Generally it is believed that in Islam the women are mistreated, their status is lower than men and they do not enjoy equal rights. Such negative perceptions has been created by the ignorant and enemies of Islam, after having failed in the ideological front, however the cultural treatment meted to the women in some of the Muslim societies has provided the basis for such perception. Before the advent of Islam the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity. A cursory look at that would highlight the respectable position granted to women by Islam. The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death. In the Greek Civilization, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks
’شریعت میں خواتین کے چہرے کا پردہ واجب نہیں‘- اسلامی نظریاتی کونسل پاکستان نقاب ، حجاب: قرآن , حدیث اور اجماع... پڑھیں>>> The question of hijab for Muslim women has been a controversy for centuries and will probably continue for many more. Is it fard (obligatory), mustahab (recommended/preferable), or ' urf (cultural). Some learned people do not consider the subject open to discussion and consider that covering the face is required. While a majority are of the opinion that it is not required (some conditional). A middle line position is taken by some who claim that the instructions are vague and open to individual discretion depending on the situation. The wives of the Prophetﷺ were required to cover their faces so that men would not think of them in sexual terms since they were the "Mothers of the Believers," but this requirement was not extended to other women. It may be an new information for many that, Hijab and Niqab is not