Swimming in modesty: Muslim women head to secluded pool

RALEIGH, N.C. — Salman Sheikh was organizing a swim class for his two sons last summer when fellow Muslim parents approached him about starting a class for girls. Sheikh told them he would ask the Curran Aquatic Center in Cary, N.C., whether it could accommodate a group of Muslims who preferred a women-only pool. Yes, of course, the leaders of the aquatic center said, and showed him a 15-yard pool that could be rented for $170 an hour.  Problem was, the small pool overlooked a larger, Olympic-size pool, and Sheikh wondered whether the center could provide blinds to cover the windows and shield the women from onlookers.Sure, the center’s leaders said, but it would cost $3,000 for custom-made blinds.

France: Hijab and the City

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PARIS, France — The youngest of six children, all born in France to Moroccan parents, Mariame Tighanimine was in her last year of high school when the 2004 act was passed prohibiting the "conspicuous" display of religious symbols (including the veil) in French state schools.

Islamic fashion: A Parade of options

Indonesia can be described in many ways. We can say it’s a country with thousands of islands, all scattered on both sides of the equator. There are around three hundred ethnic groups, with international influences enriching its culture.

It is among the most populous countries in the world, inhabited by the world’s largest Muslim-majority   population. If there are any words to express Indonesia’s diversity, it is the nation’s motto, Unity in Diversity.