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I KNOW that these issues are not relevant to my comment, to which you specifically responded and intimated that I am okay with the Wahabi Mutawuin. Of whom, incidentally, I have personal knowledge and with whom, I am definitely not okay.

But that is beside my point when I simply mention that I have encountered numerous Muslim women swimming in their chador and hijab and how incredibly uncomfortable that must be.

In many Muslim countries, even the restaurants have "family dining" areas which are individually curtained off so that a woman might dine with her family without outsiders seeing her uncover her face to eat. Extreme, perhaps, but that's the way it is.

I have also been in "women only" areas such as restrooms and I can tell you that in private, these women whip off their coverings and they are beautifully dressed and made up. Obviously, they do seek to be attractive, just not publicly. They would expose themselves even to an obviously Western woman such as myself (blonde hair, blue eyes--no way I can pass!). It's not a Muslim vs. Infidel thing for them, at least not for the women.

Of course I have a problem with the concept of men being so horribly animalistic that they simply cannot control themselves around a woman. But frankly, that is not my experience at all. Except when I am in Saudi Arabia, I do not cover myself, although I do dress extremely conservatively. In any other Middle Eastern country I have been in, I have not ever had a problem with a Muslim man giving me a hard time or coming on to me. I've had much more trouble with overt comments and leers in France, Italy, Mexico, Spain and even Germany! In the Middle East, the comments I've had from men have been from the non-Muslim TCN's.