Every good traveler knows that it is imperative when abroad to be sensitive to the local culture. But some cultural practices have a foreignness to them that is off-putting to people ,and when you factor in Islam, well, there’s a whole nasty stew of prejudices and issues associated with that as well. One of the cultural practices that has long puzzled me is the veil. It is said that Muslim women are compelled to wear a veil over their faces because several interpretations of the Koran say so. The veil, goes some interpretations, is meant to prevent women from exposing their beauty to other men, thereby lessening temptations that might lead to…well, adultery or other potentially damaging societal problems.
OK, that’s just one of several interpretations, but the reason I bring all this up is because the veil is a rather interesting cultural artifact that any traveler should be aware of if they are visiting a country where women wear one. And, along these lines, I just heard a very educational radio story about the origin of the veil. This story from NPR is one of several that will be examining Islam over the next week. The reporter talks to several scholars who study Islam as well as an Iraqi in California who discusses the matter from his perspective. It’s well worth the six or so minutes it takes to listen to it.