ich causes many women who have been subject to testing to bewrongly accused and punished. Regardless of the accuracy, virginity testing is resulting insuicide attempts and widespread depression in the women that are forced to undergothem.Hi'jab18 is a fundamental code of conduct that Muslim women are expected tofollow. Seen through western eyes, hi'jab is an oppressive element forced on women thatdirectly denies women liberty. Hi'jab originates from the Arabic word "hajaba" whichliterally translates as curtain. Hi'jab means to hide from view or to conceal. Today theword is figuratively used to refer to the way Muslim women veil themselves. The reasonwhy women choose to veil themselves is because the Qu'ran tells them to:O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outergarments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in orderthat they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed...19And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard theirmodesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what mustordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils around their bosoms and notdisplay their beauty except to their husbands...20 Islam requires modesty for women. What is subject to interpretation is exactlyhow much modesty. Depending on the area, some dress codes require more modesty thanothers. In less strict Islamic areas, women are required to cover themselves from theirhead to toe, only excluding their face and hands. In more fundamentalist areas like Oman,Bedouin woman must cover every area of their body including their face and hands. Theyhave to wear a special mask that has verses from the Qur'an tucked away inside of it, aswell as a protective necklace called a hirz. Women who fail to comply with covering theirbody as specified by the region, may invite upon themselves brutal beatings. The debateover "how mu...
