Anonymous #2 10w

Islam means submission, we believe in God and the last message—we don’t prioritize our own worldly desires, we submit to what God asks of us. Ultimately, it is piety and submission to the divine will that sets us free instead of submitting to some other lower wills and desires. You either submit to God (the ultimate truth, good, and source of all), you submit to another person, or you submit to your own baseless desires. So where you might see restriction, we experience freedom

1

Anonymous #2 10w

God didn't ask that of men, He did of women, that's the ultimate reason. I could go into some other stuff like how men particularly are more drawn to a woman's hair and are much more visual creatures to the point of distraction and ultimate social decay. But that's more commentary reasoning and ways of potentially understanding why as opposed to the absolute reason, which is to submit to God. The areas of the body meant to be covered by either gender are called awra, for men this would include

1

Anonymous #2 10w

Everything from the navel to the knees at minimum needing to be covered. Like l as a man can't go around showing my knees, thighs, or abs to women for example. Traditionally though, as a sign of respect and just the culture of modesty that Islam inculcated, men too covered their hair in most Islamic societies, hence the turban. Your average non westernized Muslim man would be covering his entire body as well. I wear pants and long sleeve shirts, no turban or hat though lol ig I'm pretty western

1

Anonymous #2 10w

Well I'm white and my culture is western, but I moreso mean the kind of immodest aspects of our culture when I say western I suppose. l've been told I'm not ugly, and I'm muscular, so l'll try to be more modest and cover up parts of myself that aren't required to avoid unnecessary attention and avoid chances for boastfulness. But yeah, modest dressing is required for both genders according to God's wisdom of what should be covered, with added optional covering that's rly recommended as the way

1

Anonymous #2 10w

of the prophet peace be upon him. For women, the awrah parts of her body are considered everything except the face, hands, and feet. She can reveal her hair and dress however she'd like around other women, children that haven't developed sexual attraction yet, and family members, but for men in the public, she should be covered as per guidelines. Women are unfortunately often objectified and harassed for their looks regardless of society, our ads use their faces and bodies to sell products

1

Anonymous #2 10w

Even if a man doesn’t objectify a woman, many usually have thoughts going through their head of women that can affect how they interact. The hijab prevents this by covering up certain parts for modesty to facilitate a more psychologically balanced society in male-female interactions. Then on top of this men are told to also avert their gaze from and not touch women out of respect. The goal is essentially desexualization of the public square, and intimately reserving that for a husband and wife

1

Anonymous OP 10w

Thank you for the insight!

1

Anonymous #2 10w

No problem! Regarding the male-female friendship thing, that’s a more nuanced issue. Men and women can’t be alone together if they’re not related—which is a roadblock to most modern conceptions of friendship. In all types of relationships, including friendships, there are risks of emotional attachment, temptation, and the erosion of modesty. I actually used to have a close female friend, it turned out she liked me which ended up making it weird. Basically male-female friendships are unnecessary

1

Anonymous #2 10w

Risks. We want to preserve our spiritual resonance with God as much as possible, so we submit as honestly as possible as we can ideally. Ofc not every Muslim actually follows everything lmao, but it’s the intention overall that counts to God. I have female “friends” that’s I’m friendly with, but I’m never alone with them and it’s a more chill professional vibe. I already have a close relationship with my mom and sisters so I’m not exactly deprived of closet platonic male/female friendships

1

Anonymous #3 10w

Well recently & me personally? No, I live in a pretty left wing area & I’m white so ppl dont exactly think “muslim” when they see me even though Islam is not a race. My sister who wears a hijab has though, literally got called a terrorist and had a guy throw a drink at her a couple months ago. The masjid by where she goes to college got vandalized too. And then in Texas the governor is just straight up old school redlining style illegally not allowing Muslims to build developments

1