Modesty not segregation

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US: Riffat Husain’s article “Modesty not segregation” (July 16) is an eye-opener for our clerics. I am a practising (not preaching) Muslim and once I asked my daughter, who prays regularly, about the reason for her choosing not to wear a hijab. She replied, “I wear the dress of modesty.”

Women come in contact with men as a matter of routine in everyday life. The Holy Quran requires men and women to conduct themselves in a way which is consistent with the dignity which God has bestowed on all human beings. Morality comes from within and cannot be externally imposed through segregation or hijab. I congratulate your newspaper for having the courage to print such views.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2010.