H I J A B: HOW IT PROTECTS AND BENEFITS WOMEN AND SOCIETY

Dear Brothers and Sisters Assalamu Alaikum

I want to INFORM you through the words of a sister, why and how hijab (Islamic code of dress) protects a woman and what are its advantages. This is not coming from me but from a WESTERN woman who was born and raised in the western culture, spent most of her life on the wild side, found a deep vacuum in her life, discovered Islam, accepted it wholeheartedly, and turned her life around completely - for the better. This sister is an Irish American, has a Ph.D., teaches in a prestigious US university, wears hijab wherever she goes - in the class rooms while teaching, in the conferences and meetings she attends. She is very proud of Islam and her hijab and in the following explains the advantages and wisdom of wearing hijab. So please read with an open mind. Those who are open to reason get the guidance and better their lives, but those who have "eyes but can't see, and ears but can't hear" will wander in the wilderness of life forever. No amount of logical reasoning will help them. However, our job as Muslims, i.e., those who surrendered to Allah, is ONLY to convey the message to the darkest corners of the world. Our job as Muslims is not to impose anything on disbelivers because as Allah says in Quran, "For you is your religion, and for them is theirs".

May Allah give guidance to all of us and enable us to follow Islam which is the manual of human life. May Allah grant us the wisdom to understand Islam and to live our lives to its fullest by following its teachings. May Allah make us realize that education is not only about getting a piece of paper called degree but education is about learning and understanding life, the world, and the etiquette of living. May Allah enable us to find solutions to all the problems we encounter in life in His great message - the message of Islam. Ameen.

O Allah, no amount of gratefullness will be enough to thank for the blessing of your message of guidance you have given us. O Allah, enable all human beings to know the message of Islam, so this world will become a cradle of peace and stability and so that the forces of darkness will be defeated from the face of the earth. May Allah be our guide in this journey of life. Ameen.