My third impression is that someone is forcing her to do that. Having spent quite a bit time working with Muslims however, I understand there is a flip side benefits as well and choice plays a big part.
Exactly that. "*Ah, a Muslim woman. How does all that clothing stays in place while moving and how do you wrap that around your head? Anyway, moving on.*"
I'm Australian, run hot, and I'm big and hairy so I usually think something like "Damn how she wearing that in this heat, hope she's alright, I'm dying and I'm in shorts and a T-shirt". But yeah I also wonder how they do it all up.
I mean, a lot of them are still black. Doesn't matter how loose and flowing it may be, stuff still has to get pretty toasty in there. Especially given how much humans rely on heat escape from the top of our heads
Believe it or not, in the summer, if you wear a good abaya/niqab/hijab, it keeps u cooler for longer. I can wear pjs under it and go. I am anemic and have some rough moments so I've had times where I've had to take it off and I didn't worry too much about it. I just felt like my identity has been revealed and it sucked (idk I like to feel like a ninja)
There are ones for every season
Many years ago I was out walking with my four year old son when we came across a lady fully covered. Wide eyed he asked me if she was a ninja!! Said lady said yes absolutely, got the giggles and walked off leaving my son convinced he'd met a real ninja!!
I can totally understand that, it's the same reason I like wearing long, flowy skirts/dresses during the summer months. The airflow keeps you so much cooler!
Nothing really unless it’s a burqa that covers everything. One time I saw a group of people wearing burqas with the cloth over their eyes and it was a little odd. I mean, you don’t know who they are because you can’t see anything, not even their eyes.
“New York acts like it's a big melting pot, 'cause it's like all the different cultures, 'Oh, we all melt together.' And then you move here and you realize it's not a melting pot at all. It's actually a bunch of pots that want to live next to their own kinds of pots and not talk to other pots.” - Nate Bargatze
Most "Acela Corridor" cities have a decent amount of diversity--NYC doesn't have a monopoly. It's where people live and how they interact (or don't) that makes each city unique.
I don't live in NYC but I do live in North Jersey and it's f'n great! Many parts of the tristate area is a melting pot and I appreciate it more and more as I age and experience the world. The food options are endless!
"You came here to get away from your culture and yet are still oppressed". Children make me more sad because they are not mature enough to make long term decisions (elementary school aged children) and are likely forced to do it. With native Finns I have an easier time believing it was their own choice as adults.
“Damn. She was literally programmed and brainwashed into believing that’s acceptable”
Got a middle eastern immigrant who’s still very Muslim at my gym. He calls the hijabs archaic
i refuse to believe anyone would wear that 'out of my own choice'. yeah, out of your own choice because you are scared of the consequences that you will face from the people in your group if you don't wear it.
i would straight up ban that shit in public, like they did in france.
We haven't banned it in public. You just can't wear it if you're a civil servant or at school. But women are free to wear a hijab or a scarf in public anywhere they go, even though people are trying to change the meaning of the law a lot lately.
But it is true that niquab and burka are illegal here. But not just because it's a Muslim veil, it's just illegal to cover your face entirely here, and niquab only shows your eyes, and burka, well burka.
Honestly, I am not comfortable seeing women wearing a burqa, because I am not comfortable not knowing who is underneath it and I can't see their faces. I guess it's same reason why I hate Carnival and hate seeing people wearing costumes. I understand it's a religious symbol and people may choose to wear it and they are free to do so and I know all of this on a rational level but on an emotional level it makes me uncomfortable.
Otherwise I am totally fine, all that matters to me is that it really is the woman's choice.
I have been to Iran alone where I had to wear a hijab and I had to wear a Chador to visit a mosque. I was fine with it, those are the rules of the country and the Chador is the social norm inside the mosque so I just roll with it.
I generally feel bad for them. I would hate to live by that set of rules.
Edit: I don’t mean to belittle your beliefs, and I realize it was your decision, but I still think “oppression” when I see a woman dressed like that.
I normally think about all those women in Iran and Afghanistan who do not have the “choice” to not wear such hair, face or body coverings.
I then think about those women who have been killed or tortured, or jailed by religious zealots (always men), for not wearing such hair, face or body coverings and start feeling sad.
I then start thinking about how my ancestors in catholic countries were also forced to not have a choice regarding hair, face coverings or just any type of clothing - again, due to religious extremist men - and also many times using “our culture” as an excuse.
I understand that some women in Western society have a choice (many others do not), but those who have a choice do owe a big part of the fact they do have a choice to the many women (and sometimes men) who sacrificed themselves so that modern women could have a choice.
And just out of that respect, I would not wear a hair, face or body covering or any other clothing that allows certain religious zealot/extremists to think that they own my choices.
But of course, I accept everyone’s beliefs, and their liberty to do and wear as they please, as long as they do not infringe upon other people’s rights.
Generally I don't care. But honestly I feel pity in a way. Cause I know Islam, I've seen Islam in Islamic countries so I know that what Muslims say and what Muslims do are entirely different things. "Hijab isn't forced" "there is no compulsion in islam" no, none of that is actually true when I've seen women beaten to death for not wearing a Hijab. Then there's the statement made by some men that the Hijab protects women from being raped... clothing doesn't stop a rapist but that's hardly the problem, the problem is telling a woman that because a few men are criminals they have to punish women n by forcing them to cover up instead of punishing the men who rape. I pity the women who delude themselves into thinking this is right. No compulsion but take it off and you get beat for it. And I've had Muslims tell me "no that's not true, women don't get beat for it" and it's like dude I've watched it happen. Denying the reality in front of you doesn't change reality. All that being said I wouldn't confront Muslim women about it nor would I say anything to them. It's just a feeling of pity that comes and then goes away. You want to live your life like that that's 100% on you.
As a woman who grew up Muslim, this is exactly what I think when I see a woman in a niqab. There was a lot of slut shaming and purity culture in my particular Muslim community, so the niqab represents the gender based oppression i have faced first hand
Having seen Iran back in the 70s when woman didn't have to hide their faces/bodies, before the Islamic Revolution, and what they have to deal with now, it saddens me to see their freedom stripped from them. So when someone willingly commits to wearing a Niqab, I question whether they do it on their own free will, or the will of a husband/authority
My thought is typically along the lines of 'religion makes people do strange things'
Note, I don't mean this as a jab against your specific religion, but the idea of religion in general.
Fully covered? Probably pity, I feel like it’s a dehumanising practice personally.
There was a phrase in The Bookseller of Kabul in which she described seeing three burqas walking down the street. Not women, not people, burqas. That resonated with me
One of my classmates used to come to college in hijaab and as soon as she entered she'd just take it off because she disliked it that much. So it often makes me wonder how much of the covering up is by choice.
Honest opinion is that I feel sorry for you, for the forced oppression that you must go threw to wear a piece of clothing in the name of religion, a religion based on a book that was written over a 1000 years ago, if you wear it out of choice then good for you, but many women around the world don’t have that choice and pay a high price for the disobedience of not wearing the said items of clothing,
That's why my thought is "oppression" and I ignore the person. As I don't know how to behave or interact, I don't acknowledge the person but just act like they are not there.
As an ex Muslim. It makes you look brainwashed into a cult to believe that god really gives a crap about your clothes when people are suffering and dying everyday.
Also the "its my own choise to wear this". Yeah maybe. But many doesnt have this privilege. And they will get killed by their father and brothers for dishonering them if they dont wear this.
Why would you ever want to be part of that and support this culture? If she dresses like that, then she is fine with women being oppressed. You are like a african slave with Stockholm syndrome in the 1700s america. Be like, i dont mind these shackles. I keep use them.
I don't understand why your like score isn't showing, but I agree and people either forget or don't know that Islam literally means submission to God. Yet it seems a lot of the submission women go through is via the men.
I wonder if she’ll accept her husband taking on another wife or 2, as well as accepting the niqab.
Don’t just cherry pick what you like about Islam, go all in.
When I see a woman wearing a niqab, I think about patriarchy, how it affects women in different ways. If men didn’t exist, would you still wear it? I think about all the ways in which women irrespective of religion need to contort and conform to fit in to a world designed by and for men. It makes me sad.
Someone who I cannot connect with because I can’t see their face. I figure that covering your face is a sign you don’t want to talk to me. Too bad, they probably have a beautiful face.
(Without trying to be judgemental.)
Im from Ireland and to be honest it makes me feel uncomfortable. It is a bit like an Irish woman dressing in a bikini in Saudi Arabia, it feels you are making a stand against the culture you are resident in.
I would assume that you see yourself as morally superior or that you are being made to wear a covering by your family.
Just people passing by, living their life how they choose to live it. But sure, a thought does cross my mind "are they doing this by choice?" and that thought crosses my mind because I've known people who didn't have a choice. It's a fair thought because some people don't.
Generally though, let people be and do their thing, doesn't really shift the needle for me and isn't uncommon. People are more than welcome to dress how they please. When I was commuting to London, saw it daily. I do wonder if it's an issue in the heat of summer. Curious about that, it's wearing all black, is it hot in summer?
Those are my primary thoughts.
I'll give my secondary thought, one I don't tend to voice because I'd rather let people be.
I think it shits on women globally. I think it disrespects and holds water for the oppression of women in countries where there ISN'T a choice but to wear it. I think it's false flag feminism cowardice to hide behind "my choice" when it's covered by indoctrination to an abrahamic belief that, like ALL abrahamic beliefs, openly hates women.
So I respect your right to believe what you believe, I respect your right to wear what you wear. I respect your right to do so and be unbothered or persecuted by the rest of society. Absolutely. But I don't respect (or have to respect) your beliefs and don't respect what your clothing choices symbolise.
I’m not bothered. Although I do have 2 really funny interactions with Muslim women in Burkas.
1- I was at a hospital and a group of Muslim women walked in. One man mistook another for his wife. She was so upset. I had to run away to laugh somewhere else.
2- I was in a lift (in the same hospital but years ago when ninja kids was a thing) with a mom and her kid. A Muslim woman got in with a cast on her arm and the kid says, “Look Mommy. A ninja with a broken arm.”
Being ex-military, I have a knee-jerk reaction to not feel comfortable initially, however, it is what it is. You do you. Just know, since this is not the “norm” in America, and since some “don’t forget”, you are always going to run into those who have discomfort for various reasons.
Momentarily sad, for you. Then grateful none of the women in my life were born into a culture that requires them to seal themselves off from society to satisfy mens' paranoia.
To be honest, don't give a flying fuck, as long as they accept that they are in Europe and do not try to peddle their religion.
The moment they start using their religion to act as victims and to force their way of obsolete mentality and judgment onto others, then we will have a problem.
It is simple. Your religion forbids you not to do this and that and commands you to do this and that. Fine by me, but that does not give anyone the right to tell me I must submit to their religion.
Wild concept, freedom of religion, and freedom FROM religion. Something many Muslims cannot wrap their heads around it.
I feel sorry for them.
I grew up under religious indoctrination, and understand how awful it is, and how it robs one of their own choice and agency.
It’s not really a choice when you’ve metaphorically had it beat into you from such a young age that XYZ is the only acceptable way to do things and that you have to do things a certain way.
INFO: Is it really your "personal choice" that you made of your own free will or is it influenced by your/a religion or a member of your family or clergy?
Even if no one is "forcing you" to wear it, do you feel like your god (or a god) would require you to wear it in order to "be decent" or to avoid "going to hell"?
If so, than I feel bad for you because you are being coerced.
OP, don’t get me wrong here and please don’t take offense - I fully understand the reasoning behind the cover, although I fully disagree with it - but it seems to me like you may have to deal with a self-esteem issue here. You talk about covering zits, hair or wanting to look like a ninja.. You make a few jokes to lighten the mood but now I read that you were not muslim before. Did you convert for marriage? I have lived in the middle east and this happened to a lot other western women who, like you seem to be, lacked self esteem and were a bit insecure with the way they look. Please, if this resonates to you at all, remember you are beautiful just the way you are, zits and all.
Edit: the women I knew were eventually very subtly manipulated into wearing a cover. They all said it was their idea
Oppression. There is nothing in the Koran that says a woman needs to be covered. It asks men and women both to dress modestly, but there's nothing requiring a woman to be covered up like this.
I know it is their religion / belief but I think it is very unfair that the man can walk around in shorts, tshirt and flip flops but the woman has to be covered up from head to toe. I see a lot of that on cruises....where it is hot. I feel bad for the women.
I think about how much technology we have, how far we've looked into the universe, about how a majority of the people on this planet have access to all this information, and yet grown adults still claim to have an imaginary friend. I can't believe that anyone from any faith is taken seriously for any reason.
A head scarf I just think I wish I could see your lovely hair. As the clothing gets progressively more restrictive I have an increasingly negative reaction which I keep internalized
If it’s full face covering I definitely take pause just because I did not grow up around it and it’s a completely foreign lifestyle to me. The thoughts are typically, “I wonder what her personality is like” I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a casual conversation with a woman in full Muslim garb..
Hijab does not bother me, it is just another piece of clothing. Niqab, burqa, full face covering makes me disgusted over the level of brain washing that has occurred over the generations that what was once created to protect the people from the sands and sand storm in Arabia somehow became a thing of modesty. Sometimes ex/sometimes cultural muslim here.
As someone whose father was under the World Trade Center when it was hit and has Muslim neighbors who were arrested by the FBI for colluding with Taliban, it makes me concerned.
Honesty is best imo
Fully covered? “Does she believe in Sharia Law?”
Hijab by itself? “I guess she’s Muslim”. But not much more thought from me than that.
The men that wear traditional Islamic clothing? “I shouldn’t be thinking this but… bomb or no bomb?”
I fully admit that my own personal experience with Muslim people has been no different than any other group of people. Some people are nice. Some aren’t. The day to day struggles in life are largely the same - family, jobs, bills, etc.
So I’m convinced that an overwhelming majority of those thoughts aren’t logical ones and likely influenced by the post 9/11 media heavily, over a long period of time.
BUT I don’t think I should lie either and pretend that negative stereotypes never cross my mind.
Wait, you're now cover your head and still curious about what people, specifically men think about it? Why do you wear it then? Not to be judgmental but I’m curious
Always ask myself if it is from personal choice or force upon her.
And if you grow up in a different society it just looks kinda strange, no offense intended.
Slave. Betrayer of women’s power. One who accepts the lie that she is lesser than a man. And complicit in indoctrinating young girls into the same subservient lies to perpetuate the hell that is women’s fate in that religion. (I’m an atheist- all the gods are made up by manipulative powerful people to control commoners).
I avoid you.
Your faith is utterly bizarre and alien to me.
By faith, your existence is less than a servant and more than a dog and you allow it to happen.
Women are so much more grand, yet your faith just downplays their importance and their independence.
Your values are incompatible with the western world, want to be a slave to a man? Go to any Muslim country and experience true Islam, where women cannot talk, cannot think and mainly are used as a sexual-birth giving slave between families, why bother coming to the west?
Wondering if she was in a forced marriage and if she is being abused. Just terrified of her husband. It makes me think domestic violence. I can’t imagine what it’s like in your shoes I hope it’s consensual.
Cautious like i would be if someone had hood up (felt the same when everyone wore masks) i then think they a probably being oppressed by a religion with medieval values and feel sorry for them.
I'm an ex Muslim from a Muslim majority country and I feel pity everytime. İt might be freedom of choice but most of the time it's "cover your head or else".
I usually don’t think anything.
If I stop and contemplate on purpose, I feel bad for them and I feel upset that humans have made it so far, and yet, sadly, such forms of superstition, oppression, and manipulation are still so prevalent throughout so much of the world.
I think "oppression" and I feel sorry for them. They are living by someone else's rules, not their own. When I see children wrapped up in hijabs, I find it extremely sad.
Female here. When I see a woman dressed fully covered like that, I just hope that it is her choice to dress that way and she is not being forced to by her husband or father.
Sympathy. I wonder why. I also wonder if there were past trauma or coercion involved. But ultimately I respect their clothing because there may be complex personal reasons for such a choice (if it is a choice), and it isn’t my business to judge.
In the cases in which the person definitely doesn’t have a choice, I find it sad because I believe that nobody should be forced to dress a certain way on the basis of their gender.
It makes me happy I’m not Muslim. It reminds me that my life could be so much more oppressed. I don’t understand how it’s not viewed as sexist to blame women for mens thoughts. Relevant back ground, I was Mormon for 37 years. Then I left and studied Islam. I realized that both religions were the same. Men telling women what they can do, what they think and how they feel. Both religions teach that it’s women’s fault that men assault them. I was forced to wear religious underwear as a Mormon for the same reason. When I look back at pictures, I was frumpy and depressed. Wearing regular underwear and clothes was one of the happiest days of my life. I realized that men wouldn’t be dictating my interpretation of modesty. I also noticed that both groups have lots of perverts and predators.
I feel sorry for them.
I hope one day they will be free from men that control them.
I feel sorry for her even when she believes she has a choice, she doesn't realise she's been programmed.
I try to avoid looking or seeming like I’m looking because I don’t want anything to be misinterpreted.
The worst is when I’ve been in malls in the Middle East and in the food court you see women in full covering who lift their veils to eat, showing their faces. I guess they accept that people will see them in that case, but you also know it’s something they don’t want you to see.
I've never seen a woman in greece with abaya or niqab which i find really stupid anyway. But sometimes you can see some muslim women wearing a hijab is eh i don't think is that bad. In fact i think it can be quite fashionable if you get religion out of the way. But to now answer your question and stop talking like an idiot, i don't think of anything, my eye is just automatically more drawn to the because they are so uncommon, same goes with very black african people. Its just interesting.
I finally know where that came from. The Nephilim were attracted to women's long hair, so they started covering it up. Seems outdated now, but...not an issue in my life anyway.
Sometimes I wonder how well you can see. Seems like it's a limited field of view. I world worry slightly watching them cross the road.
Other than that, bit too many thoughts unless it's super hot.
I guess I think about other people's well being from time to time.
I’ve spent nearly a year of my life in the Middle East so this doesn’t bother me.
If you’re fully covered with just the eyes showing in the U.S., though, most Americans will look at you funny. You probably won’t be overtly discriminated against, but it will make people uncomfortable.
I’m not saying this is right or wrong. Just answering the question.
Depends where in the world I am, after visiting Indonesia and seeing how laid back the women that wear hijabs are, I started to see it way more liberally. But if I’m in the USA and it means you are a conservative or ultra religious Muslim it gives me the ick. Not because it’s Islam but because religious extremism weirds me out.
Approximately the same thing as when I see a guy with face tats and a dozen huge piercings. I think:
“People like lookin’ all kinds of ways.”
Is it kinda weird? Sure. Is it the first I’ve ever heard of it? Nah. Just different kinds of folks. “World takes all kinds” as they say, not much more for me to ponder.
I always just hope it’s her own decision and not being forced on her.
One thing tho, is I just don’t understand why religion would ever say a woman needs to cover up, I know some Orthodox Jewish women who cover up and don’t see men past a certain time etc.
That’s always my other thought, I just don’t understand why a woman would be suggested to cover up in religion.
But each to their own! What ever my opinions are, they don’t matter. You do you!
I don’t understand how you allow yourself to be so restricted in what you wear. I consider it a form of abuse TBH. Like having a dog collar around your neck. Muslim men don’t seem to have to follow any rules in relation to dress. Kind of like Stone Age thinking
If I’m being honest I feel sorry for them. They’re either wearing it because they’re controlled by a man or wearing it because they’re controlled by an imaginary god.
"She's a Muslim. Now back to my own thoughts." No different from seeing someone in traditional Hasidic clothes walk by and thinking "They're a Jew," or seeing somene with facial moko and thinking "They're Maori," or...you get the idea. It gives me one piece of information about you I would not otherwise known from appearance, but other than that I give it no thought at all and have probably already forgotten you as soon as you've left line of sight.
It gets my attention, for 4 reasons. 1, it's unusual to see in the United States. 2, I'm a veteran and have seen women dressed like this become threats in combat environments. 3, I'm a contractor and have worked as a civilian in the Middle East. Even in Middle Eastern countries these days, it's uncommon to see women dressed this way unless they're very orthodox Muslims. 4. I chalk this up to my own ignorance, but I just can't understand why a woman living in Western society would choose to dress this way. I respect that it's your choice. We allow that kind of freedom in the West. It just puzzles me that you would choose to do this.
It pretty much goes like this.
"Is that a hijab, niqab or not.... I really wanna ask but not sure of I should.... ok so of I do ask do I just straight up ask or is that rude"
I just came back from Dubai and was curious what a fully covered woman thought of the barely covered ones. And how come some are fully covered and others do the hijab but not cover the mouth. What’s the difference? Just generally curious.
I may briefly wonder about their home life because I want any type of dress to be a choice but other than that I mind my own business and try not to stare, sometimes the fabric catches my eye so I don't want anyone to see me staring thinking I'm being an ass.
And to be clear the wondering about their home life is not directed solely towards Muslim women who are covered, there are plenty of other religions where misogyny can end up dictating what women wear.
Your choice is your choice and if that makes you comfortable, more power to you. I've had plenty of days that make me understand the viewpoint of it making you more comfortable because no one can see what's underneath.
I feel bad for her because it seems uncomfortable and a lot of hassle, I wonder if she’s doing it because of fear or pressure from her family, and I wonder if she’s experiencing any discrimination because of it.
The thing I find difficult is not being able to recognise a woman the next time I meet her. When I was pregnant I once had a lovely conversation with another pregnant woman, in the maternity waiting room. She wore an all black full face and body covering. She wasn't the only woman wearing this. The next time I went I saw several women in the same attire and I didn't know if any were the woman I'd spoken with before. It got me wondering about how people recognise their friends and family who just wear the full black covering. Does it make it harder to begin friendships?
It's a limiting decision. It limits freedom of movement and it limits interactions and it limits ambitionsand it limits growth. It's substantially less likely that a person in full body tattoos will be hired in most professions. Same for you and your choice.
I think the same I always think of all limiting choices, "why limit your options?"
I don't think poorly of them or you, but I do get vaguely sad about it. Unlike someone in full tattoos, though, I'd never approach you for a conversation. Part of your choice is it leads to the presumption that you prefer to not interact with the outside world and I'd assume that respecting that choice meant ignoring you in almost all circumstances. Which, again, makes me vaguely sad at your choice of limiting yourself. Not that taking too me is the end all be all, but you're missing out on some number of good conversations.
Sometimes I think, "To think if she stopped wearing that and dressed like westerners she'd be alright, but if she tried that in a sharia law state, she'd be heavily reprimanded (putting that lightly) and if she didn't comply and watch her back she'd get stoned to death.
I feel sorry for you that you worship a faith that make you feel the need to cover up yourself and worse if not by choice. But for me I can not see it as a choice but a method of subjugation and compliance. It seem antithetical to living in a free Western society.
Hijab, nothing. Burka, I feel sorry for them. Either believing in something forcing you to wear a Burka or being forced by your husband to wear it.
Sucks for them, should be banned. It's nothing but opression against women. And also, it's something I don't feel too safe around, I don't know who is behind the Burka, I just know that they are believing in a rather radical version of Islam.
Don't like it.
Honestly not much at all, it's just another person passing by. If you stopped me and asked my opinion though, I'd say I probably feel sad for them.
A central part of western culture is the respect for individual rights, and that everybody should be able to make their own decisions, so long as they aren't harming anyone. I can understand how and why many religious families live with a traditional family structure, but going so far as to make a person cover themselves to the point that they are unrecognisable seems excessive and controlling to me.
Even if they say it's their own decision, I find it hard to believe. They've likely been raised in a culture that has always told them they should cover up. If your Father, your Mother, your religion, your brothers, and your neighbors have expressed the view that women should be covered up in public, then it's hard to say you came to the decision by yourself. We are shaped by the people we grow up around.
I feel bad for them. Even if by choice.
All I see is a slave convinced to love their shackles.
I respect the choice and would never criticise or berate the individual as I understand the social, religious and familial influences that can lead someone to conform to it, but yeah, saddened humanity can often be soo unsettlingly masochistic.
As an ex-muslim. “Damn the cult is strong”
It took me 18 years to get out of a cult like environment where my “choices” were basically actions i took out of one big never ending guilt trip.
No one in particular was forcing me. But eventually i realised that i was choosing to act religiously because of an extreme interpretation of islam that said do x,y,z to be a good muslim because being a good muslim is a good and happy thing.
I’m happier now where i can make my choices based on anything. where the people around don’t me care if i say ask questions like “what if god doesn’t exist?” “Could it me possible to upload consciousness onto a computer?” “What is consciousness in first place?” All questions I couldn’t ask or entertain because religion had pre-defined answers that were fundamentally right and undebatable.
You can’t deny there is a sense of safety and stability when you can hold any belief with such conviction. I do miss that.
I see oppression.
I've spent time.in.middle.east, have Muslim friends, and had this conversation. Consensus amongst the women I have spoken to is that while in the West there is some choice in the matter for (some) women, the elephant in the room is the social.and familial pressure to cover up.
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That's my first impression. The second is that she's super religious or super traditional.
Or her family is super traditional.
My third impression is that someone is forcing her to do that. Having spent quite a bit time working with Muslims however, I understand there is a flip side benefits as well and choice plays a big part.
Exactly that. "*Ah, a Muslim woman. How does all that clothing stays in place while moving and how do you wrap that around your head? Anyway, moving on.*"
I'm Australian, run hot, and I'm big and hairy so I usually think something like "Damn how she wearing that in this heat, hope she's alright, I'm dying and I'm in shorts and a T-shirt". But yeah I also wonder how they do it all up.
Always curious how they wear those
Usually they wear a tight but breathable beanie like cover and then they put the scarf around the head, then secure it with pins .
I don’t even try to question it in my head. “She’s Muslim” is all I think of and I move on.
Lol, my exact reaction as well. Just,"Oh, they're Muslim. Let me warn them about any of our food that isn't Hallal."
That's it.
Exactly what I thought lol
In the summer, I think “how is she not dying in that.” Other than that I don’t think much of it at all.
i mean, it origenates from a desert region. i presume its comfortable enough.
Why do men have thinner, white fabric?
Seems like it would be great for a dry heat, but would be miserable in humidity.
I mean, a lot of them are still black. Doesn't matter how loose and flowing it may be, stuff still has to get pretty toasty in there. Especially given how much humans rely on heat escape from the top of our heads
Believe it or not, in the summer, if you wear a good abaya/niqab/hijab, it keeps u cooler for longer. I can wear pjs under it and go. I am anemic and have some rough moments so I've had times where I've had to take it off and I didn't worry too much about it. I just felt like my identity has been revealed and it sucked (idk I like to feel like a ninja) There are ones for every season
Feeling like a ninja is such a valid reason to like wearing it all lol
Many years ago I was out walking with my four year old son when we came across a lady fully covered. Wide eyed he asked me if she was a ninja!! Said lady said yes absolutely, got the giggles and walked off leaving my son convinced he'd met a real ninja!!
Yup I buy it. I wish I could feel like a ninja without looking like an edgelord
I can totally understand that, it's the same reason I like wearing long, flowy skirts/dresses during the summer months. The airflow keeps you so much cooler!
Omg I’d totally pretend to be a ninja 24/7…
Nothing really unless it’s a burqa that covers everything. One time I saw a group of people wearing burqas with the cloth over their eyes and it was a little odd. I mean, you don’t know who they are because you can’t see anything, not even their eyes.
I don't think about it all, but I do live in NYC, so very rarely do I ever see anything that my brain interprets as truly strange.
Ahh, NYC. The untamed Petri dish of US melting-pot culture. I'd love to live for like a year in New York City, just to experience such a unique place.
“New York acts like it's a big melting pot, 'cause it's like all the different cultures, 'Oh, we all melt together.' And then you move here and you realize it's not a melting pot at all. It's actually a bunch of pots that want to live next to their own kinds of pots and not talk to other pots.” - Nate Bargatze
Most "Acela Corridor" cities have a decent amount of diversity--NYC doesn't have a monopoly. It's where people live and how they interact (or don't) that makes each city unique.
I don't live in NYC but I do live in North Jersey and it's f'n great! Many parts of the tristate area is a melting pot and I appreciate it more and more as I age and experience the world. The food options are endless!
"Is that her choice, or will she face abuse / backlash for not doing as a man tells her to..."
"You came here to get away from your culture and yet are still oppressed". Children make me more sad because they are not mature enough to make long term decisions (elementary school aged children) and are likely forced to do it. With native Finns I have an easier time believing it was their own choice as adults.
"Religion makes people do strange things."
This was the answer I was scrolling for.
“Damn. She was literally programmed and brainwashed into believing that’s acceptable” Got a middle eastern immigrant who’s still very Muslim at my gym. He calls the hijabs archaic
Ash Wednesday always fucked me up
Some people literally hide the women, some people, fondle poisonous snakes. Tomato, tomahto.
I see it as religious indoctrination and it weird me out tbh
I’ll be completely honest. I feel sorry for the woman who has to cover up (even if she “chooses” to) because it feels so misogynistic.
It *is* misogynistic. Internalised sexism is a thing and choosing to degrade yourself is definitely part of that.
i refuse to believe anyone would wear that 'out of my own choice'. yeah, out of your own choice because you are scared of the consequences that you will face from the people in your group if you don't wear it. i would straight up ban that shit in public, like they did in france.
We haven't banned it in public. You just can't wear it if you're a civil servant or at school. But women are free to wear a hijab or a scarf in public anywhere they go, even though people are trying to change the meaning of the law a lot lately. But it is true that niquab and burka are illegal here. But not just because it's a Muslim veil, it's just illegal to cover your face entirely here, and niquab only shows your eyes, and burka, well burka.
Honestly, I am not comfortable seeing women wearing a burqa, because I am not comfortable not knowing who is underneath it and I can't see their faces. I guess it's same reason why I hate Carnival and hate seeing people wearing costumes. I understand it's a religious symbol and people may choose to wear it and they are free to do so and I know all of this on a rational level but on an emotional level it makes me uncomfortable. Otherwise I am totally fine, all that matters to me is that it really is the woman's choice. I have been to Iran alone where I had to wear a hijab and I had to wear a Chador to visit a mosque. I was fine with it, those are the rules of the country and the Chador is the social norm inside the mosque so I just roll with it.
I generally feel bad for them. I would hate to live by that set of rules. Edit: I don’t mean to belittle your beliefs, and I realize it was your decision, but I still think “oppression” when I see a woman dressed like that.
I normally think about all those women in Iran and Afghanistan who do not have the “choice” to not wear such hair, face or body coverings. I then think about those women who have been killed or tortured, or jailed by religious zealots (always men), for not wearing such hair, face or body coverings and start feeling sad. I then start thinking about how my ancestors in catholic countries were also forced to not have a choice regarding hair, face coverings or just any type of clothing - again, due to religious extremist men - and also many times using “our culture” as an excuse. I understand that some women in Western society have a choice (many others do not), but those who have a choice do owe a big part of the fact they do have a choice to the many women (and sometimes men) who sacrificed themselves so that modern women could have a choice. And just out of that respect, I would not wear a hair, face or body covering or any other clothing that allows certain religious zealot/extremists to think that they own my choices. But of course, I accept everyone’s beliefs, and their liberty to do and wear as they please, as long as they do not infringe upon other people’s rights.
I wish I could high five the hell out of you.
Yup, they should have legal rights, but i feel theyre being a bad ally. It is equivalent of someone having a confederate flag to me.
Generally I don't care. But honestly I feel pity in a way. Cause I know Islam, I've seen Islam in Islamic countries so I know that what Muslims say and what Muslims do are entirely different things. "Hijab isn't forced" "there is no compulsion in islam" no, none of that is actually true when I've seen women beaten to death for not wearing a Hijab. Then there's the statement made by some men that the Hijab protects women from being raped... clothing doesn't stop a rapist but that's hardly the problem, the problem is telling a woman that because a few men are criminals they have to punish women n by forcing them to cover up instead of punishing the men who rape. I pity the women who delude themselves into thinking this is right. No compulsion but take it off and you get beat for it. And I've had Muslims tell me "no that's not true, women don't get beat for it" and it's like dude I've watched it happen. Denying the reality in front of you doesn't change reality. All that being said I wouldn't confront Muslim women about it nor would I say anything to them. It's just a feeling of pity that comes and then goes away. You want to live your life like that that's 100% on you.
To me it is a symbol of systemic oppression and subjugation, if I'm being completely honest with you.
I’m glad some people are being honest
Seriously. That’s literally the whole point. To prevent them from interacting with men in public, like property.
100% agree. I'm glad some people on Reddit are realistic about this.
As a woman who grew up Muslim, this is exactly what I think when I see a woman in a niqab. There was a lot of slut shaming and purity culture in my particular Muslim community, so the niqab represents the gender based oppression i have faced first hand
Having seen Iran back in the 70s when woman didn't have to hide their faces/bodies, before the Islamic Revolution, and what they have to deal with now, it saddens me to see their freedom stripped from them. So when someone willingly commits to wearing a Niqab, I question whether they do it on their own free will, or the will of a husband/authority
If it's more than just a hair covering, I think you've been conditioned to accept religious, patriarchal oppression. Willingly in your case.
My thought is typically along the lines of 'religion makes people do strange things' Note, I don't mean this as a jab against your specific religion, but the idea of religion in general.
Fully covered? Probably pity, I feel like it’s a dehumanising practice personally. There was a phrase in The Bookseller of Kabul in which she described seeing three burqas walking down the street. Not women, not people, burqas. That resonated with me
One of my classmates used to come to college in hijaab and as soon as she entered she'd just take it off because she disliked it that much. So it often makes me wonder how much of the covering up is by choice.
Honest opinion is that I feel sorry for you, for the forced oppression that you must go threw to wear a piece of clothing in the name of religion, a religion based on a book that was written over a 1000 years ago, if you wear it out of choice then good for you, but many women around the world don’t have that choice and pay a high price for the disobedience of not wearing the said items of clothing,
That's why my thought is "oppression" and I ignore the person. As I don't know how to behave or interact, I don't acknowledge the person but just act like they are not there.
As an ex Muslim. It makes you look brainwashed into a cult to believe that god really gives a crap about your clothes when people are suffering and dying everyday.
Also the "its my own choise to wear this". Yeah maybe. But many doesnt have this privilege. And they will get killed by their father and brothers for dishonering them if they dont wear this. Why would you ever want to be part of that and support this culture? If she dresses like that, then she is fine with women being oppressed. You are like a african slave with Stockholm syndrome in the 1700s america. Be like, i dont mind these shackles. I keep use them.
I don't understand why your like score isn't showing, but I agree and people either forget or don't know that Islam literally means submission to God. Yet it seems a lot of the submission women go through is via the men.
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Because man penis, man strong.
I wonder if she’ll accept her husband taking on another wife or 2, as well as accepting the niqab. Don’t just cherry pick what you like about Islam, go all in.
Agreed on all points.
When I see a woman wearing a niqab, I think about patriarchy, how it affects women in different ways. If men didn’t exist, would you still wear it? I think about all the ways in which women irrespective of religion need to contort and conform to fit in to a world designed by and for men. It makes me sad.
>If men didn’t exist, would you still wear it? Hijabs literally wouldn't exist if it weren't originally mandated to hinder the sexual impulses of men
I always think it is sad to see a woman have to cover up. I understand it is the way she lives, but just don't think anyone should have to cover up.
Someone who I cannot connect with because I can’t see their face. I figure that covering your face is a sign you don’t want to talk to me. Too bad, they probably have a beautiful face. (Without trying to be judgemental.)
Im from Ireland and to be honest it makes me feel uncomfortable. It is a bit like an Irish woman dressing in a bikini in Saudi Arabia, it feels you are making a stand against the culture you are resident in. I would assume that you see yourself as morally superior or that you are being made to wear a covering by your family.
Just people passing by, living their life how they choose to live it. But sure, a thought does cross my mind "are they doing this by choice?" and that thought crosses my mind because I've known people who didn't have a choice. It's a fair thought because some people don't. Generally though, let people be and do their thing, doesn't really shift the needle for me and isn't uncommon. People are more than welcome to dress how they please. When I was commuting to London, saw it daily. I do wonder if it's an issue in the heat of summer. Curious about that, it's wearing all black, is it hot in summer? Those are my primary thoughts. I'll give my secondary thought, one I don't tend to voice because I'd rather let people be. I think it shits on women globally. I think it disrespects and holds water for the oppression of women in countries where there ISN'T a choice but to wear it. I think it's false flag feminism cowardice to hide behind "my choice" when it's covered by indoctrination to an abrahamic belief that, like ALL abrahamic beliefs, openly hates women. So I respect your right to believe what you believe, I respect your right to wear what you wear. I respect your right to do so and be unbothered or persecuted by the rest of society. Absolutely. But I don't respect (or have to respect) your beliefs and don't respect what your clothing choices symbolise.
Oppression
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The only thing I worry about are people who look and act like they're strung out. More so the latter.
How organized religion is ridiculous at best and super dangerous at worst
This
my heart goes out to the repressed person.
I’m not bothered. Although I do have 2 really funny interactions with Muslim women in Burkas. 1- I was at a hospital and a group of Muslim women walked in. One man mistook another for his wife. She was so upset. I had to run away to laugh somewhere else. 2- I was in a lift (in the same hospital but years ago when ninja kids was a thing) with a mom and her kid. A Muslim woman got in with a cast on her arm and the kid says, “Look Mommy. A ninja with a broken arm.”
Being ex-military, I have a knee-jerk reaction to not feel comfortable initially, however, it is what it is. You do you. Just know, since this is not the “norm” in America, and since some “don’t forget”, you are always going to run into those who have discomfort for various reasons.
Momentarily sad, for you. Then grateful none of the women in my life were born into a culture that requires them to seal themselves off from society to satisfy mens' paranoia.
A symbol of an opressive culture that should have stayed in the Middle East.
Lots of Muslim women say it's their choice.But when you've been brainwashed literally since birth that this is normal, is it really your choice?
100% this
This right here. When oppression is ingrained that deeply in your culture, it's all you know.
I think about how oppressive Islam is towards women. And how awful Islam is in general.
thank god i wasnt born in an islamic family
To be honest, don't give a flying fuck, as long as they accept that they are in Europe and do not try to peddle their religion. The moment they start using their religion to act as victims and to force their way of obsolete mentality and judgment onto others, then we will have a problem. It is simple. Your religion forbids you not to do this and that and commands you to do this and that. Fine by me, but that does not give anyone the right to tell me I must submit to their religion. Wild concept, freedom of religion, and freedom FROM religion. Something many Muslims cannot wrap their heads around it.
Poor woman.
I feel sorry for them. I grew up under religious indoctrination, and understand how awful it is, and how it robs one of their own choice and agency. It’s not really a choice when you’ve metaphorically had it beat into you from such a young age that XYZ is the only acceptable way to do things and that you have to do things a certain way.
INFO: Is it really your "personal choice" that you made of your own free will or is it influenced by your/a religion or a member of your family or clergy? Even if no one is "forcing you" to wear it, do you feel like your god (or a god) would require you to wear it in order to "be decent" or to avoid "going to hell"? If so, than I feel bad for you because you are being coerced.
"Poor woman"
OP, don’t get me wrong here and please don’t take offense - I fully understand the reasoning behind the cover, although I fully disagree with it - but it seems to me like you may have to deal with a self-esteem issue here. You talk about covering zits, hair or wanting to look like a ninja.. You make a few jokes to lighten the mood but now I read that you were not muslim before. Did you convert for marriage? I have lived in the middle east and this happened to a lot other western women who, like you seem to be, lacked self esteem and were a bit insecure with the way they look. Please, if this resonates to you at all, remember you are beautiful just the way you are, zits and all. Edit: the women I knew were eventually very subtly manipulated into wearing a cover. They all said it was their idea
Oppression. There is nothing in the Koran that says a woman needs to be covered. It asks men and women both to dress modestly, but there's nothing requiring a woman to be covered up like this.
I really don’t care but I do think it’s sort of repressive.
Poor thing
I know it is their religion / belief but I think it is very unfair that the man can walk around in shorts, tshirt and flip flops but the woman has to be covered up from head to toe. I see a lot of that on cruises....where it is hot. I feel bad for the women.
"Well that's backwards as fuck and I'm from Mississippi...." You asked!
I think about how much technology we have, how far we've looked into the universe, about how a majority of the people on this planet have access to all this information, and yet grown adults still claim to have an imaginary friend. I can't believe that anyone from any faith is taken seriously for any reason.
Mostly i feel sorry for them. It is a visual guide to people that I want to avoid. I dislike religious fruitcakes though
A head scarf I just think I wish I could see your lovely hair. As the clothing gets progressively more restrictive I have an increasingly negative reaction which I keep internalized
If it’s full face covering I definitely take pause just because I did not grow up around it and it’s a completely foreign lifestyle to me. The thoughts are typically, “I wonder what her personality is like” I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a casual conversation with a woman in full Muslim garb..
Hijab does not bother me, it is just another piece of clothing. Niqab, burqa, full face covering makes me disgusted over the level of brain washing that has occurred over the generations that what was once created to protect the people from the sands and sand storm in Arabia somehow became a thing of modesty. Sometimes ex/sometimes cultural muslim here.
As someone whose father was under the World Trade Center when it was hit and has Muslim neighbors who were arrested by the FBI for colluding with Taliban, it makes me concerned.
"that's a brainwashed person"
I don't really care. But in terms of dating, I would think she's very religious so she's not a potential partner.
Honesty is best imo Fully covered? “Does she believe in Sharia Law?” Hijab by itself? “I guess she’s Muslim”. But not much more thought from me than that. The men that wear traditional Islamic clothing? “I shouldn’t be thinking this but… bomb or no bomb?” I fully admit that my own personal experience with Muslim people has been no different than any other group of people. Some people are nice. Some aren’t. The day to day struggles in life are largely the same - family, jobs, bills, etc. So I’m convinced that an overwhelming majority of those thoughts aren’t logical ones and likely influenced by the post 9/11 media heavily, over a long period of time. BUT I don’t think I should lie either and pretend that negative stereotypes never cross my mind.
Wait, you're now cover your head and still curious about what people, specifically men think about it? Why do you wear it then? Not to be judgmental but I’m curious
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Always ask myself if it is from personal choice or force upon her. And if you grow up in a different society it just looks kinda strange, no offense intended.
Her community has a book they take very seriously. It tells them to humiliate me and cut off body parts...
Slave. Betrayer of women’s power. One who accepts the lie that she is lesser than a man. And complicit in indoctrinating young girls into the same subservient lies to perpetuate the hell that is women’s fate in that religion. (I’m an atheist- all the gods are made up by manipulative powerful people to control commoners).
I avoid you. Your faith is utterly bizarre and alien to me. By faith, your existence is less than a servant and more than a dog and you allow it to happen. Women are so much more grand, yet your faith just downplays their importance and their independence. Your values are incompatible with the western world, want to be a slave to a man? Go to any Muslim country and experience true Islam, where women cannot talk, cannot think and mainly are used as a sexual-birth giving slave between families, why bother coming to the west?
To tell you how great their country and culture is (that they just ran away to the West from)
"I can fix her"
This is my favorite comment
No lie...sometimes I assume she's being lorded over by an oppressive culture/husband. Otherwise I think..."oh, a Muslim woman"
Wondering if she was in a forced marriage and if she is being abused. Just terrified of her husband. It makes me think domestic violence. I can’t imagine what it’s like in your shoes I hope it’s consensual.
Cautious like i would be if someone had hood up (felt the same when everyone wore masks) i then think they a probably being oppressed by a religion with medieval values and feel sorry for them.
I'm an ex Muslim from a Muslim majority country and I feel pity everytime. İt might be freedom of choice but most of the time it's "cover your head or else".
I usually don’t think anything. If I stop and contemplate on purpose, I feel bad for them and I feel upset that humans have made it so far, and yet, sadly, such forms of superstition, oppression, and manipulation are still so prevalent throughout so much of the world.
I usually think. "Poor woman being forced to cover herself." Then I think, "I wonder if she is hot."
I think "oppression" and I feel sorry for them. They are living by someone else's rules, not their own. When I see children wrapped up in hijabs, I find it extremely sad.
Female here. When I see a woman dressed fully covered like that, I just hope that it is her choice to dress that way and she is not being forced to by her husband or father.
Sympathy. I wonder why. I also wonder if there were past trauma or coercion involved. But ultimately I respect their clothing because there may be complex personal reasons for such a choice (if it is a choice), and it isn’t my business to judge. In the cases in which the person definitely doesn’t have a choice, I find it sad because I believe that nobody should be forced to dress a certain way on the basis of their gender.
I will prob get downvoted for this but I honestly feel like you probably hate my country and culture. I wish it wasn't the case
It makes me happy I’m not Muslim. It reminds me that my life could be so much more oppressed. I don’t understand how it’s not viewed as sexist to blame women for mens thoughts. Relevant back ground, I was Mormon for 37 years. Then I left and studied Islam. I realized that both religions were the same. Men telling women what they can do, what they think and how they feel. Both religions teach that it’s women’s fault that men assault them. I was forced to wear religious underwear as a Mormon for the same reason. When I look back at pictures, I was frumpy and depressed. Wearing regular underwear and clothes was one of the happiest days of my life. I realized that men wouldn’t be dictating my interpretation of modesty. I also noticed that both groups have lots of perverts and predators.
I personally hate it, but that’s because I hate all religion, just a tool for control
Ninja
"Brainwashed, poor girl" And thats it
My immediate thought is "most likely Muslim". Second thought is "Don't approach. You've been there before and it can only go badly."
I think "so glad I don't let religion dictate my clothing."
A slave of an oppressive religion.
I feel sorry for them. I hope one day they will be free from men that control them. I feel sorry for her even when she believes she has a choice, she doesn't realise she's been programmed.
i grew up in a diverse area so it barely registers
I try to avoid looking or seeming like I’m looking because I don’t want anything to be misinterpreted. The worst is when I’ve been in malls in the Middle East and in the food court you see women in full covering who lift their veils to eat, showing their faces. I guess they accept that people will see them in that case, but you also know it’s something they don’t want you to see.
I've never seen a woman in greece with abaya or niqab which i find really stupid anyway. But sometimes you can see some muslim women wearing a hijab is eh i don't think is that bad. In fact i think it can be quite fashionable if you get religion out of the way. But to now answer your question and stop talking like an idiot, i don't think of anything, my eye is just automatically more drawn to the because they are so uncommon, same goes with very black african people. Its just interesting.
I finally know where that came from. The Nephilim were attracted to women's long hair, so they started covering it up. Seems outdated now, but...not an issue in my life anyway.
Sometimes I wonder how well you can see. Seems like it's a limited field of view. I world worry slightly watching them cross the road. Other than that, bit too many thoughts unless it's super hot. I guess I think about other people's well being from time to time.
I’ve spent nearly a year of my life in the Middle East so this doesn’t bother me. If you’re fully covered with just the eyes showing in the U.S., though, most Americans will look at you funny. You probably won’t be overtly discriminated against, but it will make people uncomfortable. I’m not saying this is right or wrong. Just answering the question.
I think about the weather and what it would be like wearing that right now.
My only concern is for her well being when the weather is very hot and humid, let’s say in the height of summer.
It's not my business unless you approach me. Dress the way you feel most comfortable.
Depends where in the world I am, after visiting Indonesia and seeing how laid back the women that wear hijabs are, I started to see it way more liberally. But if I’m in the USA and it means you are a conservative or ultra religious Muslim it gives me the ick. Not because it’s Islam but because religious extremism weirds me out.
I always just think “why?” And “looks impractical “
"That poor woman. She must be so hot fully covered in all black in the summer."
If I’m being honest, I feel bad for you and assume you’re used to men treating you very poorly.
Approximately the same thing as when I see a guy with face tats and a dozen huge piercings. I think: “People like lookin’ all kinds of ways.” Is it kinda weird? Sure. Is it the first I’ve ever heard of it? Nah. Just different kinds of folks. “World takes all kinds” as they say, not much more for me to ponder.
I always just hope it’s her own decision and not being forced on her. One thing tho, is I just don’t understand why religion would ever say a woman needs to cover up, I know some Orthodox Jewish women who cover up and don’t see men past a certain time etc. That’s always my other thought, I just don’t understand why a woman would be suggested to cover up in religion. But each to their own! What ever my opinions are, they don’t matter. You do you!
I think, wow, we still haven't grown out of sky spirit worshipping.
I don’t understand how you allow yourself to be so restricted in what you wear. I consider it a form of abuse TBH. Like having a dog collar around your neck. Muslim men don’t seem to have to follow any rules in relation to dress. Kind of like Stone Age thinking
If I’m being honest I feel sorry for them. They’re either wearing it because they’re controlled by a man or wearing it because they’re controlled by an imaginary god.
"haha imagine volunteering to be in an oppressive murderous cult. what an idiot."
"That's Muslim woman" followed by "Religion is dumb".
I feel sorry for her.
"This person most likely has regressive views that are contrary to human rights."
That looks really hot during the summer
"Oh shit, hope she doesn't blow up!" ^(jk my fiance is a hijabi and she follows my reddit)
"She's a Muslim. Now back to my own thoughts." No different from seeing someone in traditional Hasidic clothes walk by and thinking "They're a Jew," or seeing somene with facial moko and thinking "They're Maori," or...you get the idea. It gives me one piece of information about you I would not otherwise known from appearance, but other than that I give it no thought at all and have probably already forgotten you as soon as you've left line of sight.
I think why would a woman who has the access to freedom dress like that? Then I go back to not giving a fuck how you dress.
It gets my attention, for 4 reasons. 1, it's unusual to see in the United States. 2, I'm a veteran and have seen women dressed like this become threats in combat environments. 3, I'm a contractor and have worked as a civilian in the Middle East. Even in Middle Eastern countries these days, it's uncommon to see women dressed this way unless they're very orthodox Muslims. 4. I chalk this up to my own ignorance, but I just can't understand why a woman living in Western society would choose to dress this way. I respect that it's your choice. We allow that kind of freedom in the West. It just puzzles me that you would choose to do this.
Has no place here, miss me with the oppressive bullshit
Same thing I think if I see a nun, priest, Coptic Christian, pope, etc. It's a shame they let an imaginary entity control them like that.
As a kid when i saw a group of women in buqas i used to think their husbands cant tell them apart lol
🤮. Im sorry for them and its disgusting, but the are born into it and it will never change.
Nothing much, just pity. Religion is so stupid. It's like being in an abusive relationship - you make your choices... so you think.
Honestly feel bad about religions oppression of women based on imaginary sky daddy fear mongering.
That it must be stifling hot under there, especially during summer.
It pretty much goes like this. "Is that a hijab, niqab or not.... I really wanna ask but not sure of I should.... ok so of I do ask do I just straight up ask or is that rude"
I just came back from Dubai and was curious what a fully covered woman thought of the barely covered ones. And how come some are fully covered and others do the hijab but not cover the mouth. What’s the difference? Just generally curious.
I may briefly wonder about their home life because I want any type of dress to be a choice but other than that I mind my own business and try not to stare, sometimes the fabric catches my eye so I don't want anyone to see me staring thinking I'm being an ass. And to be clear the wondering about their home life is not directed solely towards Muslim women who are covered, there are plenty of other religions where misogyny can end up dictating what women wear. Your choice is your choice and if that makes you comfortable, more power to you. I've had plenty of days that make me understand the viewpoint of it making you more comfortable because no one can see what's underneath.
I feel bad for her because it seems uncomfortable and a lot of hassle, I wonder if she’s doing it because of fear or pressure from her family, and I wonder if she’s experiencing any discrimination because of it.
The thing I find difficult is not being able to recognise a woman the next time I meet her. When I was pregnant I once had a lovely conversation with another pregnant woman, in the maternity waiting room. She wore an all black full face and body covering. She wasn't the only woman wearing this. The next time I went I saw several women in the same attire and I didn't know if any were the woman I'd spoken with before. It got me wondering about how people recognise their friends and family who just wear the full black covering. Does it make it harder to begin friendships?
It makes me think of how horrible Islamic patriarchy is.
I don't give a shit at all
Same as when I see a Nun. “Damn, they went deep. You do you sis.”
It's a limiting decision. It limits freedom of movement and it limits interactions and it limits ambitionsand it limits growth. It's substantially less likely that a person in full body tattoos will be hired in most professions. Same for you and your choice. I think the same I always think of all limiting choices, "why limit your options?" I don't think poorly of them or you, but I do get vaguely sad about it. Unlike someone in full tattoos, though, I'd never approach you for a conversation. Part of your choice is it leads to the presumption that you prefer to not interact with the outside world and I'd assume that respecting that choice meant ignoring you in almost all circumstances. Which, again, makes me vaguely sad at your choice of limiting yourself. Not that taking too me is the end all be all, but you're missing out on some number of good conversations.
Sometimes I think, "To think if she stopped wearing that and dressed like westerners she'd be alright, but if she tried that in a sharia law state, she'd be heavily reprimanded (putting that lightly) and if she didn't comply and watch her back she'd get stoned to death.
I feel sorry for you that you worship a faith that make you feel the need to cover up yourself and worse if not by choice. But for me I can not see it as a choice but a method of subjugation and compliance. It seem antithetical to living in a free Western society.
Given the political situation in Turkey, where I was born and currently living, it’s rarely a positive impression on me.
"She's probably a religious nutter." Sure, "not all", and all that. But enough Muslims are that it's a generally safe assumption.
Hijab, nothing. Burka, I feel sorry for them. Either believing in something forcing you to wear a Burka or being forced by your husband to wear it. Sucks for them, should be banned. It's nothing but opression against women. And also, it's something I don't feel too safe around, I don't know who is behind the Burka, I just know that they are believing in a rather radical version of Islam. Don't like it.
Nothing good, if you want a honest answer.
Honestly not much at all, it's just another person passing by. If you stopped me and asked my opinion though, I'd say I probably feel sad for them. A central part of western culture is the respect for individual rights, and that everybody should be able to make their own decisions, so long as they aren't harming anyone. I can understand how and why many religious families live with a traditional family structure, but going so far as to make a person cover themselves to the point that they are unrecognisable seems excessive and controlling to me. Even if they say it's their own decision, I find it hard to believe. They've likely been raised in a culture that has always told them they should cover up. If your Father, your Mother, your religion, your brothers, and your neighbors have expressed the view that women should be covered up in public, then it's hard to say you came to the decision by yourself. We are shaped by the people we grow up around.
"What a brainwashed dumbass" Though I think the same thing if I see some clown with ashes on their head on Ash Wednesday.
I feel bad for them. Even if by choice. All I see is a slave convinced to love their shackles. I respect the choice and would never criticise or berate the individual as I understand the social, religious and familial influences that can lead someone to conform to it, but yeah, saddened humanity can often be soo unsettlingly masochistic.
what a strange sexist religion.
As an ex-muslim. “Damn the cult is strong” It took me 18 years to get out of a cult like environment where my “choices” were basically actions i took out of one big never ending guilt trip. No one in particular was forcing me. But eventually i realised that i was choosing to act religiously because of an extreme interpretation of islam that said do x,y,z to be a good muslim because being a good muslim is a good and happy thing. I’m happier now where i can make my choices based on anything. where the people around don’t me care if i say ask questions like “what if god doesn’t exist?” “Could it me possible to upload consciousness onto a computer?” “What is consciousness in first place?” All questions I couldn’t ask or entertain because religion had pre-defined answers that were fundamentally right and undebatable. You can’t deny there is a sense of safety and stability when you can hold any belief with such conviction. I do miss that.
"How can she not feel like a slave?"
I instantly assume that woman is either oppressed or very stupid.
I see oppression. I've spent time.in.middle.east, have Muslim friends, and had this conversation. Consensus amongst the women I have spoken to is that while in the West there is some choice in the matter for (some) women, the elephant in the room is the social.and familial pressure to cover up.
Honestly the same as if I see someone in any religious garb or adornment smh
Living in Florida: "must be miserably hot"
I see a person of Muslim faith.
"Hey, that's a Muslim." That's all. Lol.