Perspective on Islamic women’s clothing among other religions: study based undergraduate students

Abstract

Humans have different customs, cultures and values depending on the environment in which they live. Clothing is no exception. But Islamic women's clothing is seen as one of the most talked about topics in Sri Lanka in recent times, facing many controversies worldwide. The main reason for this is the misunderstandings that exist among people from other communities. This study, therefore, examines the perspective on Islamic women’s clothing among non-Muslims, based on the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and presents how steps can be taken to mitigate the misconceptions among them. The objectives of this study are to explore the clarity that can be found among Muslim women regarding the dress code that Islam imposes on women, to examine the perspective of other religions on Islamic dress and if negative thoughts are found among other religions, to find out the reason and make suggestions to mitigate them. This study is a descriptive statistical study. Samples were selected through convenience sampling at the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo and to obtain the primary data 100 Questionnaire were given to obtain through the online medium (Google form). Secondary data such as books, research articles, dissertations and the Internet were also used to obtain additional data. 28% of those surveyed did not have a proper understanding of Islamic women’s cloths. A further 11.9 % believed women were being oppressed because of such clothing. Hence organizing cultural events (Hijab Day) among students to discredit such misunderstandings, women often care about their color when choosing their clothes, avoid black clothing, in cases where they are able to work with the majority community especially during group activities, fully express their personalities while remaining within the Islamic rules and resolving their doubts by interacting beautifully with other communities are recommended in this study.