Contrary to whatever you may believe, Hijab (Islamic covering) is not a free personal choice. As a Muslim woman, you are not free; you are a slave of Allah The Almighty. What is the relationship between freedom and uncovering parts of your body, adorning yourself, and uncovering your face? Does the belief that 'beauty of the soul is the real beauty' entitle a woman to be indecently dressed?

　　The enemies of Islam have turned women into a cheap commodity; they despise you; they do not respect your mind, thought or character; they are only concerned about your body. Otherwise, let me know: What is the rationale behind an attractive woman appearing on an advertisement for razors or tires? Does this show respect for a woman’s mind? Or does this point to the fact that the media and marketing industry only think about exploiting her body? Why do they not let women who are covered in Hijab be shown in their ads?

　　If you could listen to what your colleagues in the university or work say about you behind your back, you would be horrified. They speak about your looks. They do not care for your intelligence or personality; they are only concerned about your femininity. This is the nature of man, and whoever claims otherwise is either a liar or abnormal.

　　Wearing Hijab is not a free personal choice, and you are certainly not free to do as you think fit; you are a slave of Allah The Almighty. You have no right to disobey His orders. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind." He will say, "My Lord, why have You raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?" [Allah] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten." And thus do We recompense he who transgressed and did not believe in the signs of his Lord. And the punishment of the Hereafter is more severe and more enduring.} [Quran 20:124-127]

　　Hijab is not a free personal choice because it is the command of Allah The Almighty and His Messenger , and the consensus of the Muslim scholars. Furthermore, Hijab gives you the chance to test the truthfulness of those who claim that they are only concerned with your mind and character. If the case is true as they claim, wearing Hijab will help them focus on your character, not your make-up, clothes, or charms. At this point you will discover the truth, and you will not find any man paying you attention or speaking to you because they do not need anything from you except your femininity.

　　It is shameful that a woman who pretends to respect herself and cherish her honor and dignity seeks to impress people with her body. Surely, you humiliate your humanity by failing to adhere to correct Hijab and by showing off your face in place.

　　An American woman says that she got fed up with such widespread corruption in her society, where a woman is judged only according to her appearance, and this greatly influences her field of work, promotions, and the opportunities of practical and emotional life. She adds that a woman has to always appear beautiful and attractive in order to attain easy success in every stage of her life.

　　This woman converted to three religions that could not soothe her agony. Now she adheres to a sect of Judaism because she admires the fact that this sect obliges women to dress modestly and admonishes them not to intermix with men except in case of necessity.

　　Another American woman says that she has embraced one of the old pagan religions of the Native Americans because that religion pays special respect to women, orders them to wear decent clothes and prohibits extramarital and premarital relationships. She adds that she feels that this religion respects women and protects values in society.

　　A practicing Muslim woman relates that she had been fully covered in Hijab when she was obliged to travel to a European country with her family to receive medical care for her father. In the hospital, a nurse asked her permission to see her face, and when the nurse saw it, she was shocked. She thought that the woman covered her face because she was ugly or had a defect. When the nurse asked the woman why she was covering up, the woman explained to her that Islam sees women as a jewel that must be kept away from the eyes of strangers. The woman said that the nurse was listening attentively, and later, she said, "How wonderful! I wish I could cover myself up like you. I suffer a lot from people's looks at the details of my body and feel that I am a dummy; even here I feel that all people are staring at me."

　　Professor Sigrid Hunke, author of the famous book Allah's Sun Rises over the West , outlines the glory of the Arabs and Muslims and the influence of their civilization on the Western renaissance. In an Islamic conference, she was asked to give advice to a Muslim woman who wanted to discard her Hijab. She said,

　　"A Muslim woman should not take the European or American women as role models. By doing so, she loses the elements of her character. Thus, she has to abide by the original guidance of Islam and follow in the footsteps of the early righteous women. She should cherish their values and adapt them to the needs of modern times. She should also focus on her significant mission of being a mother of the future Arab generation."

　　Helen Stanberry, an American writer and a freelance journalist for more than 250 American newspapers, publishes a daily article read by millions of Americans. She spent several weeks in an Arab country, and when she returned home, she said that the Arab society is perfect and sound, and it should adhere to its customs which limit the freedom of young women and men reasonably. She adds that the Arabs have inherited manners which necessitate limiting the freedom of the woman, respecting the mother and father, and, more than that, eliminating the immorality of the West which is destroying the society and families in Europe and America. She advises the Arabs to continue preventing the free intermixing between the two sexes, narrow the freedom of the girl, and adhere to Hijab like the earlier generations did. This would be better for the Arabs than immorality, liberty and the profligacy of Europe and America.

　　Anger with this inferior look at women was condemned in the words of Meryl Streep, an American actress, and the 1983 Academy Award winner. In a press conference, she said that every time she visited a public place, people would scrutinize the measurements of her body to make sure that she was a beautiful and worthy of being the best American actress. This disturbed her a lot because she knew that people looked at her only to judge her body. .

　　She contested the so-called Women's Liberation Movement, saying that she does not like the present-day concepts about women because they view the ideal woman to be the one who has a slim body. [Excerpted from the book "Risaalah Ila Hawaa' by Rasheed Al-‘OOwayid]

　　A woman so fond of the Abaya that she wears it at home

　　A Korean girl wrote on the internet, “I love your dress…yes…I love this Abaya which fully covers the body. I love it so much and love to wear it. I asked my cousin, who works in the Gulf region to send me one. Once it was sent to me, I wore it immediately. Although many people mocked me and were surprised at my appearance, I still wear it from time to time and sometimes at home. I feel greatly comfortable and content when wearing it.”

　　At a time when women all over the world are searching for their identity by returning to decency and covering up, many Muslim women are trying to find ways and justifications to say that Hijab is not a religious obligation, or that the essence is more important than appearances.

　　Muslim sister, do not sacrifice the everlasting life in the Hereafter; do not risk it. You cannot do that. It is either everlasting bliss or everlasting doom. Many women before you followed the way of liberation and pride, but they reaped loss, failure, depression and misery. What will you lose if you put on Hijab? What will you lose if you cover your hair, arms and legs? Please, answer: What loss will you incur? What has your friend who puts on Hijab lost? Do not expose yourself to the anger of Allah The Almighty; otherwise, you live in suffering, misery and pain. You have to put on Hijab and quit the futile argument. Just put it on. You are not wiser than the women who wore it, nor are you more beautiful or smarter than they are. You may ask them about it. O slave of Allah, The Compeller, return to your Lord, submit and surrender to Him; beware of the anger of Allah The Sovereign. Hijab is not a free, personal choice and you are not free. Islam has its rules and principles, so whoever claims to adhere to it is not allowed to violate its rules. Whoever accepts Islam as a religion should submit to its orders and avoid its prohibitions. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer, We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.} [Quran 16:97]