rebel8:
"It does strike me as a symbol of subservience and silence. It would be interesting to confirm this information from a legit source."
There is a great span in the attire of Muslim women depending on the degree of religiosity they have.
- Liberal Muslim women don't wear anything on their heads.
- Moderates wear a simple veil over their heads.
- Conservatives wear the full Hijab but not necessarily with their faces covered.
- Extreme conservatives wear the Hijab with a veil on their face as well.
- Even more so are those who wear the full ensemble with their eyes covered by a fishnet in a very narrow slit barely allowing them to see where they're going. That's intended for men who would look at their eyes in case they're beautiful.
Wearing the veil could be interpreted as a simple act of modesty projected unto their god. It is the more advanced levels of dress that could be considered a sign of subservience to men.
The purpose of the most extreme forms of Muslim dress for women seems aimed at the goal of turning them into a shapeless blob that would not allow men to see them and thus be the subject of fantasy. It's intended to keep men from jerking off at night to the sight of a woman they would just happen to see during the day. This would not be far from what Jesus said about those who look at a woman with lust as committing adultery in their hearts - Matthew 5:27-30. Conservative Muslims simply take Jesus' words to their logical extreme an save men from the temptations of a mere ideation.
