Cultures which are meant to protect women can land up endangering them – especially their health, keeping aside the ever-controversial question of suppression or liberation.
To provide privacy to women belonging to the Muslim societies, or to screen shelter her, they are made to wear a veil called ‘hijab’ throughout their lives, especially when going out of their homes or moving in public places.
It may help protect their privacy and meet the conservative cultural traditional-needs, but not their ‘health’. Yes, staying under veils through life can risk them with serious illness – due to insufficient exposure to the sun.
Doctors warn that women who cover their skin are suffering with bone deficiencies over a lack of vitamin D by an alarming number.
Do the Muslim law-makers know that ‘rickets’ – the disease of the bones – develop from the lack of vitamin-D, which is produced by the body from the sunlight?
Very little of the body’s rickets-preventing vitamin-D comes from food or diet. This bone disorder disease has now broken out in young Muslim children, as their mothers’ breast milk cannot provide them with enough calcium.
If the cultural reasons can’t be compromised for the mothers’ and hence their children’s health, it is necessary for Muslim women, especially the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somalis to increase their vitamin D intake.