I just worry about women being coerced into this. Or face rejection from their community. In the words of Rick Mercer, there's nothin' like a good shunnin'.
All the women that I have met that wear a hijab claim that they wear it of their own volition. But I doubt it. There is a lot of cultural pressure put on them to wear it. The guys can wear pretty much what they want and the women have to cover up. The Quran doesn't even make it an obligation.. it is a suggestion because men cannot control themselves around beautiful women. Older muslim women are exempt from the rules because:
"Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage, there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments, provided they make not wanton display of their beauty"
Blame? Sounds like that "She shouldn't have worn that dress!" defence.
But despite it being a suggestion to avoid the sin of men, most still wear the hijab. Why? Oh, they claim "wanting to stay connected to their religion and culture" or "they choose of their own free will to follow the suggestion of the Quran".
But when I speak to the ones that *DON'T* wear the hijab I hear a completely different story. Typically these women have either been excommunicated from their parents or their parents don't know. One of my best friends doesn't wear the hijab here in Canada, but when she goes back to Africa to see her mother she does. As far as her mother is concerned, she wears it all the time. There is pressure from family, friends and the whole muslim community for their women to conform to all Islamic tradition. INCLUDING Shariah.
A good essay on what this all means is here:
http://www.equalityiniraq.com/htm/hayder020104.htm