I grew up in a sect that I like to often describe as Beer Drinkin' Christianity because it's really chill about most things including homosexuality and gender. It wasn't until I had grown out of it and basically gone full agnostic that I really realized how coercive even my version of religion had been. I could go on and on but the funniest thing to me was realizing during an Abnormal Psychology 101 course in college that my Church Camp basically used every last technique they listed for brain washing. It was a fun camp and not scary in any way but yet extremely manipulative in a subversive way.

Christians are not obligated to give up sex or “all early possessions”. At most they’re just obligated to give up personal trinkets during lent and fund the church. My point is that there is no coercion within Islam to wear a hijab, kinda like how there is no coercion within Christianity to be a virgin.

People who want to oppress women will do it regardless of means. Islam is just an excuse. There are many atheists who use their moral code instead.

To distinguish them, just get their confidence and ask them in a safe environment.

It's a complex issue, but think of it like backwards fundamentalist Christians going ballistic over women (especially their daughters) wearing anything more revealing than a sweater. That kind of familial coercion is couched in religious terms and springs from religious values, but is not, strictly speaking, fundamental (ha) to the religion itself.

The root of the thing is that Islamic teachings require practitioners to dress modestly.

Interpretations of this range from "cover your sex bits" to "don't show an inch of skin to anybody except your husband".

Ooh, thanks.

Does it make a difference that it's under the section "Prescribed Prayers"? Because the New Testament has a similar rule written in it that women have to cover their heads while praying.