ch modesty" stems from the fact that Mohammed, required his wives tocover their face, but he did not directly ask other women to. It is known as dictated bythe Hadith21 what is the minimum requirement for women is:Ayesha reported that Asmaa the daughter of Abu Bakr came to the Messenger of Allahwhile wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asmaa! When a girlreaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed exceptthis and this. He pointed to the face and hands.22Hi'jab stipulates other specifics for a woman's choice and adornment of clothing. Clothes must be worn loosely enough so that the shape of the body is not decipherable. Similarly, the thickness of cloth must not reveal the color of a woman's skin. Clothingshould be selected to wear on the basis that it is not attractive to men. With this in mind,women are not allowed to wear bright or flashy colors or clothes of that type of material. Women are not allowed to dress like men, or non-Muslims. Lastly, women should notchoose to wear clothing that invites sympathy. When the rules are taken in summary, theyall have the same underlying theme: women should do nothing to advertise her sexuality,or tempt men to break from their appropriate roles. Islam claims that it requires the specified dress code because it protects women. Protectiveness is attained because women who cover their bodies can be evaluated by menbased on their skills and intelligence and not on their looks. Mary Ali explains theprotectiveness that women feel when she quotes an Iranian school girl:We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they have always done. Wewant them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities and mind. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not just chase us around forour bodies and physical looks.23Ali then echoes that she feels the dress has similar liberating effects for women:A Muslim ...
