[garinda]

It's a golbal fashion, in the sense that it isn't required. The Qur'an only makes mention of modesty in dress, but that applies equally to men, as well as to women.

Growing up in the seventies I didn't see any Muslim women wearing a burqas in this area, just women in brightly coloured saris, with their heads partly covered.

I recently listened to a radio programme which featured a female Egyptian professor. She said that until the early seventies Egypt, mainly the cities of Cairo and Alexandra, were pretty much like other cities on the other side of the Med. Women happily wore western clothes. Now 90% of women wear the hijab at least, and risk being attacked if not 'properly' attired in public.

Mind you I'm not feeling too kindly tonight to man's interpretation of the teaching of the world's holy men.

I've just sat through a two hour documentary about the 100,000 victims, that have come forward so far, of Catholic priests in the U.S.A.

The way this was covered up, often resulting in more children being raped and abused because the priests were just moved to other parishes, was sickening.

Ex-President Bush gave in to Vatican demands that the present Pope, who knew and did nothing positive about the asbuse, and granted him immunity from prosecution in the States. The Church in the U.S. has so far paid out 1 billion dollars to victims...after many a lengthy battle.

Much of the abuse was just ignored, especially if the victims raped were girls (even as young as nine months), because that was put down to 'natural curiosity'. They interviewed one of the priest, happily living freely back in Ireland, and being paid a pension by the church. His total lack of understanding of what he'd put these children and their families through made me sick.

Disillusioned with organised religion rant over now...back to the thread.

The Qur'an doesn't demand that women wear a burkha, but you could also say neither did Jesus make mention of Christian priests being celibate.