: Kashmiri Women Defy Extremists’ Burqa Threat

Women in Jammu and Kashmir ignored a deadline on Monday by the shadowy Lashkar-e-Jabbar group demanding that they wear a burqa or risk having acid thrown in their face. The call was issued even though Kashmiri women dress conservatively by the standars of the vast majority of the Muslim world. “Our traditional clothes are decent enough,” said Saima Shah, a student at the University of Kashmir. “Covering the face or wearing a black cloak is no measure of a woman’s morality.” So far, there have been no reports of acid attacks, but this is just day one. I say kudos to these women for standing up to the violent tactics of the Lashkar-e-Jabbar.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.