I like this video because it helps people who are willing to hear with an open mind, the reasons why some Muslim women wear niqab.
Although I personally disagree that it is required vs. being optional, I also saw and felt with my own eyes, heart and mind, the very same things that the sisters speak of in this video about wearing it.
I wore niqab for one year in 2005, during the period when I lived in Saudi Arabia. And I will never forget the feeling of liberation I experienced in its protection from eyes boring through me by men so foolish as to break their necks for the sake of seeing any sign of the color of my skin, or even the green of my eyes (I wore the triple layer version with the eye screen; loved it!).
Wearing niqab in Saudi Arabia was empowering in that it gave me the option to say to those wishing to stare, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah! You can't see me!" It was glorious. And I don't regret one minute of the time I spent wearing it. In fact, upon reentering the U.S. in 2006, it took me three months to be able to go outside again without it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows Best.
Islam teaches us that a smile is charity, so why should the reward for such a thing be restricted to men? And why would they be instructed to lower their gaze if everyone was walking around completely covered from head to toe, including faces? So, I have opted to share my smile.
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Even a Smile is Charity: A Life Example
By Aishah Schwartz for OnIslam.net
