Why are Muslim women wearing the veil more and more in the last 20 years?

First a I will briefly explain why it is seen as fard (compulsory) for muslim women to wear the head scarf.

There have being a few hadiths such as this on where a teenage girl appeared before for the prophet Mohammed (pbuh) in only a night gown, and he said that as she is a women now she must only show her face and hands. Muslim women wear the hijab because they want to be modest, and not judged only looks.

Of course hijab isn't just what you wear it is the whole personal demeanour that count.

I wear the hijab myself but it your choice if you decide to.

There is no complusion in religion. It is between you and God.

AS for your question about why more women where the veil now. I think you must look at the wider context. In the 60's and 70's fashions why different. Think of the swinging sixties and the mini-skirt. Young women everywhere would drees like that. And of course it followed to the the Arab world and Muslims. You could see women wearing mini skirts in Kabul. Of course I think that is impossible to see now LOL. Now the fashions have change and people everywhere dress more modestly. In western countries women are more likely to wear jeans or a long skirt, and these fashion have being reflected in the muslim world too.

I think you must go back about a hundred years to see the start of this process. Attaturk in Turkey, in the ordered the removal of veils, so did the Shah in Iran, And In Huda Sha'rawi in Egypt being the first women to remove her veil. Muslim countries wanted to modernize and become more western. Being like the west was thought of as being modern and enlightened. There was a feminist movement that wanted to remove the shackles that women had previously had. So that women had education and jobs, and entered the work space, that previosly the public arena had been denied to women.

And this process continued until its peek in the '60's and 70's.

I think the pendulum change with the Iranian revolution, The Afghan war, And the rise of the Palestian movement.

People wanted to get back more to their muslim identity, when people feel attacked this is normal. You must remember before Islam was not enemy no 1 but communism. Islam filled this role only when communism ws on it's last legs.

For example in Palestine to dress yourself as a muslim meens you are identifying with the cause. If you don't are you really with us?? Also as more women where the veil, there is also the presure on those that don't to follow.

Even as a hijab wearing woman who has chosen so out of her own free will. I feel presure to conform. In the west I wear a light hijab. But if I was in Saudi, i would feel forced to cover my face.

There also the case that people are proud to be muslim and want to show it. Hijab is now fashonable. Look at Egypt and how the young women wear their scarfs. It is as much a part of your out fit as the rest of your clothes.

Also people are dicovering that Islam and feminism are not exculsive. There is islamic feminism. The Koran was the first feminist book it gave women rights before women in the west had them. Wearing the hijab means that the women can go out to work, school etc..

Women are also re-discovering the pleasures of the wearing the veil again. I have some friends that wear niqab (full face veil), and there are some of the strongest, must independent women I know. It provides for them anominity when they want , and people judge them for who they are not what they are. I wear hijab myself and I like the safety and respect it gives me.

I hope that helps :-)

I've said it a couple of times now .

There are some manipulative mad obsessed power crazed sheiks and imams that deliberately work on the misinterpretation of all external factors to lead the masses into darkness . The goal ? Power of course .

Isn't the misinterpretation of The Coran the worst sin ever ?

Now everyone knows how hard it is to read The Coran , and most of the people in islamic countries are barely litterate , or don't speak Arabic at all , so they need good trustworthy ulema' to answer all their questions . But good trustwothty ulema' ( SPIT ! ) use this situation to preach their own lies and gain influence over the people .

There are a lot of people gaining not only power but also serious cash from the ignorance of the masses . People at the Azhar , for example , or let me see , Saudi Arabia .

Did you know that when this veil thing got to Mohammed , it was for his wifes EXCLUSIVELY ? They were supposed to hide their joints , or to be more precise , to dress decently as wifes of a socially important man ? Not very religious , if you ask me .

And do you know what's worst that sheiks ? Woman Sheiks that distort young girls' mind . And do you know how they trick them to wear hijjab ? They find some rich degenerate suitors , and then tell the girls that God is pleased of their hijab and He sent them IBN AL HALLAL ! ( SPIT ! )

If those sheikas are so ugly and sex crazed that doesn't give them RIGHT to abuse of little naive teenage girls !

And people say Islam progressing ? ( SPIT ! AGAIN AND AGAIN ) Islam won't get anywhere unless all sheiks are SHOT !

I want to start wearing the hijab again. WE don't wear it for anyone else besides God.

You wear the hijab(veil) to keep yourself chaste. The more chaste you are the more precious you are. It's immodest to not wear it and go about in short clothes, for what? To tempt the men?

And it isn't a repression on women. The reason women have to cover and men don't, is because GOD knows that men are less trustworthy about that, and less able to contain themselves and their lusts than women are.

When we wear the veil, it isn't about culture. It's about our faith. It's between us and God.

The places you mentioned are not, or were not, exactly the best examples of muslims societies you know. They were the more so called 'progressive' countries. In that light, they are less religious in that way.

However, things change. But Islam does not lower it's morals for the changing times. We are not permitted to change the religion, that is one of the incredible things about Islam, is that the Qur'an has not been changed since it was revealed. The integrity of the sources is the way that it can be verified.

I have also noticed that Muslim woman in the US are more likely to wear Hijab than in Muslim countries like Pakistan(where it is not requires) For most of us when your religion is under attack you get stronger in your faith. It is easy for me to blend into the US background and no one would know I was Muslim. Hijab makes it clear I am Muslim and not ashamed of who I am. I can also by my actions show people that what they are saying about Islam is not true.

There is also the obvious reason that, I want to please The most merciful. People are also starting to see the results of imitateing the western stlye life such as -greed, Alcholism and sex out of marriage. And religous people are starting to see the Western way of life is not worth the price. So they are returning to the old ways.

I am sorry that your sister is under pressure because it should come from her heart not from pressure. I am guessing as time goes on and this war ends that this pressure will subside give it time.

I don't know exactly why they are wearing the veil more these days...but I was walking in Regents park London yesterday and was amazed by the designer-label accessories of these ladies otherwise covered head to foot, Prada & Dior handbags etc.the latest top of the range digital video cameras etc. They may be demonstrating how chaste they are by covering themselves but they aren't worried to show that they are consumerist and in a big way! There seems to be some sort of bonkers disconnect there.

i am from TURKIYE and glad to say that it is not a trend which is accepted by everyone. that is just a part of the Muslim population who have too district rules on living Islam. in my country modern life and Islam are in equilibrium. to wear veil is just a kind of belief and the number of the ones that prefer to wear veil may have been increased in common among the total Islam population; which is then can be explained by the economical distress on Islamic world, the civil wars, political manoeuvres of some christian countries; i mean that this could be a reaction, to have strict rules and show out to everybody that she is a Muslim. but i,me myself, do not approve to wear veil because in my opinion it is not a must to live Islam. thank you, this was a unique question i have ever read on this yahoo section. lots to say and argue on this issue, and has been talking on this issue for many years in my country 'cause it is legally forbidden to a degree to wear in that manner in social places which may be another question on another day........

For me as a Muslim man I most respect women who put hijab because they asking for respect by putting the scarf. and there a verse in Quraan asking women to be polite in the way they wear sorry my English not too good to explain for you. and i am a Lebanese too. but all i want to say when women put hijabs the bad habits in the social will disappear because most of men respect the women putting hijab and dont even look at their faces. beleive me. But unfortunately in this days some women use hijab just for fun and doing bad thing in the same time.

Ask Muslim Men. I don't want to come right out and answer the question, lest I get threatened by Muslim Fundamentalists!

This happens more because muslims are becoming stricter in their religion and are making closer ties with their religion due to recent termoil. The past was not nearly as thick with termoil.

submit some links on your claims no longer only rant . surely everyone appears to be like turning to Islam at an increasing cost interior the united kingdom there's no branch for colleges and households interior the united kingdom All you do is submit old Rant/ unsolicited mail it really is inaccurate rant and reproduction it in Ramadan , Politics and R&S