1 + 1 Equals One When You Add Him

First, I just want to take the time to say that I absolutely LOVE what this man is saying!
It doesn't matter if you're a Muslim, Christian, Jew, etc. ALL women should be modest in their dress and in their speech. If you profess your love to God then be the woman of God. That is the reason why Muslim women choose to cover their hair, we aren't forced to and we are not oppressed. Just like there are Christian women who choose to live a life of modesty and cover their head and body.

It is said in the Bible, "I [God] also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." 1 Timothy 2:9-10 If you look like you're sending a signal that you want attention from men who want a one night stand even though you don't, then you shouldn't dress in that manner. Dave Chappelle once stated that many women say, "just because I'm dressed this way doesn't make me a whore" then he paints a picture with that logic saying, "just because I'm walking around in a cops uniform doesn't mean that I'm a police officer". Meaning, if you don't want to be seen as a woman who intentionally seeks inappropriate attention of men by wearing immodest clothing then why do so?

In the pursuit of modesty, it is much more than covering our heads or our bodies, it represents the covering our hearts and minds. To practice modesty means that we are to deny ourselves daily of ungodly desires. Covering ourselves reminds us to hold ourselves accountable for our actions, intentions and thoughts. It reminds us that we are the daughters of the Almighty God and should dress and act as such because it is Him who we are supposed to be representing.

"Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us."- Lauryn Hill

I hope you all enjoyed this week's article! I encourage everyone, both men and women, to give their opinion on this topic and the previous topics. If there is anything you want to add or don't agree with just post a comment right below this article and let's talk about it. Please keep your comments respectable and refrain from using any profanity. Thank you so much everyone for all of your support, it is greatly appreciated!

Pop Goes The Weasel 'Cause the Weasel Goes Pop!

I was inspired to write this article due to the latest news about Beyonce's performance at the Grammy's. In my opinion, there was nothing new about Beyonce's performance; it was provocative and she was scantily clad. Some people say it was her worst performance and others say she killed it. But there is one thing I found to be different about it all, her daughter. What is she teaching her?

Minister Louis Farrakhan made a comment today regarding the same subject stating, "Women are beautiful and the female body is attractive, but a real man cannot think sane thoughts with the female form on his mind. Girls look at television, watching beautiful Beyonce with her beautiful body, but her moves are so provocative. The child does not know anything about sex, but sees that adults approve of those provocative dances, and begins to imitate Beyonce'. As young as four and three, girls are learning to shake their bodies in vulgar dances, yet no one seems to be speaking to this as the destruction of potential virtue." Beyonce' is telling her daughter that it is okay to be sexually explicit. She's telling her that it is okay for her to put more value in her body than in her mental and spiritual development. Although Beyonce’ has a beautiful voice, she is also known for her body among both men and women. What is the purpose of wearing revealing clothes? What does that do to the minds of not only young men but young women?

According to a team of researchers at Princeton University that performed MRI brain scans on heterosexual men, they found that the men had an unmistakable response to women wearing less clothing. The less they wore, the more likely it was for the premotor cortex and the posterior middle temporal gyrus to light up. These are the areas of the brain associated with tool use, hand manipulation, and the urge to take action. “It was as if they immediately thought about how they might act on these bodies,” psychologist Susan Fiske explained. “They are reacting to these photographs as people react to objects,” she said. Fiske and her team further examined the men for hostile sexist attitudes. They found that those that were more hostile had little activity in areas of the brain that are associated with considering another person’s thoughts and feelings when looking at sexualized photos of women in bikinis. “They are not thinking about their minds,” said Fiske. Mina Cikara, a Princeton University graduate student who was also involved in conducting the study, added that men do not view their wives or sisters in the same manner they view sexualized images of women.

When a man sees Beyonce' and other women who are inappropriately dressed, they are not looking to find out who she is as a person or for educational purposes. They are looking at her adornments. Because it is natural for both men and young boy's to have the desire look at a woman's body they are drawn to her nakedness especially since they have not been taught to control their sexual urges. This is what we, as women, are responsible for. We are responsible for what we give them to look at. We should protect ourselves from the gazes of men with weak morals, from those seeking to indulge in worldly pleasures (sex) and prevent them from being able to be so free to engage in unnecessary discussion about our bodies. Men, how would you feel if you saw men looking at or heard them talking about your mother, sister or wife's body the way you do other women? If you have any love for the women in your life, you would want to jump down their throats. Well, you should respect yourself and women enough to hold yourself up to the same standards Practice controlling your sexual urges. It is possible but unfortunately, you have to teach yourself since you haven't been taught to do so.

The young girls who see Beyonce' dancing provocatively, dressing immodestly and see all of the attention she gets, begin to imitate and emulate her. They do not understand that dressing in such a way shows lack of self-respect and self-love. They do not understand that dressing that way invites men that are interested in their physical assets. Our young girls are encouraged to behave and dress this way because the mothers, aunts and even grandmothers find it amusing when she's four years old and popping her behind to the music but when she's 16 and pregnant she is looked down upon. Our young girls and women need to be taught that they should not put value in how many men she can attract. Women should be proud to show off their intelligence. Why should we conform to the majority in what they say and wear? The answer is, we shouldn't. Modesty creates a barrier against men who stare or disrespect your boundaries. It is a barrier to prevent or change that first instinctive look men get to check you out and see what you are about. It also prevents the sexual feelings you don't intend them to feel or ideas in their heads that are created by dressing provocatively. When a woman is modestly dressed, she understands the nature of a man but teaches him without even talking to him that he needs to respect her.

As I always say, ultimately, these are the words of God. He wants both men and women to respect each other and themselves as He would.
I hope you all enjoyed this weeks article! I encourage everyone, both men and women, to give their opinion on this topic and the previous topics. If there is anything you want to add or don't agree with just post a comment right below this article and let's talk about it. Please keep your comments respectable and refrain from using any profanity. Thank you so much everyone for all of your support, it is greatly appreciated!

Question of the Week: Who, What, When , Where, Why, How!?

The question I am going to respond to is in regards to a post (the picture up above) that I put on instagram last week and I stated that, "Hmm I think this is contradicting itself. There are many women that don't want men to look or touch their body and I agree 1000% BUT they continue to wear clothing that puts everything on display. That doesn't make any sense. That's like leaving a diamond out in the open and saying you don't want anyone to steal it, and they shouldn't, but you know there are people who aren't right in the head that will. To protect something is to shield it from danger by covering it, putting it in a safe, etc. you don't leave it exposed! Moral of the story: Modesty is the best policy."

Here is the question in regards to that post...

"I dress for me, and I deserve respect regardless. I'm not an object, I am a person. There are societies that have little to no cases of sexual assault and it's a major crime to commit. It is seen as a crime against basic human rights. I read an article of a rape free environment where people face the consequences. The country was in the Middle East. If you can't control yourself then stay at home or in a crazy house. No woman should walk around in fear or told if she was covered head to toe she would be safe. People would just find another way to rape and justify it. If I want to walk around exposing my body then let me and even in a safe things are taken.

When you post things like that you are looking at life through a black and white mirror and are condemning women and putting the blame on the victims. Why do you do that?"

Answer:

Well, let me first say that the post was not specifically about rape, it was about women who oppose to men looking at them with lustful eyes and trying to touch them. I was not going as far as rape but since you mentioned it I will touch on that subject.

Now, I agree with you when you say that you deserve respect and you are not an object. I agree 1000%, all women should be treated with respect and I have never stated that women who don't cover themselves shouldn't be respected. What I do say is that both men and women should take responsibility for their actions. Men should control themselves when it comes to their sexual urges and women should do the same BUT if a man is striving to do so women should respect that and cover themselves. It does not have to be from head to toe, just wear clothes that don't show and accentuate your form. It's like putting an recovering alcoholic around a bunch of alcohol. He will be tempted to drink or even start drinking again, but if he wasn't put in that situation or put himself in that situation he wouldn't have relapsed. He was not mentally strong enough to deal with his weakness. The same with men, sex is EVERYWHERE and it is difficult for men to keep their sexual urges in check especially when they have not been taught to do so. So it does not help when he sees the majority of women with their adornments on display. To put the blame all on men saying they just need to suck it up and control themselves while women walk around half naked is selfish. To completely ignore the male population is not reality and will never be reality. So we, as women have to take that into consideration, and so do men. We were not placed on this earth haphazardly nor were we placed here to do whatever we want. That is why we were given rules on how to live in harmony with each other and those rules came from God. Even though I am saying it, the original instructions came from Him. Ultimately, He is the One we should be trying to please and listen to as best as possible. The women who were around Jesus, how would you expect them to dress and act? They did not come before him in miniskirts, crop tops, etc. They were covered because they were not only respecting themselves as the women of God but they also respected Jesus as the man of God. We are all God's children and should respect ourselves and each other as such.

Now about the Middle East, in the Middle East rape is punishable by death and they are very strict, but let's look at why that is. The majority of the people in the Middle East practice Islam and in Islam rapist, murderers, pedophiles, etc. are condemned to death. Also, in Islam both men and women have duties to uphold in regards to how they should treat each other and how they should treat themselves and this is very strict and even extreme in Islamic countries.

In the Holy Quran Surah (chapter) 24 verse 30-31 it states, "Say to the believing men that they lower their gaze and restrain their sexual passions. That is purer for them. Surely Allah [God] is Aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they lower their gaze and restrain their sexual passions and not display their adornment except what appears thereof. And let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms. And they should not display their adornment except to their husbands..." The Holy Quran places responsibility on both the man and the woman in upholding their chastity. In the Middle East the men are not supposed to look at a woman with lustful eyes and the women don't give them a reason to by covering themselves up. They both strive to be responsible for their actions. The whole of society respects the woman and because of that rape is low in the Middle East.

The Quran also states, "O Children of Adam, let not the devil seduce you, as he expelled your parents from the garden, pulling off from them clothing that he might show them their shame. He surely sees you, he as well as his host, from whence you see them not. Surely We have made the devils to be the friends of those who believe not."- Surah 7: 27

The modest behavior that is seen in the Middle East is not advocated in America, it is the complete opposite. Women are disrespected and demeaned every single day, whether its on the radio, television, billboards, etc. They even have strip clubs here! You will not find a strip club anywhere in the Middle East. So to say that they have little to no cases of rape in the Middle East and compare it to the laws of America is not accurate due to the morals of not only the people but the whole of society in the Middle East. America has no religion. America has no morals.

I hope I answered your question clearly and thank you for your question!:)

If you would like to see your question(s) answered or topic discussed, email me your question(s) at qweensfashions@gmail.com, tweet me @Qweens_Fashions or if you're following me on facebook, Naeemah Zaakirah, inbox me.

I hope you all enjoyed this week's article! I encourage everyone, both men and women, to give their opinion on this topic and the previous topics. If there is anything you want to add or don't agree with just post a comment right below this article and let's talk about it. Please keep your comments respectable and refrain from using any profanity. Thank you so much everyone for all of your support, it is greatly appreciated!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T Find Out What It Means To Me!

   

Love yourself enough to protect your value.

I'm sure we have all experienced a friend, family member or a random person doing something that have us saying, "why!?" But what does this have to do with modesty? Well, why in the world are there so many men and women that don't respect themselves?

Let's begin by looking at the definition of respect, most importantly self-respect. Simply put, self-respect is your ability to protect your value. One of the first steps in respecting yourself is knowing your worth. We are potential gods. Why do I say "potential" gods? Because we are not there yet. We have a lot of work to do. Do you think a god should be walking around with a muscle shirt and sagging pants? Should a goddess be walking around in a miniskirt and crop top? Emphatically no! We should always strive to treat ourselves like God has instructed us to do, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" I Cor. 3:16 When we respect ourselves we are also respecting God. We are appreciating what God has blessed us with.

After understanding who you are, it is time to act on it. Self-respect includes respecting your mind, body and spirit. When we, men and women, respect and protect our bodies we are protecting it from the eyes of those who look to gain, the hands of those who seek to destroy and the minds of those who seek to corrupt. It is no secret that this world is a world of indecency. They promote it any and every way they can. They are succeeding in their attempts to strip away our pride, self-respect, dignity and most importantly our godliness. This world is perverted! To pervert means to alter something from its original course, meaning or state to distortion or corruption of what was first intended or to cause to turn away from what is right, proper, or good. A pervert is someone whose sexual behavior is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable. This world promotes abnormal behavior such as the degradation of women, the feminization of males and other indecent behavior. We are acting other than ourselves, and we are potential gods.

Respecting your mind, as previously stated, comes with knowing your value. We must strive to protect our environment. How do you protect your environment? Good question. Let's say you're at work and some of your coworkers are involving themselves in activities that you do not agree with. What do you do? Just simply remove yourself from this environment or this may provide you with an opportunity that allows you to teach them why they shouldn't do it. Here's another example, let's say your friends invite you out to a party and you know there will be drinking, smoking and other indecent behavior, just don't go. The ultimate goal is not to allow yourself to be in an environment that warrants indecent behavior. What you constantly put yourself around is what you'll eventually become. "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

Last but not least, let's talk about how to protect your spirit. The steps to protecting your spirit and protecting your mind go hand in hand. Try not to put yourself in situations that will encourage indecent behavior will always stand true. In order to combat all of the indecency on television, radio, magazines, etc. READ! Fill your mind with things that will aid in your (mental, physical and spiritual) growth not hinder you. Read about how to start your own business or learn how to be consistent. At some point or another we all have had that procrastinating streak in us:) The goal is to strive to read about and engage in things that will aid in your growth as a potential god.

Now, I am not saying that it isn't okay to have fun just have fun in a way that you won't have to compromise yourself or anyone else for that matter.

Here are some good books that I highly recommend you read: The New Psychology by Charles F. Haanel, Message To The Black Man In America by Elijah Muhammad, Trusting God Through Tears by Jehu Thomas Butron, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews by The Nation of Islam, How To Eat To Live Book 1 and 2 by Elijah Muhammad, The Coming Economic Collapse by Stephen Leeb, PhD and The Making of a Slave by Willie Lynch

I hope you all enjoyed this week's article! I encourage everyone, both men and women, to give their opinion on this topic and the previous topics. If there is anything you want to add or don't agree with just post a comment right below this article and let's talk about it. Please keep your comments respectable and refrain from using any profanity. Thank you so much everyone for all of your support, it is greatly appreciated!