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From: reddy@mips.com (T.S. Reddy)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Dress Codes in Islam ....
Message-ID: <1991Apr9.055559.7630@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: 9 Apr 91 05:55:59 GMT
References: <1991Apr5.044254.15940@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
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In article <1991Apr5.044254.15940@nntp-server.caltech.edu> whaddara@kean.ucs.mun.ca writes:
>
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>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>        In a previous article Anoosh Husseini writes regarding
>some African societies who have a very lax dress code but who are
>also relatively free of 'social crimes'. I would
>be indebted to him if he would mention the names of a couple
>of those societies, since I seem to recall that the problem
>with AIDS in Africa is that people have a very lax moral code.
>This is to the extent that *heterosexual* transmission of AIDS
>has become much more of a problem than *homosexual* spread.
>This would seem to indicate a problem. At least to me .
>The issue that I'm trying to adress is that Islam is not an irrational
>religion, especially as regards social restrictions. When a ruling has
>been made in Islam you could expect that breaking that rule will bring
>adverse consequences. This applies to such varied things from 'moral'
>behaviour and relations between the sexes to alcohol consumption.
> 
> 
>Wael M. R. Haddara

    I don't think this is very difficult to find. I have seen many
National Geographic specials on TV on the life of tribal societies 
in Africa (and South America) where the women and men wear a 
minimal amount of clothing. However, these societies are far removed
from the 'modern African (or South American)' life in the cities or
where civilization has touched society and where, as you say,
the spread of AIDS has become a problem. They exist mainly on the 
plains and in the jungles. Their society is very tight knit so they
can impose a rudimentary societal code which serves them well and
precludes any abnormal behavior because of it. In fact, many of these
tribes were devastated by their exposure to 'civilization' because
it brought with them diseases like cholera etc. against which they had
no natural defenses.

    But I can give you an example from a few years ago in India which
brings up the dichotomy between this 'tribal' way of thinking and
it's clash with conservative values. These is a certain sect in the
southern Indian state of Kerala (which has a very harmonious mix
of Muslim, Christian and Hindu populations) where the women used to
go around topless (without any problems). Apparently, a conservative
Christian group managed to infuse the thought amongst these women that
doing so was amoral. Consequently, the women started covering themselves,
which had the men up in arms about it. I do not know how the issue was
resolved but, suffice to say, it caused quite a furor.

    But this brings up the point of moral codes. These tribes do not
see the relationship between males and females in the same way that,
say, Western or Islamic societies see them. Consequently they do not
need to impose the rules and restrictions that the latter societies
impose. Their measure of morality is quite different from ours.
Perhaps if we can go back to basics and see the relationship between
the sexes as a question of survival of the human race as opposed to
a pursuit of desirous objects, then we can start thinking in the same
manner too. 
-- 
T.S.Reddy (e-mail: reddy@mips.com)

Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans
                                                          John Lennon.