But officer, I didn't see her!

I have dealt with Muslims in the past. These people are intelligent, compassionate and certainly worth knowing and having as friends. Given the minority status of Islam in North America, I easily become interested in debates and discussions related to Muslims, and even more so since September 11, 2001.

The topic recently found its way into local university student papers. One Muslim author, a woman studying journalism, published an article entitled Understanding the Niqāb. (The hijab does not cover the face, but the niqāb and burka do.) She was generally explaining the niqāb and defending the rights of Muslim women to wear it if that is what they wish. I have no problem with women wearing it as long as it is truly an exercise in personal choice. However, I did take issue with her "Islamic reason" for wearing the niqāb, and wrote a comment to the paper’s electronic comment board. Here is my comment as published:

You write: "The Islamic reason for giving women the choice to wear or not to wear the niqāb is to avoid any attraction between men and women, and we all know that that attraction does exist. And if left unharnessed it has the potential to break down the values of society."

What of blind men who are attracted to women no matter what they wear? Should these visually impaired people be somehow controlled because their visual faculties cannot tell them it`s time to behave? If we follow your argument logically, these blind men, if left unharnessed, have the potential to break down the values of society.

I agree women should be allowed to wear whatever they want according to their beliefs, but to say that this somehow helps break down attraction between the sexes is wishful thinking, at best.

If I were to rewrite the above today, my only change would be for clarification. Instead of saying that this somehow helps break down attraction, I would write that clothing somehow helps break down attraction. Apparently, in her opinion, the niqāb is to prevent sexual attraction. But my association with blind and visually impaired people has convinced me that when it comes to sexual attraction, the visual part is only one component, and not even essential.

Not surprisingly, another commenter replied that if a woman’s face were hidden, she wouldn’t be judged so much on her looks. Here is what she wrote, in part:

I believe that a hijab or niqāb can be a source of empowerment for women, for their hair and body is covered, so they cannot be judged based on their physical attractiveness. Their intellect and personality is what shines through.

I wonder if I could even begin to trust a woman who would not allow me to see her facial expressions. In my opinion, that itself can be a barrier to the perception of intellect and personality.