Salaam,
I'm new to this forum and honestly new to discussing Islam. I was born a Muslim, but after a certain age was not too interested. My parents were never very religious when I was growing up, but I've been having certain questions lately.
I was raised in a "Western" country, where most of my friends weren't Muslim. For a while, there were certain social things I didn't ever want a part of, like drinking, and I was modest in how I dressed (though I wore shorts, swim suits, etc). Now that I'm older, I hear people telling me I have to dress a certain way, or that it's not really Islamic to go to the beach and wear a regular swim suit.
This is one of the biggest issues I have with what is supposed to be my faith. There is so much I appreciate in Islam and believe in, but there are things like this I take issue with (not to say I reject it or God at all, I am 100% a believer and I would only want to be Muslim). I am comfortable wearing a swim suit, I am comfortable wearing shorts, or other things. I don't dress provocatively for attention, and even when I do wear things like swim suits or shorts, I dress classy.
But, this is one of the biggest issues I've had to hear about and face. People say it's wrong, but I have no problem with it. I have no problem with people that cover up head-to-toe in public either, and I can understand why there's an emphasis on modesty, but I think it's kind of ridiculous that there's this idea that showing a bit of skin in such natural environments is bad. I have seen plenty of people covered head-to-tie in tight clothes that look less modest than I do showing more skin.
So I guess the question I have here is - what do you think about this? Do you think it's just a matter of showing no skin, or do you think it's all about remaining modest and classy regardless of skin? It's something that bugs me a lot, as I am Muslim but am also very grounded in nature and the environment, and sometimes I find it hard to reconcile the two.
I'm new to this forum and honestly new to discussing Islam. I was born a Muslim, but after a certain age was not too interested. My parents were never very religious when I was growing up, but I've been having certain questions lately.
I was raised in a "Western" country, where most of my friends weren't Muslim. For a while, there were certain social things I didn't ever want a part of, like drinking, and I was modest in how I dressed (though I wore shorts, swim suits, etc). Now that I'm older, I hear people telling me I have to dress a certain way, or that it's not really Islamic to go to the beach and wear a regular swim suit.
This is one of the biggest issues I have with what is supposed to be my faith. There is so much I appreciate in Islam and believe in, but there are things like this I take issue with (not to say I reject it or God at all, I am 100% a believer and I would only want to be Muslim). I am comfortable wearing a swim suit, I am comfortable wearing shorts, or other things. I don't dress provocatively for attention, and even when I do wear things like swim suits or shorts, I dress classy.
But, this is one of the biggest issues I've had to hear about and face. People say it's wrong, but I have no problem with it. I have no problem with people that cover up head-to-toe in public either, and I can understand why there's an emphasis on modesty, but I think it's kind of ridiculous that there's this idea that showing a bit of skin in such natural environments is bad. I have seen plenty of people covered head-to-tie in tight clothes that look less modest than I do showing more skin.
So I guess the question I have here is - what do you think about this? Do you think it's just a matter of showing no skin, or do you think it's all about remaining modest and classy regardless of skin? It's something that bugs me a lot, as I am Muslim but am also very grounded in nature and the environment, and sometimes I find it hard to reconcile the two.