Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!bes
From: anoosh@mips.com (Anoosh Hosseini)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Dress Codes in Islam ...
Message-ID: <1991Apr8.122825.7983@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 91 12:28:25 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 67
Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu


>         In a previous article Anoosh Husseini writes regarding
		                      ^^^^^^^ (Hosseini) please,
I am not related to Saddam Hussein. :-)

> 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 .

Well start with Zulus in Africa, and indians in the Amazon region of
South America.  I don't have enough information to discuss the nature
of the spread of AIDS in Africa.  The point I was trying to make required
you to have followed discussion in S.C.Iranian.  There were some who based 
their whole argument on dress code in the West, and as we know there is much 
more to the World than just the Islamic countries and the West.  There are many
cultures which require less body cover than the Islamic dress code, but still
demonstrate high moral values. And as I mentioned before, Even with 11 years
of enforced hijab, we have many social problems in Iran.  I am not making this 
point to humiliate anyone, rather to demonstrate that society needs to
install good values and common sense.  Forcing hijab which is relatively
easy, is not a cure all, and we should stop fooling ourselves.

> The issue that I'm trying to address 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.
>  

Yes, in fact I generally agree. Take for example the consumption of pork, or 
shark meat.  The latter will cause sinkness if not properly treated because
the shark has urine tubes going through its flesh (Please correct
me on the exact detail, its been a while since biology 101 :-)
It made sense to make such animals "haram" for consumption.  But with 
science and technology we are able to address these problems today.  
(In either case, pigs each a lot of garbage, so I wouldn't recommend it
even if they are no longer hazardous to your health. As they say, you are
what you eat. :-) 

Islam encourages the presuit of knowledge, and the sciences.  Fundamental 
to science is asking questions. So it is not Un-Islamic to discuss such topics.
I think by studying history, understanding the social and economic climate of 
the time, even those rulings which may seem questionable today, find quite 
rational explanations. In that regard there are systematic ways of introducing 
new laws based on our new understandings.  However I think there is group of 
people who because of power, of which they want to remain the center 
of, would prefer that no questions or very few be ask.  Asking small questions 
may lead to bigger and more fundamental questions, and this will threaten the 
traditional power granted to certain individuals.  

> Wael M. R. Haddara
> School of Pharmacy
> Memorial University of Newfoundland
> St. John's, Newfoundland
> Canada
> All disclaimers apply. I'm only a student :-)

peace,

-anoosh
(all disclaimers here too, I'm only an engineer :-)
---------------------------------------------------------