For a decade or more, Western society has been made to take a serious look at what is happening to their children. With g-strings for the under 10s and pre-teen heels, it is frightening to think what the eventual outcome of this could be.
But in the Arab world, a more traditional culture has been seeking to protect young girls and keep kids as kids. For most Muslims, girls up until adolescence have no need to don the veil - something designed partly to shield them from prying eyes.
However, a new set of Muslim preachers and groups are looking to veil younger and younger girls, leaving the question: what do kids as young as 8 or 9 have to “conceal”?
Some say these Sheikhs are just sex-obsessed or perhaps reacting to the kind of Western culture that puts young girls on stage in revealing outfits. But many in the region are worried about what this trend means for their young.
After all, by veiling 8 or 9-year-olds surely it will alert them to a sense of sexuality far beyond their years? And it’s not just the veil that’s causing controversy, with so-called “child marriages” hitting the headlines and cases of abuse that hint at girls being treated as adults, the region’s young girls are in crisis.
Here we take a look at some of places where the new found clerics have had their say, putting children in the hijab well before puberty ever hits.
Should pre-teen girls be wearing the veil? Is it a sign of their devotion to God or just a way of controlling them? Tell us what you think below.
