Wearing of the veil -- a modesty lesson Mormons can learn

It has been interesting of late to observe the debate over Islamic women and the wearing of the veil (burqa). In many Islamic nations wearing the veil is requisite for women. However, more and more we are seeing governments in Western nations around the world prohibiting women from wearing the veil, often based on the rationale that veiling is a sign of patriarchal oppression. The one mention in the Quran that women "draw their veils over their bosoms" has had many interpretations over time. Today, some Muslim women choose, or are constrained, to wear the niqab, where their entire body is covered — even to the wearing of gloves — with only a slit for the eyes. Others wear the hijab, a scarf covering their hair and neck. Yet other Muslim women wear no veil at all. When all is said and done, perhaps what is at the crux of this debate is the issue of force — in some countries women are forced to veil and in other countries they are forced to remove the veil.Agency is an eternal principle and, among other things, Mormon belief holds that the war in heaven, prior to coming to this earth, was fought in defense of agency, the individual's right to exercise choice. There are, of course, certain boundaries and consequences associated with each choice — positive consequences as we obey and negative consequences if we do not obey.Nevertheless, agency is one of the great gifts of God to mankind. Therefore, when veiling or unveiling negates individual agency, it is antithetical to God's purposes.In many countries, many Muslim women freely choose to veil themselves. Their defense of the practice is enlightening. Fatima Shah, spokeswoman for women's affairs for the Australian Muslim Public Affairs Committee, explained: "The fact is that most women who wear the burqa in the West do so because they want to. I know, because I wear it." She said she was never forced to do so, rather, "I am exercising the same personal choice and using the same freedoms that everyone else ha(s), to decide what (to) wear."Many other Muslim women, freely choosing to do so, have also spoken in defense of the veil. They give numerous reasons, and a number of them are instructive for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some do so because it is in keeping with the type of traditional clothes in which they feel comfortable. Many explain it reflects their obedience to God's commandments. A large portion of Muslim women say they don the burqa to be modest.They believe that in many Western societies women who choose to dress immodestly present themselves as sexual objects. They explain that wearing the veil allows them to be appreciated, not viewed as a sexual object, not as a commodity, but as a sovereign human being who will be valued for her thoughts, her devotion and her character. This is perhaps where the practice is instructive for members of the LDS faith.Modesty has always been encouraged for LDS women — and for LDS men. And while modesty in dress and behavior is as imperative for Mormon men as it is for women, the implications of immodesty are much more troubling for women in today's highly sexualized society.On LDS.org, modesty is defined as "an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language and behavior. If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves. Instead, we seek to 'glorify God in (our) body, and in (our) spirit.'" As members of the LDS Church we do not make it a public practice to veil ourselves. Because we do not do so we may not stand out as much as Muslim women do. But we certainly should share an affinity with them as we strive to dress modestly, refuse to flaunt our bodies and dress to show respect for our bodies. Thereby, we too, reflect our devotion to God.