Muslim Women

[RobertBurden]

Help me out here because I don't no much about islam. I live in London, why is it I see one muslim girl with just a head scarf then another who wears a full veil face cover even her eyes and hands covered.
Why the difference?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Well, if you read this site, you will often find the Christians are a remarkably heterogenous group. Sure, they all believe in Jesus, but beyond that there's some major differences. Some are attributable to different sects; Roman Catholicism, Happy Clappy, Amish etc., but some is just down to personal interpretation.

It's much the same with Muslims. Sure, all Muslims believe in the Koran and Mohammed, but beyond that they're no more homogenous than the Christians. Some believe it's vitally important to wear a full veil, some just a head scarf and some don't put any store by it at all.

[saxy_jag]

I'm told it's very much a matter of personal choice, and the choice depends on the depth of the woman's spirituality. It's the same type of thing as a christian deciding whether to wear a crucifix or not drink alcohol. Of course, upbringing plays a large part in that choice.

[jenstar]

The first one is in party mood.

[David H]

Technically there is no obligation in the koran to cover the face, only for modesty. The full veil comes from the Arab not muslim culture and is more likely to be to protect from sandstorms than anything else. Other muslims see it and assume it means they're more religious and copy it and it becomes a new symbol of piety.