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From: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Dress Codes in Islam ...
Message-ID: <1991Apr10.234143.3516@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 91 23:41:43 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 63
Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu


Although I believe in a certain amount of "cultural relativism"
(i.e. the idea that an institution that is good in a certain
social structure can be harmful in another context), I think
that there are many priciples that transcend the social and
historical contexts due to the common human nature.  I think one
of these principles is that covering the body (to whatever extent)
"contributes" to a healthier society by "helping" to reduce
promiscuity and other problems in the long run.  A society based on 
Islam would certainly be one that would not consider promiscuity a 
virtue. I think that's where the Islamic injunctions  concerning modest 
dress coupled with the Quranic command to "lower your gaze"  come 
from.  [Let me stress that I am not an expert on Islam and this is just 
my personal viewpoint which may be wrong; there are probably other
reasons too].

-----

Anoosh Hosseini writes:

>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. 

You never mentioned what the rate of fornication, adultery, and rape are
in such cultures.

>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.

Although these social problems (e.g. fornication or sexual crimes) will always
exist in any society, I believe the long-term enforcement of hijab "helps" 
reduce or at least keep in check these problems.  I am certain that the rate 
of these problems is significantly less in those Islamic countries that have 
been enforcing hijab for a long time than in other nations.  [This view is a 
personal assessment and is not based on a statistical analysis].  

By the way, nobody is saying that hijab is a cure-all; there are many
different and complex factors that affect social behavior. Clothing is just
one of these factors.

----

A brother wrote that we must not appeal to rationalism when dealing
with Islamic injuctions.  I humbly disagree with this mainly because
the Holy Quran itself often uses rational aruguements to justify
Islamic injunctions. 

In cases when the Quran doesn't use such arguments, then there's 
nothing wrong in "speculating" about rational reasons behind
the injuctions as long as we are conscious that we are only
speculating.  In other words, we shouldn't become dogmatic about
arguments that are the products of human reasoning.  [By the way,
this inludes most of the body of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)].

Behnam Sadeghi