Muslim Women Wearing Makeup

An article in the Arab News discusses the permissibility of Muslim women wearing makeup and it appears that scholars' opinions are divided between 'none' and 'essentially none.' Both groups of scholars derived their opinions from the same verse in the Qu'ran. To wit:

"Tell believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms except what may ordinarily appear thereof.

Let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms and not display their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are free of physical desire, or children that are as yet unaware of women's nakedness.

Let them not swing their legs in walking so as to draw attention to their hidden charms."

Man! That's a set of restrictions. I wonder how a young Muslim man would select a woman for courtship without being given a hint of her 'hidden charms.' He wouldn't be allowed to see much of her except for the clothes which, of course, have limitations.

Although some societies impose certain colors on women's clothes, such as black, dark blue or gray, the fact is that Islam does not require such restrictions. All decent colors are permissible.

What we mean by decent is that which is considered to be decent in one's community. A woman’s clothes must be such as not to be eye-catching or inviting criticism or a hard gaze. Otherwise, there is no particular restriction on color.

Taken together, the restrictions on women's appearance seem to prevent females from expressing any individuality or being noticed as feminine in any manner. As a result, the catalog of Muslim mail-order brides couldn't be more than a brochure with one picture in it.