Asalaamu alaikum.

“But it’s true that women who are covered have lower vitamin d status”

One should be careful of stating something as fact when it is not a fact. The recent studies done did NOT prove that clothing style effected Vitamin D status. And as someone who has avoided direct sunlight for 25+ years, worn hijab for 12 years, and niqab for the majority of that time, how do you explain that my Vitamin D levels are perfectly fine??? There are other factors that come into play leading to low Vitamin D and putting it all upon clothing is simply ridiculous. Even the so-called “impact of clothing style on bone mineral density among post menopausal women in Morocco” is misleading because there are normal risks to bone mineral density after menopause and there are appropriate ways to address it that are certainly not limited to clothing matters nor do they necessitate undressing. Also, i’d say it makes little sense to say “wear less clothing to ensure you’re getting enough Vitamin D!” when less clothing and more sun exposure has the added effect of significantly higher rates of cancer and other skin conditions.

i am assuming, Ted, that you are a non-Muslim, forgive me if i am mistaken. But if you are a non-Muslim, then it is understandable that you would be unaware of, and in disagreement with, Allah’s injunctions upon us. Muslims believe that there is wisdom in Allah’s injunctions, whether we are able to scientifically prove that wisdom or not. In this case, the reality of science actually does prove and hold up that there are more benefits in covering than not. Now the issue is in us addressing the very real causes of Vitamin D deficiency and low bone mineral density. We are blessed to live in a time when we know the solutions to these problems, and we know that uncovering is not the solution. Those who insist that our manner of dress is the problem invariably have other motives than genuine concern for our health.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16712731
The impact of clothing style on bone mineral density among post menopausal women in Morocco:

Skin is the human body’s biggest organ and it seems somewhat perverse to prevent it operating in the manner it evolved to function.

Not all African women who wear niqab are Somali. Face-covering has been common among the women in Swahili-speaking parts of east Africa, particularly Lamu and Zanzibar, much longer than it has been in Somalia. (They wear bui-bui, which is a head-cover which they wrap around their face – that is actually closer to the way the Sahabiyyat did it than the niqab is.)

Also, women don’t cover their faces altogether (they leave their eyes uncovered), they will go out to hang washing etc., and the sunlight does get into their houses.

Bottom of page 6 – http://crescenttimes.com.au/doc/P6_fEB09.pdf

Continues on the bottom of page 10 – http://crescenttimes.com.au/doc/P10_fEB09.pdf

Asalaamu alaikum.

The study done in Michigan (my state) was specific to Arab women, and i’m not sure if it was even specific to Muslim Arab women. Therefore, it’s results are applicable to Arab women but not to others per se. As you say, that means that there are definitely other genetic factors that may be involved. The sad thing is that the media portrayed it as proof against the hijab and played that up, despite the fact that the very authors of the study and report tried to say the hijab was not the factor they were concerned about. Nevermind either that the amount of sunlight needed to get adequate Vitamin D can certainly be gotten merely by having one’s face and hands uncovered for as little as 10 minutes. So it doesn’t make an argument against the headscarf AT ALL. As far as face veiling goes, women can certainly choose private ways to get a little sun each day. When i researched and wrote about this matter for Crescent Times, i discovered that i take significantly more in daily supplements (just through a multi-vitamin and extra calcium that includes Vitamin D) than what is even recommended. Even allowing that i am probably not absorbing all that i take in supplement form, it is reasonable to assume that there are plenty of ways we can get the necessary Vitamin D that do not require us to leave off hijab. And in fact, it is true that those with darker skin are not able to absorb as much Vitamin D just from the sun alone, so what difference does it make for them to leave off their hijab? They would need supplements anyway!

Really, it is junk science, and it’s more about the way people manipulate the studies and hide what the authors truly found and reported to meet some other needs, whether it is political, social, or whatever. Hatred of spirituality is the root of it. It’s most certainly not that Sarkozy or others are genuinely concerned about the health and well being of Muslim women. So when people, whether Muslim or non, look at what he and others have to say on this matter, they should consider a) is he even telling the truth, and b) what is his real intent and purpose in making these claims?