A really informative video from both Jewish, Muslim and Christian points of view.

I like Ms
Taylor's discussion about modesty and God consciousness following Quran for wearing head
covering. She made an excellent point about how we westerners find it okay to remove as
much clothing as possible to promote a product but we find it strange that Muslim women
wear their covering and try to blame it on male patriarchy. Good old double standard. I say
more people should get back to modesty.The Quran urges the believing men and women to
lower their gaze and guard their modesty and then urges the believing women to extend their
head covers to cover the neck and the bosom:"Say to the believing men that they should
lower their gaze and guard their modesty...And say to the believing women that they should
lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and
ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their
bosoms..." (Quran 24:30,31).

The Quran is quite clear that the veil is essential for modesty.This is the whole point,
modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation or simply, modesty is protection.
Thus, the only purpose of the hijab in Islam is protection.The hijab, unlike the veil of the
Christian tradition, is not a sign of man's authority over woman nor is it a sign of woman's
subjection to man. The hijab, unlike the veil in the Jewish tradition, is not a sign of luxury
and distinction of some noble married women. In Islam the hijab is a sign of modesty which
safeguards the personal integrity of women. The Quran strongly emphasizes the protection of
women's reputation and condemns men to be severely punished if they falsely accuse a
woman of unchastity:"And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce
not four witnesses (to support their allegations). Flog them with eighty stripes; and reject
their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors" (Quran 24:4)Some people,
especially in the West, would tend to ridicule the whole argument of modesty for protection.
Their argument is that the best protection is the spread of education, civilized behavior, and
self restraint. We would say: fine but not enough. If 'civilization' is enough protection, then
why is it that women in North America dare not walk alone in a dark street - or even across
an empty parking lot ? If education is the solution, then why is it that our universities have a
'walk home service' mainly for female students on campus? If self restraint is the answer,
then why are cases of sexual harassment in the workplace reported on the news media every
day?

To combat the violation of women a radical change in the society's life style and culture is
absolutely necessary. A culture of modesty is desperately needed, modesty in dress, in
speech, and in manners of both men and women, otherwise, the grim statistics are likely to
increase and unfortunately, women alone will be paying the price. Actually, we all suffer but
as K. Gibran has said, "...for the person who receives the blows is not like the one who counts
them." A society like France which expels young women from schools because of their
modest dress is, in the end, simply harming itself.It is one of the great ironies of our world
today that the very same headscarf revered as a sign of 'holiness' when worn by Catholic
Nuns, is reviled as a sign of 'oppression' when worn for the purpose of modesty and
protection by Muslim women.So i strongly agree with the muslim women, covering the head
is not a duress,For muslim covering the head or hijab is important for protecting modesty and
its a symbols of religions.
Assalammualaikum and greetings to Dr. Suraya. Here I present my review and personal
understanding of the video Interracial Dialogue: Head Covering. What I can conclude or what
I have learn and understand from this video is that it is basically an inter religious dialogue
between three panelists. Each representative is from a christian, jewish and islam society.

The penalist will basically express or share their own and societys perspective or norm on
the issue, head covering and elaborate on how does the head covering represent them as an
individual or a society.

Before I explain my observations about the video, i would like to elaborate my own personal
view on the issue. Head covering to me is a form of submission to God in a way. It is a will
of a person to restrain one self from showing the parts of the hair and is a test from God of we
are willing to sacrifice and follow orders or disobey. It is stated in the Quran that women
must cover their hair as it is better for them and at the end of the day its all our choice to
follow or not. A head cover is too a form of expression. Women are free to cover their hair
same as the freedom of others to cloth whichever they please. However not everyone will
understand or accommodate to our choice of concept of the head covering. there are some
countries which has strong stereotypes or resistances towards a person practicing the head
covering. The misconception of the hijab has always been a problem in some societies due to
the lack of understanding and ignorances of some communities.

To me personally, I wear the hijab because I strongly believe that there is a blessing from
God when I use the hijab. I believe that my journey in this world will always be protected and
there is barakah in whatever that I do because I do everything in the name of God. The hijab
is not only a form of clothing but also the behaviour of a person. Acting kindly and with piety
is also a form of hijab and in my religion it goes along with each other. It compliments each
other.

Today in this era, the head covering has being broadly discussed by various societies and
people because to the eyes of the world, the head covering has so many messages being
portrayed and in each religion or society has its own meaning or symbolic or aim which not
everyone pr more specifically people who are foreign to the head covering could possibly
understand or relate. The symbol of the head covering could easily be interpenetrated
wrongly by certain communities due to hate or differences. so that in mind, these penalise are
trying to discuss and clarify the reasons to certain norms of the head covering practised in
their society or religion, to express their personal perspective on the head coverings. i believe
that this is a method to educate the ignorant people that the head covering is not necessarily a
religious norm that are imposed by a patriotically system. there are always reasons to
something. there are a lot of questions being thrown at these religious societies on the head
covering and this dialogue is to give an answers.

These kind of conversation is viral because with these discussions between various religion
of penalise and mixed audience witnessing, this would be a spark to more dialogues,
conversations and deconstructive questions for better understanding of the head covering
issue.
That being said, they started the dialogue with the host introducing each penalise and the host
explains the rules and manner of the dialogue, with only given 10 minutes to speak, penalise
are required to express their thoughts on the issue at hand. later after all speakers have done,
audiences would have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the speakers. I would
presume that the audience is made up of various kind of people of different and colourful
background and faiths in this dialogue.

The first penalise was Dr. Mary Boys from Union Theological Seminary. She is the
representative from the Christian society. She has spent a lifetime further the cause of Jewish-
Catholic conversation.

she has also been on television and will be having a new book coming out soon, being
published by Paulist Press, Redeeming our scared story, The death of Jesus and
Relations between Jews and Christians.

What i understand from Dr Mary Boyss views and perspective on the issue is, she started of
by telling the audience that initially in her earlier years, she joined in a catholic religious
school of women, or nuns, where she described how were their dress code, which was
covered from head to toe, they dressed identically regardless.

However, these women had an issue with the clothing that they were instructed to practise.
They started questioning on what to wear or was it necessary for them to continuing on wear
it, the question on should they modernise their way of clothing or to just simplify their
clothing yet not set them apart from other women.

This issue was continuously debated among these group of women and she realised that
clothing is simply to represent theirselves apart from others.

She then explained further the reason why she and other women in her society chose not to
wear cloths that are distinctive religious garments. She has a severe resistance to stereotypes
about nuns. Stereotypes are not exactly true or truly describe nuns. She relates that these kind
of clothing is related to obediences of women to male authorities, which made her refuse to
continuing the garment. She respects women who choose to wear religious garments but in
her community that there are choices to fully develop human person. Different clothing
express who we truly are as a member of the human race.

The second penalise, the representative from the Jewish Community, Rori Picker Neiss of
Yeshivat Maharat.

She has been the first Orthodox Jewish women croup in her community.

She started of by apologising for what she will be saying. She explained the very concept of
head covering in a jewish perspective. In a historically approach about the head covering, she
explains some source from the bible stating that women to be shaved for uncovering their
head or hair. In references to the Book of Numbers, chapter 5 which states that uncovering a
women head of to be accused of committing adultery. Again in the bible, Aisiah Chapter 3, it
mentions an element of shame to a community of uncovering the head of a women in public.
In the Oral Traditions, in the Talmud, women are to have their head covered and another
source, women who would walk with her hair uncover, her husband could divorce her
without having to pay her dowery. She express her observations of the notion of the
development of head covering. Women change their way of covering hair from era to era. In
the jewish community, women change their head coverings from scarfs to wigs. Head
coverings will portray positively and negatively. It portrays something about a person. she
says women in her community wear the hijab not necessarily because of what their scriptures
tell them but what their cultures fashion is wearing at the moment, which has an element of
fun and individuality.

The last penalise, a representative from the Muslim community, Tayyibah Taylor. She started
of with explaining the larger context of a practising muslim women. She stated a verse of the
Quran which means I did not create the human being and the invisible beings except for the
purpose of worship. The greater context of the dialogues is about knowing that our lives
were created for only to worship God and gain the highest God consciousness as possible.
With that context in mind, it is now easier to talk about head covering and other issues.
Dignity, beauty and meaning are the things that clothing take in on the islamic view. Piety is
vital to the Islams way of clothing as it is a part of the hijab. Hijab is not only a way to
dress but also a way of behaviour that any muslim regardless of gender needs to adapt in
their lives. Clothing are according to different reasons, to culture or to a spiritual connection.
When you see a muslim, dont judge them for their head cobvering or assume that she is
wearing it because she is demonstrating her piety or spirituality or she is doing it because her
society is pressuring her to war ir or the government is forcing her to wear it, or she is getting
pressure from her family members, or even she is having a bad hair day or maybe she is on a
spiritual path. We all have different perspectives and spirituality. Its simply because everyone
has the right to wear whatever they want. People who are covering themselves are not
backwards or old fashion or ignorant, the media simply knows how to portray that women
who uncover themselves are the modernise ones. She demands that with the head cover on,
people she us as intellectuals and spiritual first above other things as we are not oppressed
people. We the women in this country has the freedom to cloth, to choose what to say. When
wearing a head cover it is a choice rather than forced.