Hi Folks -

This is an interesting subject. Ironically, this tradition of covering women's features stems from the ancient times and the Bible... the Old Testament. The initial reasoning? To cover females beauty so that they would not attract the Elohim [or, 'those from above'], who at one time came down to the éarth and marrying human females and spawning the Nephilim.

I think in Leviticus or Deuteronomy, there is a law which states a female should be covered and then cites the reason, as described above.

Now we must understand the origin of Islam, if we are to understand where this whole burka thing cómes from. Without going into the long-winded version of the history i wíll try to sum it up;

Abram [later God names him Abraham] is the father of the Hebrews, but he is also the father of the Islamists, or better known in ancient times as the Ishmalites.

Long before Mohammedan theology [Muslim/Arab version of Islam] came on to the scene in around 1000 AD [rough not accurate estimate... i think it was later], there were stíll Islam, but it was from the truest original form, the Ishmalites, who also followed the Torah and the books of the prophets, the Old Testament. They had different views about things, but primarily líved side by side with the Hebrews in peace. They believed in God, the God of Abraham, their father, just as the Hebrews, so on and so fórth... that all changed with Mohammad.

So, getting back to point, we can see how this whole covering of women thing came to be, and now we can discuss why it is today.

Today, we can see a radicalized version of the Ishamlites, which ironically enough, is headed by the Persians, and not the Arabs [which angers all Arabs, especially Saudi Arabia, which is where Mohammad was born and is where he created the first Muslim caliphate, or religious kingdom]. As a result of this radicalization, a harsh and dehumanizing of women has formed. Now it seems alot of this covering of women has lost its initial purpose and is used as a means of control. It was never intended for this purpose.

I would only ask that when we see a woman wearing the coverings, not to pass judgment upon them, as they may be truly holding to original traditions, and that woman should not be looked upon with shame or pity, but with respect and appreciation. To do otherwise, I think would in a way dehumanize them further.

We must also remember that even in Iran, women are pretty free, well... I mean, they do not HAVE to wear these coverings and go outside and etc... I probably wouldn't try that in the remote towns and villages but in major cities like Tehran, women walk about without these things, though it is shunned upon, they are not jailed or even worse, like with the Taliban in Afghanistan, shot in the heads.