yet all we do my friend is critizing the other side... Let fix our own society first!

Just a question Gena with no offense.
If some one says to a lady in west to drop her skirt or blouse, will she?
I can guess how fierce one can be on this statement, but just for a moment consider some people like to wear shirt and trouser, some likes to wear shirt and shorts, if you will ask the former to wear shorts he/she will hesitate.
Just consider the Muslim women they feel comfortable in niqab, they feel covered in niqab as you or any other women feel covered in your dress.

Here here Wingmaster! Gena – your experience would always be much different from that of a local woman's as you are a foreigner making a respectful gesture. I honestly think your attempt at seeing what life was like behind the veil failed.

I really wonder People who thought:

"The niquab is a human rights violation and should be banned worldwide through a UN resolution. The only country that has stood up against this practice is France. Vive la France!!"

How you see a women in bikini, or Naked beaches in parts of the EU where men/women loose their Dignity to be a human being!!. What you call that “A very Humanly Act?”

Wearing piece of cloth is something which is purely related to a culture/belief one belongs to, one can not force it.

I wish the the infanticide practiced by some native tribes in the Amazonas and the burning of widows in India would be treated with the same respect as the excesses of the islamic culture.
Why do muslims get away with these crimes committed in the name of their religion while other cultures don't? May be terrorism pays off. So other inhumane cultures just need to become a little bit more aggressive and violent and they will gain the respect of the Westerners. Perhaps the surviving Aztecs just need some terrorists among them and they can start with human sacrifices again, under the protection of the freedom of religion and the spirit of tolerance.
And instead of "expecting everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view," we could give it a try and start with human sacrifices too, as a gesture of our mutual understanding.

A well written and fair report. A lot of westerners and non Muslims are myopic in their view of life. For the mere fact that the some women wearing niqab were abused by their husbands does not mean every muslim niqab wearing women must be abused. This is a poor sweeping generalisation, an illusionary effect of lazy attitude to issues. Will it be right for me to say that all Europeans are racist simply because some Black African soccer players like Eto, Drogba etc were racially abused by some irresponsible Caucasian fans of European football club? Will it be right to say that every American is an usurper because George Bush attacked Iraq and depose Saddam Hussain?

Instead of indulging in this lazy attitude of echoing lies some of your leaders peddled globally quoting false and questionable statistics, I advise that you take your time to read Holy Quran or Hadiths ( this is the sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet of Islam (May the Peace of Allah be on him)). I am very sure you won't find a place that Allah or His prophet encourage or commanded His followers to abuse their wives. Infact Islam loves women so much that a whole chapter of the Holy Quran was named after women.

If your response is no to my questions above, then, i DON'T THINK IT IS EQUALLY RIGHT TO ASSUME THAT ALL MUSLIM WOMEN WEARING NIQAB ARE VICTIMS OF ABUSE.

My wife covers her head (with Hijab, not niqab) and we live happily with our kids and I have so many other friends and neighbours who also enjoys peaceful marriage despite the fact that the wives uses Hijab or Niqab. Chastity of women is sacred in any true religion, it is in your perverted society that women walking on the streets naked or half naked are celebrated as stars or heroin, check any sane country, such insanities are not celebrated or tolerated, modesty and humility of women is considered a non negotiable tradition in such sane environment.

While the Western world shouts Freedom as their daily slogan, where does real freedom lies if I cannot dress anyhow I desire or as permitted by my belief? Why can't the Western world treat every case of abuse as it comes rather than condemning every other Muslims that wears niqab? When Muslims covers their heads and body, such Muslims are called terrible names such as Fanatic, fundamentalist, extremist, terrorist etc but if any American star like Beyonce should adorn herself in the same attire, she is praised as fashion guru with high taste. When our women wear Hijab, they are victims of oppression but when women of other religion wears the same, they are saints; the same piece of cloths that is the albatross of a Muslim is the symbol of piety for others? What a travesty of justice? Freedom indeed!!!

I dont recall the last time a muslim women came to venus beach and tried on a bikini to see the world thru a western woman's eyes. Oh wait, they would have to be let out of the house for that, never mind!!

well,I don't know you and what do you try to say,well,for me that I would happy a good looking islam chick wear a Bikini and interview me on the califonia beach,and I would also happy to adjust her bikini in a proper way if needed,then I would happy to talk with her things about our culture and way of living,hows that?see the different?thing is when you willing to listen in their way and back home write stuff like this and no one give a sxxt about it,and that islam chick if do the same as you and interview me the way I have said above,and back home write something like this,guess what????I am going dark

Very interesting amd insightful article. I have some jewelery from Yemen and have wanted to go there but know it will never be. At least you gave the niqab a try and showed the Yemenis you were willing to give something of their culture a stab. I think some of the other commenters are reading too much into your wearing it; it was an experiment and you reported on how it worked and made you feel. That's all.

What an honest piece that at the end shows that the reality of the veil to many is not oppression, but respect.

Why is it whenever an American makes an effort to work within the rules of another society is it seen as a weakness and other Americans harshly criticize the action?

So what?

So this reporter when the extra mile to get a better story. Why is that wrong? How does it become that she is a supporter of the culture or somehow supporting the marginalization of women in that society? She was just doing a job. She was paid to do the work.

BTW: I would say that Japanese women are much more marginalized then other posters seem to realize. But that is another issue.

top article, god bless u

i fundamentally don't understand how forcing another human being to hide themselves in a great swath of black cloth is respecting them. If you truly had respect for them, you would respect them to their faces and not use the excuse that they "are being protected from men's lusts, etc." that's ridiculous. if that's the case you should try to change the men, not victimize the women!

Wearing niqab is not human violation. It is their choice. If we ban it then only we violate their human rights. If anyone wants to know whether they oppress women, then experience such an adventurous step like Gena Somra if anyone doesn't believe this. Or will anyone dare to take that step?

this is her experience. She cant tell Muslim women whats right for them and what's not.

There are 2 ways,

Good and bad

Muslim women may suffer in this life but not in the second life, however the non-muslim wanna screw around in this life but in the next it wont be satisfying

Ridiculous article, ridiculous "clothing" that has no place in the modern world. Any culture that uses that garbage bag to dress their women in deserves to be destroyed.

Dear Ehab,

As a Christian living in california beach, where most of the women wears Bikini, i was actually surprised by the way you, as a muslim woman,wears Bikini and interview me on the beach and back home wrote something like this experiences and have handled this subject.

We need more articles, like this one, written with open minded muslim women reflecting how other cultures live without criticizing them. (reflecting from me to you)

It was well said in your phrase " we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs.."

Thank you again for this, well written article.

Jesus protect you wherever you are during your swim with your beautiful Bikini.
Amen

I am not convinced at all by this article.

"how one culture's sign of respect, can be viewed by another's as a sign of inequality.".... SO, WHY DON´T MUSLIM WOMENSHOW RESPECT FOR WESTERN COUNTRIES AND UNVEIL THEIR FACES WHEN THEY ARE IN WESTERN CULTURE COUNTRIES???..."But I never thought I'd be in a position to experience it first hand."...WHY DON´T YOU TRY AND DO IT EVERYDAY IN YOUR OWN TOWN, AREN´T YOU ALLOWED?..."A very high honor, a sign of earned respect, and apparently an almost unheard of gesture to offer to a woman."...BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT ONE OF "THEIR" WOMEN TO WHOM THEY WOULD NEVER SHOW ANY RESPECT..."I had never spent the day asking people questions to gain insight and over and over seeing the answers to my questions be addressed to someone other than me, as if my voice had come from their lips and not mine."...SEEMS THAT YOU LIKED TALKING AND NOT BEING HEARD, THIS MUST BE A NICE FEELING....AND FINALLY, "YOU" MADE THE DECISION TO WEAR THE NIQAB, PROBABLY THE YEMENI WOMEN WITH WHO YOU PROBABLY DID NOT ATTEMPT TO TALK TO ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE A DECISION THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. GOD SAVE WESTERN CULTURE FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU!!!

it was very nice of all males surrounding yiou to allow you this silliness....... Be aware you were not taken as equal to men by the men due to the fact you are but a woman. I am also amazed at comments on this piece clearly orchestrated from muslim world CNN be awareof this !

broad minded and respectfull person...world will live in peace only when we respect anr understand our differences...thanks for joyfull article

It's a crime against ALL women and a barbaric piece of cloth that is ONLY to oppress women. Muslims have a long long way to go to become human and live in democracy.

Good. Now I suggest a female Arabian journalist going to a nudist beach and explain her thoughts. That would also help to create a better understanding.

Beautiful story. You should now try to wear a prison uniform for a weak. Wearing this thin and delicate orange piece of cloth is not a sign that you are oppressed, it is simply a sign of respect. Everybody will address you as an equal (as long as the uniform does not show the shape of your body). Besides, the prison system will never force you to wear it, it is actually not mentioned in the rules, so it is entirely optional. You can still be a successful woman and wear the prison uniform; the two are not exclusive. I know two women who wear the orange prison uniform all the time, and both talk to their friends a lot and are very smart.

{quote}I dont recall the last time a muslim women came to venus beach and tried on a bikini to see the world thru a western woman's eyes. Oh wait, they would have to be let out of the house for that, never mind!!{Quote]

There are ENOUGH convert women to Islam to testify to this. They've been there done it and have now changed their ways.

It doesn't take a genius to realize which woman is a 'sexual object' a muslim covered woman or a stripped western woman?

It is refreshing to see a reporter who actually tries to understand the culture behind the story.

It seems to me that Americans have a very hard time understanding a culture that values chastity, humility, and modesty. IIRC, our (America's) tendency to sexualize everything is one of the main points of friction between our culture and Islamic culture (However it is interpreted).

Very insightful comments indeed.

A lot of men defending the hijab or niqab, but not a single woman (so far). That should say something about choice and respect.

Cultural oddities aside, the article is superficial, full of cheapish clichés, wannabe original and flat.
" I don't know what invisible feels like, but I imagine if it had a feeling, this would have been it." – good grief, how long time did it take you to find this cliché in your literal inspiration...?
Yes, the article is entirely in the class of today's CNN news making – hollow.

Great article Gena.I'm glad you liked the experience.Unfortunately, there are many many Americans may be other non-muslims who are so so ignorant they will never see the truth no matter how you put it. Some speak of equality between men and women while you know they were, are and will never be equal.You are a bunch of hypocrites.Women have rights, zillions of rights but are never EQUAL. Still at the same time women are the most beautiful thing on earth to man.A man not cherishing her is his curse.We arab men cherish our women and love them million times more than you will ever do.An Arabian girl is born to live and die like a princess with her father, brother, husband and son caring for her both emotionally and financially till her last breath.Niqab is not a necessity in Islam.Ignorant people saying otherwise and forcing girls to put it on against their will, will be punished by God for not being merciful with their own.still its their problem not yours.You care so much of how our women dress? Have they ever asked for your help? BRING ME ONE EGYPTIAN WOMAN, only ONE with NIQAB among 80 millions who is forced to wear it against her will.According to our law she can get a divorce in a week.Another one got her divorce in a week cause her husband takes a shower every month.You don't know anything about us.But we know everything about you.At LEAST what YOUR MEDIA tells us.I bet most non-american muslims here commenting has travelled before to USA or Europe while on the other hand only a minority of you ever set foot on Arabian land.

i think thats right, we have to respect other cultures, and the radical feminists are the best example of intolerance... however i think the west is right and they are wrong. wearing the niqab is a oppressive tradition and i dont like it at all...

And btw, I'm single and still looking for a wife and one of the problems facing me in finding the one is that most of the women I met are veiled and I don't like it but I respect it and respect them.If my future wife decide to wear it after marriage I can never object, its her right. SO that's a lesson for all of those who attack Muslim traditions.You don't have to like it, but that doesn't give you the right to disrespect it.

Marvelous article, we should observe all aspects of any issue, instead of insisting our personal views.

The niqab is like any other act that is done because of an ideology behind it. It is usually as popular amongst men as it is amongst women. I do not understand why people insist that women who wear the niqab they think it is their choice.

Wouldn't it be nice if Muslim women showed the same respect for our culture in our countries? They could choose not to wear burkha's, niqabs, headscarves and burkini's. They could choose to teacht their kids it is wrong to hiss "whore" at unveiled Western women in the heart of Amsterdam. Oh, I forgot, 'respect' is a one-way-street for them...

All very interesting but you don't explain how you eat without exposing your lower face. Do you hold your face cover up with one hand & eat with the other? One handed eating??

For an encore, you should wear your niqab during a transatlantic flight. Then you'll see how open and tolerant western society can be.

Guys! Wearing a niqab is optional in Islam and wearing a hijab is mandatory. Believe me! I swear it is not an oppression at all. In fact it is true liberatation. Niqab/Hijab actually liberates women from lustful eyes of men (not all men) who only want to see women as a sexual object. And in the current state of the world where pornography has become a religion, more and more men's eyes have become lustful. Would like to ask all of you this simple question? What feeling one gets when u see a picture of Mary or a group of Nun with headcovering? It is modesty. period.. Same applies to muslim women wearing niqab/hijab.

A common misconception is that Muslim women are the only ones who cover their hair. It may be true that Islam is the only religion in which most women follow its directives to cover the hair, but it is not the only religion to have such directives.

{Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head–it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil} [Corinthians 11:4-7].

{And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. } [Genesis 38:14]

{For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.} [Genesis 24:65]

{For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.} [Corinthians 11:6-7]

{The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.} [Song of Solomon 5:7]

{A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this} [Deuteronomy 22:5]

Women today dress with an eye toward exposing as much meat – er, flesh – as they can get away with, each passing fashion season pushing the limit of fashionable acceptability, the laws don't apply to them anymore because they've been 'Liberated' pure hypocrisy! (yes i know, freedoom you say)

The main problem with the niqab and burka is that if a woman chooses not to wear one one, they are outcast, beaten, and or killed because of that decision. These are not expressions of religious faith, they are tools of oppression, and thinking anything but that is foolish

Hats off for Gena somra, this is how a human should experience something one way to bring the real out of it. the honest thing to say is , Gena saved something,was being eaten by termites for a long time and was about to get mixed up with dust on the ground; i am talking about she saved the the veil ordainments configured in Islam for ladies, and the significance of isolation strategy literally for ladies from the outsider world than her home, { i wish Gena somra gets respect from the world more than she deserve, and same for her family and daughters,for when she is gonna explain to her kids,its gonna be much different the way it lookd from far far away, its to come close ,experience,then to decide, GENA somra thumbs lady,
with best regards from a
passionate guy.

wearing a niqab has a certain spiritual depth that no non comitted moslem can appreciate.why not just leave everyone to make their own choices of how they want to live their lives?and lets just respect our differances.

the most biased reporting ive ever read! wow!!!

As expected, Islam-bashing knows no boundaries! Whether one chooses to fully cover oneself from head to toe Or to be fully naked – baring breasts, buttocks, private parts etc, it is his or her choice! And it is also his or her choice to wear clothing based on a certain religion's teaching. It is also his or her choice not to follow the prescribed clothing guideline of any religion, even his or her own religion's guidelines.

The other about Islam is it does not prescribe certain man or woman to be holy man or holy woman. In Islam, everybody is holy, dignified and deserve respect. With that, Islam prescribes guidelines to preserve the holiness of each individual. One of them is the guidelines on clothing.

Unless we degrade ourselves from the start, and start showing every inch of our flesh for others to appreciate the 'beauty', we can dismiss the guidelines and create our own guidelines. In animals' world, it is called instinct.. Following instinct makes them 'animals'.. I wonder about humans with cognitive ability, to prowl the world based on instinct..

"we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs...a misconception I wanted no hand in continuing to perpetuate."

I think you are misunderstanding what you are saying just to please the muslim reader of yours. In the US you are free to wear what you want to wear, go to some arab countries, are you free to do so as well ? NO, you are required to cover yourself as well.. now think about what they are doing to you that you are not doing to them ? Why should we adopt to their way of lfe if they cannot even adopt to ours ? Why should we continue to please them just because they make a noise ? Are we that dumb enough to accomodate their needs just because they complain much ? Look at the world right now ? They are the only religion who cannot live side by side with the rest.... look at the countries who are mostly at war ? what do you observer ? do not be blinded by a piece of cloth you think gives you a new way of looking at life ... it isn't giving you one ... it only limits your view and shows how scared you are of what the muslims might think of you if you think otherwise. That is just plain fear and nothing else. They already got to you.

@patriot0919, Oh, I see a lot of respect for women in your post and many posts above you! Sex objects, is what you think of them and call it liberation!

Mick, et. al, If you see women with their lustrous hair down or in bikinis or 'half naked' why can't you regard them as FLOWERS THAT YOU CAN'T PICK instead of MEAT??? The ONLY reason women have EVER had to cover themselves is because BARBARIAN men who haven't EVOLVED with men in the rest of the world feel can't control their BASE desires. In other words, if they see a pretty flower they want to pick it. Their solution is therefore to COVER it up! Sorry you haven't reached the stage of evolution where you master your base instincts. Perhaps in a few more lifetimes you'll stop thinking and behaving one step above dogs – the level you've only managed to reach thus far.

To all those here who argue that the niqab is a sign of respect, and that Muslim women aren't oppressed, please just remember a few simple facts about women who live in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, or under the Taliban:
1. A woman isn't allowed to go anywhere without a male family member to escort her.
2. A woman's testimony isn't equal to that of a man.
3. Little girls are married off to strangers and do get raped, with little or no legal means to defend themselves.
4. Honor killings are still common practice in some places. Also a sign of respect for women no doubt...
Tolerating such practices is not a sign of tolerance, it is merely turning a blind eye to oppression and cruelty.

This is a beautiful article. I am an Australian woman who has many Muslim friends. I think it is high time people learnt more about this then fearing it. Gena, you have done that and thank you!

Can anyone tell me if the Virgin Mary "peace be upon her" is presented anywhere in the world without the veil? if some people lost their identity to what so called modern world that is their problem; lets be civilized and look deep into issue prior to passing judgments.

Extremism is in all religion and in politics, in all Niqab is not one of them.
Niqab is just a modest practice which you do by your choice and is not forced in any one just like the writer was not forced to wear it or not, just simple if a woman afraid of sexual intimidation and harassment and being raped like the way they happens in every minutes in the west then full niqab is the way to go soon the rapist will be seeing only veils and niqabs

If you want to know how Muslim Women feel, simply ask them
watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rrkBZGvUgM

To some of the critics of this article:

-To you, it is freedom when a 300 lbs fat women has to show her legs and a@# (rear) to the public,
- To you, it is freedom when a women is wearing a tongue underwear in the beach ( sometimes on public on the streets). and when she get raped, you blame her for exposing herself to the rapist.
- To you, it is freedom when you dispaly women' s body on the billboards, TV, and magazines as a piece of meat.
-To you, whatever you do is right and whatver someone else does is wrong and oppression. Leave those people alone. You are occupying them, you are robbing their countries, your are killing and destroying them in the name of your fake democracy.
You are a hypocrite society....leave those people....Trust me, you have started something that you are not able to finish....

All of this criticism above of Muslimahs from mostly American men and women, yet American men and women are in the top 10 of countries where they suffer the highest rates of murder, rape and domestic abuse. Not one country where the majority practices Islam is in the top 30 or 40. What a bunch of losers. Even though it is not required by Islam 98% of the Muslimahs who wear the niqab do so by choice so what business of it is yours?

RE: Cygnus

I was especially shocked by this person's defense of having child brides: "little girls are married to the older men to ensure that the girls get the proper life guidance from their husbands. This is not the act of pedophile as the husband are prohibited to have sexual relation with their wives until they have reached puberty."

Proper life guidance !? Child brides who were married before reaching puberty!!! How young are they exactly!!! And how could they ever be equal in such a relationship? This person, Cygnus defends marriage of little girls to older men before reaching puberty! Shocking!

Human Rights? Wait a minute.... French Courts telling the women that they cannot wear a niqab or hijab even if they wish to wear one! errr... am i the only one missing something here?

Folks

Niqab is personel freedom ,why i see some of you crying about niqab ,so every body mind with his own buisness and try to understand others culture if we all respect each other we all live high class life

The idea of wearing a veil is to suppress any potential erotic signal, and in the process you suppress any authority for the woman to convey her emotions altogether. Somebody needs to explain to me what this has to do with respect. If you respect a woman, you don't assume that her only ambition and purpose is to "entice" men.
Therefore, there is no real difference between a woman dressing up as a railway station whore and one wearing a niqab: In both cases, women are entirely defined by them being potential sex objects, one on display and one covered.

Gena, imagine your daughters having to spend the rest of their lives hidden away and then rewrite this PC oozing article.

Nicely written... the scribe has conveyed her personal disdain for the niqab... yet also given an honest account of the positives she felt. It is more honest than anything I have read even from Muslim journalists.

Just looking at the comments to this article makes you wonder, what is extremism? In my book, extremism is not about believing something intensely. It's about not respecting the honest opinion of others.

As far as my views on this topic go.... if a person can choose underdress in public, they might as well be allowed to overdress !

Good story. I am all for Muslims doing what their customs dictate in their own countries. Now lets hear a story about a Muslim woman who moves to France and for the first time in her life she is able to walk the streets of Paris without Muslim garb. A female who is free, comfortable and powerful, with the wind and sun on her body, a wonderful connection with nature and people around her, and no fear of retaliation from her father or brothers. That is a great story.

Great article ! I'm a french journalist in Yemen, married to a yemeni woman (who don't wear niqab, even hate it) and I really appreciate the effort you made to understand the culture of this people...
I'm sure you don't like niqab and you don't really wanna wear it again, I'm sure you feel sad that women decide to wear it, but you really tried to understand these people, their beliefs with a respect that a lot of people here should show...

Whatever your opinions are, trying to understand the others and theirs opinions is the best way to peaceful world.

Thank you, really !

to be as precise as one should be do not subject yourselves to be viewed as idiots, or lets say biased close-minded idiots, by speaking of a religion and culture that you know nothing of.

speaking without the appropriate knowledge is shame... all the negative comments really just reflect how limited your minds are.

As an American woman who converted to Islam this article was well written and was accurate. I do not wear Niqaab in Saudi as of yet however I have thought about doing it many times. After reading your post I believe I will take that step and try it out and see how it works. Wearing hijab is one thing and wearing niqaab is a total other step. Well written and unfortunately to all those that dont respect culture and understand Niqaab has nothing to do with a persons oppression they will remain stereotypical and racist. such is life and unfortunately it will never stop..

GREAT ARTICLE!

The "niqab" presents a serious national security issue. There is no compelling reason to walk around in public with one's face covered.

A very interesting piece that shows just how successful this clothing tool is at firmly keeping women in a subordinate, secondary position, much like a glorified household pet. Obviously, many of them seem to like the idea of taking no responsibility for anything to speak of.

I look forward tot the author going Somalia to do a personal piece on the joys and beauty of female genital mutilation.

Sigh, I think the proper word for what she is doing is quisling.

Everybody has a right to wear what he or she wants....so its upto
girl whether she wants to wear Veil or not....And the West shouldnot
dictate us what to wear or not...

Amazing article. I learned a lot from this article. It is a no-brainer in terns of how to understand each other, at the micro and macro level, if you understand her point. In a country like France for example, they passed the bill to ban hijabs or niqap because they thought wearing them meant that they do not respect the French values. Perhaps every attempt to build democracy itself in the region may be the culprit for all the conflicts. By the way, I couldn't help thinking about the Samuel P. Huntington's article, The Clash of Civilization. Not economy or ideologies, but rather culture comes in first! Understanding is the key.

Whatever you wear, if you are forced to marry a thug, you're in a living hell.

Very well written article.

I'm muslim. I live in a city that is predominantly Muslim. I have 4 sisters. None of them veiled. Neither is my fiance. Their choice. My mom is veiled. Her choice. My friend's mom wears a Niqab. Her choice.

We choose. A woman wears a Niqab, or a Hijab, or nothing to cover her head, by choice. Some of you think we force our women to wear that stuff. We don't. Most of us 1.6billion muslims don't.

Some of you guys think all of us do, that's plain wrong. That's like going to America or Europe and meeting Neo Nazis and then saying white people are racist, all of them.

Come on, we're different. we're diverse. we have different cultures and norms and different options. when we're free to choose we choose different things that's fine. Thank you for the very well written and insightful, and humane article.

how about talking about child abuse, rape, sex outside marriage and all the problems that we have in the west??
Kids outside marriage with Single dad or Mom, thank God for DNA, now we know who is the father.
outcome of ladies/girls wearing indecent clothing, in some cases naked is more appropriate.
OHHH, how about using women as a sex symbol for marketing alchol...
Oh yah, that is ok cause men like it and ladies do not mind it in general.
that is fair, free and equal

Look, it is not a matter of opression at all.

Western MEN like their women hot & sexy and don't take no for an answer. They are used to MAKE their women do anything in order sleep with them. Women oblige because to them this is the only way they can get a MAN regardless if that man has a sick mind or enjoys less emotional and mental intelligence. With all honesty, I believe Western women have the short end here.

As many have mentioned here, Niqab is not an obligation, its a choice. Muslim women, who are not Westeren wannabes, are content and don't need to be liberated. Thank you WEST!!!

In fact, because the WEST doesn't understand why Muslims act and wear like they do, we Muslims petty the WEST as they are missing true freedom and relationship with GOD.

From another perspective, the WEST feels hopeless, in disarray and sometimes jealous because Muslims were able to achieve higher closeness to GOD and don't care about material things in life that atually don't get you anwhere closer to true happiness.

My friends, negative comments about this article herewith, are based on HATE and lack of understanding.

We don't want your freedom, we are already FREE, are you?

I've enjoyed reading this article. Thank You Gena and looking forward to read more of your writings.

Behind the veil or burqua is nothing more than deprivation of rights of women to equality. If men could show their faces why descrimanate on women.

Me and my family moved to Chicago 10 years ago and we have never looked back since. My mum still wears her Niqab all the time but my two sisters choose not to. My sisters says that she wants to be free and live the way everybody else around them do. When my sisters go to school they feel that they don't fit in and they have muslim friends at school who also choose not to wear any form of headware so they don't either. My family in Pakistan don't like it when we visit and they don't wear a Niqab but we hope they will respect my sisters for making their own decisions. Thankyou for the article.

Re the dilemma on how to deal with policies and attitudes regarding women in the Islami world (acceptance, rejection, pressure for change, etc.) here is my proposal. Rejection of some practices such as stoning seems OK. In other matters pertaining to culture, mores, etc. trying to force or advance change seems pointless and frustrating. But remember, attitudes toward women changed in the "enlightened" West as a result of economic, social, medical, technological, etc. changes. The same dynamics will inevitably occur in the Islamic world. The accent is on dynamic. Everybody is too much concentrated on just the present day.

What garbage! If the veil was a Judeo-Christian cultural symbol we would never hear the end of how oppressive it is. Yet because it is Islamic and therefore anti-western (liberal news propaganda notwithstanding), feminist writers like this grovel before it.

Here is a quote from the article that made me feel physically sick:

"for a man to avert his gaze from a woman was actually a sign of respect, and was considered his duty to do so; that to not address me directly even though I would ask a question, was again intended as a form of respect."

How can you show respect to a person by not acknowledging them? Rubbish!

If the Israeli women wore the veil, can you imagine the hate-filled treatment it would receive at the hand of left-wing news sources like CNN?

Why do feminists betray their Islamic sisters and support the most oppressive anti-female religion and culture on earth? Lets all look to a world where women will be truly free!

nicely written, not onesided, embracing the good and the bad thing, well done!

Nice article. I was quite happy to see that this turned out to be an unbiased piece of writing as I was hoping for.

What would be great is now to see an article written by a conservative, veiled Muslim woman from Yemen to take off her Niqab and wander the streets of a Western country dressed in shorts, flip-flops and a singlet top, and let her report back as to how she felt about being exposed and engaged in conversations where all facial expressions are seen. It would be great to see her views – positive or negative – on the experience.

It is amazing the amount of knee-jerk responses from Western readers who can only focus on one thing: the oppression of Muslim women and the niqab as a symbol of this repression. This was NOT the purpose of this journalist's story, even if it did mold her initial responses and reactions...she couldn't help that, being a Western woman. But, if you actually READ this article with some amount of sensitivity, you would understand that the purpose of her article is not to denigrate the niqab but to use it as a departure point to go beyond her own prejudice and develop a connection and experiences that transcend her clothing... She underscores the connections she made with several people during this journey.Sadly the nasty and one-sided comments on this blog demonstrate not only Western intolerance but an inability to see the forest from the trees. My personal views on the veiling of women aside – I don't agree with it but it's not my birth culture – this was a great piece of journalism!

How crazy can we get?

I am glad that someone found the objectivity to research the veil without bias.

Many women find the veil liberating, something the western world just cannot seem to comprehend. A veiled women is invisible, but out of respect, not because people refuse to see her.

However, there is definitely some truth to the objection that veils are used in some cultures to subjugate women. Perhaps the fight should be against such people and the need to educate these people.

What respect has to do with a piece of cloth? What do I cover really? My face, lips, eyes, body. So if I show them I am not worthy of respect? So my knowledge, judgement, opinion and perspective is invisible to the person when I am showing my black hair?

I read these comments, and most of them are so typical. Half of them would justify covering with veil in the name of culture preservation. Another half goes another extreme and talks about security and medical hindrances caused by veil.

If Gena Somra was born and brought up in the culture she dived in for a week, most likely she wouldn't have become a CNN producer. She wouldn't have had the teaching or support from the family to broaden her horizon this far. Muslim families mostly want to play safe even if they want their daughter to empowered. And I would say the is a very nicely written butterly creamy legitimization effort favoring veil in Middle East. And we have seen in all. Hijab started to rock the fashion world, well they say or are eventually paid to say that this is not so bad after all!

I believe in human. And it is beyond my understanding that why in year 2010 it is expected that half of the human kind would and should wear veils to gain respect from the other half. Life has changed , years has gone by since Islam launched veils for women. But women still are expected to wear veil. And it is rather naive *(too naive) of Gena Somra to use the phrase, "the delicate piece of cloth".

Not only in Islam, in Hinduism, women are expected to cover their head in temples, while getting married, while meeting elderly people sometimes that reaches extremity too.

Religion is a system to control people generally. It is a fear-based system where in every religion you are given hope for a better after-life if you behave now or loose it forever and burn in hell. Why after-life is so important? Why almost all the religion has the same prescription? Think people.

I am born muslim but later chose not to follow any religion, if any of you were wondering!

Indeed a beautiful story, written with delicately chosen words!! And an experience to be jealous about! I hope you succeed somehow in sharing your 'new set of eyes'; wouldn't that help the world.

I personally think that this was wonderfully written.

The west should LEARN TO STOP JUDGING. Our cultures in Asia, the Middle east, and Africa have been existing for over a thousand years. All our cultures and countries have pro's and con's, and as communities naturally we all try to develop in our own different ways. Granted the west develops much faster due the technology and mostly 'freedom of speech', however that does not grant you adults to sit here and criticize the 'eastern' ways. This world consists of 7 billion people, not only 300 million americans.

The Author states: "[C]ould I have dressed in my everyday western attire, or merely worn a hijab? Most likely, yes. But I have found there is an all-too-common misconception of westerners when we travel: we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs...a misconception I wanted no hand in continuing to perpetuate."

That description sounds more like Muslims in the west rather than westerners.

ok if you liked it why dont you convert to islam? then you will fully appreciate what a woman wearing a veil goes through..., think about it miss Gena Somra, the social status that you take for granted is a great evil for those whose culture you are glorifying!

These traditions are not Muslim traditions, they are Arabian traditions. Islam is a religion and only a minority of Muslims are Arab. So, while the niqab may be the norm in societies of the Arabian peninsula, Muslims elsewhere in the world sometimes mistake adherence to Arab customs for adherence to the tenets of Islam, which is simply not true.
When a Muslim of a certain nationality leaves his/her country to travel or live in another country, if they choose to wear their traditional clothing and adhere to their traditional customs: 1) they are not showing adherence to Islam, they are showing that they are from country x or region y; and 2) they are not embracing the norms of their host country or adopted country, so they often will not feel welcomed.
Remember that very little of the "rules fo the game" of Islam comes from the Koran and what is writtne in the Koran is good stuff. Most of the jurisprudence of what passes as Islamic tradition today is actually human interpretation and creation of rules by successive generations of caliphs, local emirs and myriad imams who over time took their own personal political and power agendas, their own local cultures, etc. and have mutated the rules of what it means to be Muslim. In fact, they have injected a computer virus into their own religion and affected the purity of its original form.

It is rather odd that this article consists of a contrast between 1) the author's feeling of "invisibility" and of being caught off guard by those being interviewed addressing their answers to her question toward others (how local women in the niqab would normally be treated), and 2) her feeling of "acceptance" at the fact that Yemeni men would invite a foreign woman to eat because she donned the niqab.

To interpret(?), the author was happy about the untypical treatment (of being invited to eat) due to her foreign status, and thus, this made up for and made her understand the importance of her subjecting herself to the typical treatment (of being ignored). This article is completely irrelevant to the attempt of understanding what "non-foreign" women are subjected to in the culture, and adds only to a hypothetical conversation of "how Yemeni men appreciate foreign women who put on niqabs as costumes only for their interviews with them". CNN should probably sponsor a critical reasoning course for the poor girl–I'd like to know where she was educated, so as to avoid sending my children there.

the next honest step in your quest to understand Islam, and our Prophet's (PBUH) teachings–should be to experience female circumcision. Your quest will ultimately fulfill you!

I suppose the West is overflowing with respect for women. The exploitation of women and the oversexualization of them is a really high level of respect I suppose.....and even worse young girls and teenagers. If a Muslim woman wants to wear a Niqab...it's nobody else's business. It's especially not the business of non Muslims who don't even understand their reasons for doing so. Where's the RESPECT there? Let's everybody show these women some respect and let them be who they want to be. I don't see anyone walking down the beach in Santa Barbara holding legislative signs that read "BAN THE BIKINI".... The world isn't about what makes us different. It's really about what makes us the same...food for thought.

Hello cruel world,
Many 'Niqabis' (a valid name) feel that matching gloves are a necessity when wearing the Niqab so absolutely no desirable flesh is showing.

@ IEE, You don't need to cut your throat to guess how painful it could be

Charming. Now all you have to do is to wear this "delicate piece of cloth" forever. Actually, I think all European women should wear it all the time. After all, Europe was always ready to exchange cultural points of view at the expense of Israel. Now they can do it at their own expense. Or can they ?

Today u r saying to banned veil(niqab) tomorrow u will tel to banned cloths be nude,do u know guys your sister,mother or wives whole body seeing by a strange person and enjoying by seeing, for not covering their bodies,how guys how u all Christians can see such thing happening with u r family womens.

Church sisters also cover their bodies why all u Christians not pointing them, why only Muslims women 's covering u r pointing ,WHY?.sorry if i hurt someone with my sentiment.

Really enjoyed reading this. Nicely written.

Well I must say most opinions here are, "Shakespeare commenting on Quantum Physics"
Please first try to read and learn about cultures, I know ladies in Hindu, Sikh and budhmat religion used to cover their heads.
ok, observe in west, what would one say about Nuns and the humeral veil wear by popes. one should be compassionate to them wearing that heavy cloths. I don't want to go here in details, or people will say they chose their own way, then why Muslims cant chose.
Or what about the soldiers in old wars used to wear armor "to protect them". That what Muslim women do," To protect the, from the vicious lust of humans"

Apology if it offends anyone.

Miss Gena Somra,
the word "respect" which you have used to describe your encounter with the Muslim culture is a bad choice, the correct word would be "protection", and this protection is not for women, it is for men against other men. i will explain why, but before that you should know that you were treated not as a woman that BELONGED to the Muslim community but simply as a GUEST, and in the Muslim society (just as in any traditional society DOMESTIC matters are not uttered before the the GUESTS), now back to my explanation:
the significance of a religious system for humanity lies in the fact that they are social institutions which have evolved from the totemic culture with basically the same functionality, that is prevention of incest and resolving the conflict between the males in their possession of females, in Islam these two functionalitiys are embedded in the concept of FAMILY,and it functions like this: if every female is declared as belonging to a male (according to specific set of RULES that REGULATE the CONSTRUCTION OF A FAMILY ) then males would no longer invade each others realms (sons taking their fathers women for wife or a man taking, by any means, the woman of another ). such competitive events in the remote past are responsible for bringing into being what we call THE CIVILIZATION, which functions to resolve such conflicts, by means of human's DEFAULT EPISTEMOLOGY, that is MYTH, and so the birth of civilization goes hand in hand with a social system comprised of MYTH and RITUAL to preserve this first HUMAN LAW between THE BAND OF BROTHERS.
so cutting my self short veiling a woman and counting her as belonging to either her father or her husband ensures THE PROTECTION PROMISED BY THE CREATION OF CIVILIZATION, and this protection is not for women, it is for men against other men...

this article shows the other (nice) side of hijab & niqab, especially for those in western countries who always need to get rid of it. Be sure, the more you stand against hijab (niqab), the more it will spread ( I hope so).

thank you Gena for your impartial writing.

The irony is women living freely in Western countries will romanticize about symbol of women oppression such as the niqab, while women living in countries that enforce such oppression yearn for the freedom Western women take for granted.

Is it a man or woman inside the niqab ? Are you a terrorist ? That is the point .

I want to say that all the negative comments on the articles are people who are still seeing the niqab from their own cultural perspective, and not trying to look at it from the Muslims’ perspective. As the writer said:

“we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs.."

Plus, if it was really the choice of Muslim women to wear it, then I see that the suppress of freedom is actually in preventing them to wear what they chosen to wear like what France did.....

I don't wear niqab, but I have an aunt who does. Actually, no one forced her to and no one else in our family does, but she is kind of a shy person. Wearing it made her feel more confident and comfortable in communicating with men. Based on what she said: she actually feels free now.
I don't wear niqab, and i wouldn't feel more free if i did, but i know that people differ and what applies to me doesn't apply on everybody else in the same way :)

It sounds to me that these women are required to cover themselves because men cannot control themselves. Perhaps the men should be required to wear a chastity belt of sorts and allow women the freedom to dress as they wish. They could still wear the hijab or niqab if they choose, but the point is that it would be their choice. The notion of freedom in the West is that all people, of all ethnicities and religions are free to practice their beliefs without judgment or persecution. It would be a novel idea for countries such as Yemen to offer such freedom to people. All people.

This was an amazing article. I am a musim woman who was born in raised in the California. I too have visited Yemen & at first chose not to wear the veil but later on learned that it was a choice, not forced onto women. I fet very impowered wearing as I woud go to the markets there, & then there would be times I simply did not fee the need to wear it. Women aren't being opressed there, you people are just very ignorant & choose to oversee the facts. Women in yemen are in school, are working, and also hold offices in the gov't of Yemen. My point is that women their who wear the veil choose to wear it not because they are being forced to do so.

Women who wear the niqab rnt oppressed and it's purpose is not to be subjugated to men Islam is not an oppressive religion if some crazy idiots in foreign countries do stupid things in the name of a religion it does not mean that it really is part if that religion
There are cultural clashes
So get ur facts right homer
N yes show some respect

" we expect everyone else to accommodate our needs, our way of life, and our points of view, instead of trying to adapt to theirs.."

Well... I haven't traveled to the middle east, but some friends who wanted to go over there told me there were a lot of requirements, specially for women. I find it hypocrital that the middle east can do rules to protect their cultural identity while people from the middle east who move to the west refuse to adapt to its culture, not all of them of course, but a high porcentage does refuse to adapt.

If someone goes to another country I think it's logic that the person who goes must adapt to the country and not otherwise (although tourist spots could be an exception since they bring income to the countries), and a lot of people don't seem to understand this. (i.e. chicanos in the united states and muslims in europe).

Good article sharing.

I really appreciate the effort you made to understand the culture of this people and I feel that it is important to learn and respect the culture of every country.

Thanks.

Last week I saw a woman here in Europe wearing a niqab. I heard her first after she fell down a flight of stairs after she tripped on the hem of the cloak, which is measured to be longer than below the soles of her shoes so when she would sit, the cloak wouldn't reveal her feet at all – shocking and despicable.

This story is sadly dramatic and is not very original – it's been done many times before. I also wonder why the author wrote such a long report, except to dramatize her story.

There is nothing romantic about the niqab, nor is it intended to be. It is created to be a cloak of bondage for women to oppress them and keep them obedient and restrained, and from my own observation – to keep them from running away from their masters.

Why else would this type of clothing be black? Have you ever seen a nomad or a bedouin, or a common male person wearing black in the deserts of the Middle East except in a Hollywood movie?

So you want a societey overwhelmingly dominated by religion, that a woman can not have a bank account or a passport without the permission of her husband, that having a lover out of marriage is heavily punished (for women only, for men is only "normal") , that the man is the head of the family, that the adulthood comes for women at 23 but for men at 21. Well, you can call this Islamic, but that was what happened in Spain until 1975. It is called Fascism.

The wearing of the "Veil" was, again, a part of the news on one of the Sunday morning news programs Nov. 7, During the discussion, which included Catholic nuns and their ancient clothing, it occurred to me to wonder – what happens to women who live in conservative communities who choose not to wear the covering in public? I ask this question because I have known Muslim women who remove the garment as quickly as possible when leaving their country. Some do so because they want to be less conspicuous , others because they don't like wearing the garment?

How do you catch a criminal hiding in a niqab, whether it is a man or a woman? I don't think Muslims saying "that's your problem" is going to be accepted by the rest of Western societies. It is bad even for you Muslims, for a non-Muslim, niqab-wearing man or woman terrorist might blow up a mosque killing all of you without you knowing about it (And this has already been done in Pakistan) Keep your faith, but get rid of the things that could make it easy for criminals to attack you, you fools!

if u search Mr.jim(uk) 99.99% attacks of the terrorists was without niqab.

@Jim(UK) what would u say about the plastic surgery which is even more genuine and is a product of west, why one rely on this fallible way

Not all women are forced to wear Niqab, a lot of them wear because of their own choice....in no way it is a human rights violation, but then people will come up with excuses as to what if someone wore niqab and robbed a bank..yeah yeah we have all head that lame reason.....go tell this to your NUNS in church who are covered from head to toe, because they aren't even allowed to get married...at least muslim women can get married and have a family....so who is violating human rights violations, the CHURCH or ISLAM?

Alhamdullilah, I enjoyed your article very much, it adds a welcome and much needed humanizing perspective of Yemen and Islam that has been missing in the media coverage of Islam, its followers and the Middle East.

Many of the comments here shows how people denies respect to other people's view, way of thinking or culture. While western societies demands middle eastern ones to accept their own culture, they doesn't do the same back (except for a very few), in a way that shows how democracy is being taken in a very shallow sense between commoners. I would blame this on the media which almost always puts focus on negative issues about middle eastern societies while all societies has their own problems equally the same.

CNN reporters are insane. Tell Afghan women how "wonderful" these silk shackles are and they'll claw your eyes out.

You people are betraying the very innocent women you think you are helping. No woman EVER deserves to be treated the way a woman is treated in the Muslim world. Many of these women don't know any better and just accept their fate but the problem here arises when a woman wants to break free from the constraints of this rigid society and express herself - and in this world the penalty for such 'apostasy' is usually execution.

Stop appeasing and apologizing for the barbarism that still exists in this world. Instead, fight it and save these poor women.

I have no respect for Islam (of course niqab is not a part of it). However it pathtic how people are critsizing another culture without any sense. Tatoo, body piersing, and plastic sergeries are very painful, and are they violating human rughts of those people who are having them? Should tight jeans, high-hill shoes, and face make-up should be banned? Were the Victorian era women dresses & traditions violating their human rights?

All these things must be addressed on their own cultural background. Certainly Niqab will not be fit to today's Western Culture (Who knows about what will happenafter another 100-200 years). However, if someone want to wear it in their land, don't try to undress them. Then you are violating their "rights".

I remember that I was wearing a full western suit on a hot and humid day in a tropical country, because I was supposed to wear it for an job interview. No one reminded me that it was violating my human rights ! Instead most of them said .....Nice dress!

A must see Burka video, at last a bit of freedom for these poor women.

if you are not muslim and not a muslim lady and have never worn hijab, how dare you sit there and think that you know what it is like! i am a muslim lady and i used to cover. the only reason i do not cover is because my husband feared for my welfare and my childrens' welfare because of the simple minded individuals where i live and as i read this, i see why he has fear for me! i applauded the author of the article, very well written.

Respect.

November 6th, 2010 2:35 pm ET

The niquab is a human rights violation and should be banned worldwide through a UN resolution. The only country that has stood up against this practice is France. Vive la France!!

THERE ARE MORE COUNTRY'S IN THE EU WHERE THIS SICK THING IS BANNED!

You should think about twice before writing such propaganda and really ask the women that have to live like this all theirs lives.
This is very naive from a westerner who does not know the oppression and abuse that is veiled behind that "thin delicate fabric"!

This is not journalisam, this is marketing a religion that spreads oppression, why don't you blog the verses that state women are a lower form of humanity!

NAIVE TO THE POINT OF EMBARASSEMENT FOR THE WHOLE FEMALE GENDER!

What a ridiculous fluff piece. I am not sure if I am more upset at myself for reading this garbage or you for writting it. As a feminist I think women have the right to choose. If a woman chooses to wear the niqab more power to them, but how dare you dress up, still maintain your western privilege and then tell me about my ethnocentric mind and bias'. You sit there applauding yourself, feeling like you "earned" this meal they shared with you. If you really wanted to go behind the veil you would have talked to some women who do it day in day out. Does anyone else find it odd that didn't interview any women?

Why can't we face the fact that some cultures are insults to humanity? Why some westerners are such extremist "multiculturalist" who assume all cultures are worthy of consideration?

It is amazing that the reporter felt the true value of a Yemeni women (a subhuman piece of furniture who has no business walking around, talking, a subjugated slave who must be owned by someone) but still pretends as if the experience was somehow positive.

Dear all

I am really very lucky that i am muslim

I believe that if you are being treated as a piece of furniture and told that it is politeness and traditions at the same time, you are still being treated as a piece of furniture anyway.

Do you honestly think because you played nice, nice, that they would like us? They are the enemy, pure and simple. I do understand them loud and clear and I know that I would NEVER want to be like them nor want my children to be under their Islamic law and that is their goal. Most Americans gladly respect other nationalities and different ethnic groups. I want my country to remain the USA, not like Europe or any place else. I don't think it's necessary to try to understand everyone on the planet. If they don't like us, too bad for them because we are the best country in the world and we stand for freedom. why would I want to change it? If they come here, they should want to be like us, just as if we go there to live, we would want to act like them.

What a difference of opinion between the reporter and the comments from the west.
30 or 40 years ago these were not “issues” as seen by the west. The good thing about the cold war was that the west was more accommodating to win favour of countries. Now, the west believes it is their way and no other. They do not want to understand any other culture except force feed what they think is right. What hypocrisy. How right is it for women to be practically stripped nude dancing on bar tops! I say put your house in order before you preach.
Gena, a job well done. Wish more reporters follow your example and not thrive on sensationalism to feed the few vocal and not the silent majority who respect each person’s right to live his or her own life the way they see fit to live. We would have less animosity and less to look over the shoulder for terrorists. Congratulations.
PS – I too do not believe in the veil but they have the right….. not for me to demand

the niquab is a vile anachronism and should be banned

Beautifully written. I applaud you!

People who think that the niqab is a symbol of oppression should do themselves a favour and go visit a Muslim country to see for themselves if this is the case instead of allowing themselves to be brainwashed by negative stories about the niqab by the western media.Modesty should be the new fashion.

Mystic November 7th, 2010 3:51 am ET

@patriot0919, Oh, I see a lot of respect for women in your post and many posts above you! Sex objects, is what you think of them and call it liberation!

Dear Mystic
is it only appeared to be sex objects to you?if so I am sorry,but before you judgeing on my comment that I wish you would read my it again,what I try to address is the respect what this artical talking about,the respect the muslim world wish is one way street,lets bring out the fact,how many western living on their muslim street?and how many muslims living on our street?their come to our culture and dont want to be part of it,then WHY THEY COME?we never force they to come,but we hope is that they can show some respect to our culture,simple,our culture dont like it and you dont do it or you DONT COME HERE,is that so hard to understand?let along the arguement of opressed,comportability,religion,freedom.this is the most stupid artical I have seen on CNN,I am still strugleing to understand her logic here,I still dont see a point,DO YOU LIKE IT OR NOT?she didnt give an answer,but we still can see,if she choice to wear from now on,thats mean she like it otherwise not.is that simple?and from this artical I feel more about safety than respect and why she didnt say that?why?do you feel safe this way cos this reduce the chance by attact or killed by someone?answer ofcoz is yes,and still it didnt eliminate the chance right?why?becoz you still a western women,otherwise why do you still need BODYGUARD?are we seeing a picture?if me my wife have trip to middle estern one day in some case,(I doubt it will ever happen not the next 100yrs) I would ask her to wear things like this for protection.get the point?
last thing I want address here as to the muslim world about freedom,YES,you can choice whatever to wear and eat,you are totally free,but we have the rights for free speech as well,if something a man dont like and can not accept and tell you to change,that not always irogant,lets say someone is eatting sxxt on the street,and by all means that i totally one's bussiness,but most people on the street think is wrong,and tell the one not to do it becoz its not good,its disgusting,its not healthy,is it you call irogant?now that one have three choicces,still eat the sxxt till our GV make law not to,or not eat the sxxt any more,or go home to eat without everyone see it.
IF YOU DO COME TO MY HOME AND THERE WILL BE NO ARGUEMENT FOOL
i am going dark

Mystic November 7th, 2010 3:51 am ET

@patriot0919, Oh, I see a lot of respect for women in your post and many posts above you! Sex objects, is what you think of them and call it liberation!

Dear Mystic
is it only appeared to be sex objects to you?if so I am sorry,but before you judgeing on my comment that I wish you would read my it again,what I try to address is the respect what this artical talking about,the respect the muslim world wish is one way street,lets bring out the fact,how many western living on their muslim street?and how many muslims living on our street?their come to our culture and dont want to be part of it,then WHY THEY COME?we never force they to come,but we hope is that they can show some respect to our culture,simple,our culture dont like it and you dont do it or you DONT COME HERE,is that so hard to understand?let along the arguement of opressed,comportability,religion,freedom.this is the most stupid artical I have seen on CNN,I am still strugleing to understand her logic here,I still dont see a point,DO YOU LIKE IT OR NOT?she didnt give an answer,but we still can see,if she choice to wear from now on,thats mean she like it otherwise not.is that simple?and from this artical I feel more about safety than respect and why she didnt say that?why?do you feel safe this way cos this reduce the chance by attact or killed by someone?answer ofcoz is yes,and still it didnt eliminate the chance right?why?becoz you still a western women,otherwise why do you still need BODYGUARD?are we seeing a picture?if me my wife have trip to middle estern one day in some case,(I doubt it will ever happen not the next 100yrs) I would ask her to wear things like this for protection.get the point?
last thing I want address here as to the muslim world about freedom,YES,you can choice whatever to wear and eat,you are totally free,but we have the rights for free speech as well,if something a man dont like and can not accept and tell you to change,that not always irogant,lets say someone is eatting sxxt on the street,and by all means that is nobody's bussiness,but most people on the street think is wrong,and someone standout to tell the one not to do it becoz its not good,its disgusting,its not healthy,is it you call irogant?now that one have three choicces,still eat the sxxt till our GV make law not to,or not eat the sxxt any more,or go home to eat without everyone see it.
IF YOU DONT COME TO MY HOME AND THERE WILL BE NO ARGUEMENT FOOL
i am going dark

For usvsthem

I am muslim and really love america from my hart and not only me ,try to visit any arab country and see how they will treat you and your children so many western are working in our countries and they are more safer if they work some place else ,so please think before you say

Dear Lena

I hope i can change your mind

what a whole lot garbage! this outfit is not even islamic, it is but a tradition of some back water arab tribes made popular by murderous islamist radicals!

I'm a young muslim girl, I don't wear the niqab or wear the abaya ( similar to the niqab but with no veil) I dress like most people but still cover myself up. Nothing annoys me more when wearing something really covered is associated with Islam, yes women should protect their modest but hey nun wear a habit and Jewish women wear a wig and cover up too. I had a friend who wore a niqab at the time we were 16 and yes she got abuse from it but shockingly enough some muslims gave her dirty looks and stuff like that which makes me ask myself well if there are certain muslims who frown on it too then I don't blame the "western" world. What a lot of people don't understand is muslim women do have a CHOICE and a lot of people assume we're forced to wear the hijab (headscarf) or the niqab or anything "islamic" but you have to understand that some stuff is very arabian influenced but I know i wasn't forced to wear a Hijab i've always been given the choice to do what i want when i want.

Just to finish off and i might be repeating myself but what the heck muslim women are no different to any other women, we're not some aliens or anything odd, we're simply following our religion and islam is a way of life same as a nun wears a habit which is VERY similar to a islamic dress, Jewish women have a "dress code", JUST LIKE IN WORK THERE IS A DRESS CODE... So next time you see a muslim women don't assume she is being oppressed, if you do want to know why she wears it ASK HER because ignorance really doesn't get you anywhere but in a bad state of mind..

1 more point, i live in the UK and i don't think brits have a masive problem with this, America doesn have a huge problem with Islam, as much as people try to deny it its true from the funny looks you get from americans when they see you in a hijab to the dirty looks and snidy comments so i think america ( the land that has some sort of law that respects all religions) doesn't seem to implement this and i think lack of knowledge and the media is to blame.

Cyous :D

nicely expressed...can i have the writer's e-mail id? plz visit facenfacts.com

Very good article. I enjoyed it.

You can't view any world news site without view numerous disputes in the comments section!

I am not a follower of any religion. Why? Because Organized religious disputes create wars. Organized religion breeds segregation. I practice my own spirituality, but I do not argue or hold judgment on the beliefs of others. My belief is about my relationship with God. I have no impact on what others believe or disbelieve.

I often wonder, how the life of all people would be if everyone practiced their religion this way?

In my opinion this is freedom. Celebrating life, having no enemies. Bringing about change in the way of our own thinking. Not following the status quo.

You can have a relationship with your chosen god, without having to congregate with others.

I have always favored this method of practice as I choose not to be apart of religious disputes. I will not condemn any one or their beliefs.
I have an open mind, I chose to live a peaceful life, and if I choose to talk about my beliefs with others I try to speak of it so it doesn't create a debate.

My beliefs are not open to debate, because they are my own and I don't expect anyone to share the same beliefs as I do. It doesn't matter to me what others think. I have a great relationship with God. How is yours?

"For the islamophobes here, who just leave no chance to defame a religion which more than 2 billion people on earth follows and has the spread rate more than any other religion. "

well let's see does that number include the people who are FORCED to be muslim? you know like these highly "respected" women in yemen who are not allowed to leave the house without a man much less leave the religion. and atheism is the fastest growing "religion" in the world....thank god....lol

Jon wrote – “An almost unheard of gesture to offer a woman? Interesting, a sign of respect nearly unheard of for women. I'm not sure what to make of this, but after all of the discomforts... someone offers you food, but you note that women rarely receive this honour? (and somehow that makes you feel good?)”

My exact thoughts…this woman left her brain inside that tent

Cygnus blow it out your ear...everything you said is NOT acceptable in the free world...you know if you idiots want to live in the 17th century with your misogynist mindset then be my guess but STAY in your backward barbaric cesspools and leave the rest of the world alone

to Israel
The only religion that has brought freedom to women is ISLAM. Wearing the Niqab or Burqa has always been a choice for sooo many women. We don't need to strip all over the place like in France or Italy or even Israel to be free. freedom is a feeling not a piece of cloth. Women in my community are free and happy with their Niqab. you westerners have always thought that your way of life is the best and a model for emulation. whoever elects another way is oppressed and needs your so called democracy. We have seen the democracy and human rights and freedom of choice that was brought to iraqi women. too many of them were raped and oppressed by the US soldiers. We do not want your freedom. We are happy the way we are. VIVE la FRANCE!! we do not have to be like the president wife naked all over the place to be respected. the problem with you westerners is that you only see things from your limited google eyes. We value our culture and sense of ethics and comply with our religious teachings with pride and dignity.
I don't want my naked pictures to be exposed everywhere on every shampoo bottle and every magazine to feel free. I AM FREE with my choice, with my NIQAB. Neither France, nor US, nor even UN can liberate any woman on earth. france has rapped so many Algerian women during the colonization period. i am wondering how can this country that built its civilization on blood and people's misery in Africa dares to speak about human rights and freedom!!!

Very nicely written article, keep it up!

To all the people who feel it is oppressive &a violation of human rights.... I wonder what is your opinion about the nun's habit or the Jewish dress code. Even the Roman Catholic Church has a specific dress code. I haven't ever been asked by my parents to wear a veil/abaya/burqa but when I was away from them...I did do it as a choice. They never came to know about it but I felt the freedom from behind the veil.
The choice is yours...
However living in ignorance and believing in false propaganda is not an intelligent person's choice.
Also organized religion is not the reason for wars. Organized deviation from the truth is the reason for wars. Anyone who opposes this observation is requested to give me just one example where organized religion was the reason for a war.

Smile, and the world smiles with you; that will never happen to you!
Cry, and you'll cry alone.

So many interesting comments here. So many strong opinions here too, especially against women wearing niqab. As a Muslim my understanding, coming from a limited education in law and etiquette, is that it's a woman's choice to wear niqab or just hijab. Unfortunately, as it is in many societies, the basic rule is overlooked and guilt sets in causing people to be "fanatic". It's like that here in America too. People here. some if not most wouldn't be caught dead with a pair of no named athletic shoes or clothes that didn't come from a well known fashion house. It's a matter of where the values fall.
Where we place meaning is where we find value. That's something that needs to be taught worldwide. fighting over who's wrong or right breed more blaming and finger pointing.

There's a lot in this article that is wonderful...and a lot that I really find disturbing. At the risk of seeming like I'm advertising, I'll link to my thoughts anyway, because they are too long to post here (and I don't see a trackback link.)

http://thelittlepecan.com/2010/11/08/when-in-rome/

"To all those here who argue that the niqab is a sign of respect, and that Muslim women aren't oppressed, please just remember a few simple facts about women who live in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, or under the Taliban.'
Using Saudi Arabia and the Taliban as examples is like saying all Christians are polygamous because some Mormon sects still are. SA and the Taliban are ultra conservative and not mainstream Islam.

I don't hear anyone saying all Christian women are oppressed because Pentecostal women are forced to wear skirts and not allowed to cut their hair. (No offense to Pentecostal women intended.) Except that the Pentecostal women I know CHOOSE to do that. As long as it is the woman's own choice, I really don't care what she wears.

Also RE "It sounds to me that these women are required to cover themselves because men cannot control themselves." That is partially correct. But if an American woman walks down a dark alley in a really skimpy outfit, with no underwear, and gets raped, how many people are still going to blame her?

I lived in the Middle East for many years and still have friends there. Some of them, even in visiting the US, will still wear the hijab. Because they were brought up that way, and it's connected to their modesty. My grandmother wore a hat in church for years, because the Bible says a woman is supposed to cover her head in church.

According to some of these commenters, anyone visiting the west should dress appropriately. So I hope if their mother goes to the beaches in France, she remembers to take off her bikini top.

Reading this article helped me understand the perspective that millions of women view all over the world everyday.

The fact that recent posts have such a narrow mind, and actually see the niqab as a piece of clothing as being degrading to women, and representing inequality in the middle east is a unjustified argument made by people who live in a society who see a woman as a piece of meat.

To truly respect a woman, to treat her as an equal in all respects it is essential to not look at her as a form of sexual satisification, but look at her as a woman. The niqab, and the hijab are pieces of clothings which accomplish this as displayed by the experiences of the author.

When women are treated unjustly in the middle east this unjust treatment isn't the result of a religon filled with equality, and the first religon that guarentted women rights, instead it is the ignorance of the culture itself, and the radicals such as in every religon which misinterpt the words of the quran.

It is crucial for people who are not muslim to understand the reasoning behind the hijab, or niqab, and see it as a factor in creating equality not inequality.

dear friends i have read all the comments and it make me feel grieve to know your thoughts..we have no right to disgrace some one religion,their religion taught the female to cover themselves fully because every precious thing need safety..

I lived in Tarim, beatiful place. the writter hasnt even scratched the surface yet. not looking at a women is a sign of respect for them, infact even old men well over their 60s will give up the seats for young veiled women(older women +/- 55 years dont cover their faces.
women have more fun then men in that place. for every function the men go to there is a similar function for women & more.
female scholars are respected just as much as male scholars.
women dont need to do her own shopping because its the duty of the men, & if she doesnt have a male around to do the job she just calls on a man that lives next door because it becomes his duty. but if she goes to the shop then she doesnt wait her turn & just goes to the front of the line because women get served before men.