Blindspot!
From Issue: 615 [Read full issue]
Purdah and Islam
Some Muslim cultures practice a form of female seclusion called purdah. This word originates from the Persian language and describes the system whereby women are not allowed to leave their homes except for the direst emergencies. This is not an Islamic custom but was picked up by some Muslim who settled in Iran and India where it was an established pre-Islamic tradition designed to showcase the wealth of a family (in other words, we're so rich our women don't have to leave the house and work in the fields). Many people in the West have the misconception that this practice is widespread. The fact is that most Muslim women in the world are not locked away in their homes. Purdah is practiced mostly in the Indian subcontinent and in Saudi Arabia.
Compiled From:
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam, 2nd Edition" - Yahiya Emerick, p. 287