Does the Muslim face veil purposely destroy the equality which is basic to human interaction?

"Unlike other forms of clothing, the niqaab (Muslim veil worn by women) purposely destroys the equality which is basic to human interaction — the veiled person can see you but you can’t see her."





What do you think?





Muslims often use the argument that communication occurs over the internet without the need for facial expressions (what d'ya think smilies are for ;) ), and that the blind are able to communicate perfectly well, but are these 2 forms of communication some sort of aspirational ideal?





Do most people enjoy communicating over the internet to having a face to face conversation?





Do blind people (not sure what the likelihood of a blind person reading this is..slim, I'd say..) truly feel that communication without the use of their eyes isn't in some way 'lacking'?





Many Thanks

Does the Muslim face veil purposely destroy the equality which is basic to human interaction?
no, it makes everyday halloween for muslims!
Reply:I had never thought about the Veil before; I believe You are absolutely Right;Thanks
Reply:Muslim women can communicate with non-Muslim women even without covering their face. Leave communicating with men face to face, to men.





Plus the face cover is not obligatory.
Reply:As a Muslim I find the face-veil a little (okay, alot) extreme. I totally respect women that cover their hair and dress modestly but the face, the eyes are windows to ur souls. How can u cover that? Plus how do u eat? Isn't it hard to breathe?





I still think it's a personal choice and u should only wear it out of a VERY strong volition to do so. Otherwise modest clothing/hijab shouls suffice. And even with hijab, if ur in a western country the rest of ur outfit should at least *kinda* conform with the norm. Muslims need to compromise tradition with style and non-Muslims need to accept our line of modesty in Islam.





Peace.
Reply:Not at all.





Do you see me now? Do I see you? Are we communicating?





Do you ever use the telephone? Do you see the person you are talking to? Does not seeing the person you are talking to mean you are not communicating?





I know Muslim women who cover their faces and work, with great success, as doctors, professors, and administrators. Believe me, it does not prevent communication.





Not at all!
Reply:Huh?





Since when is equality basic to human interaction?





For most of human existance, one's place in society was everything, the individual was meaningless.





And when it comes to societal palce, there is a hierarchy.





As to wanting to speak face to face, think about it. The technology to do streaming video over the computer has been around, and pretty cheap for years.





So which do people do more often...set up their cameras to chat with video with their friends, or do they use instant messaging?
Reply:Yes.