# Why don't Muslim women smile? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2004, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614 "2004-03-16T12:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/21 "2004-03-16T19:07:36Z")
I’ve got the current and expired passports of a Muslim woman on my desk right now, and she is smiling in all passport and visa pictures. I’ve seen all sorts of photos of Muslim women in the line of duty; soemtimes they smile, and sometimes they don’t. I’d say they smile less often than most people in the U.S. do in photos, but plenty of them do smile. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/22 "2004-03-16T19:19:45Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > They don’t have a tradition of chatting it up with strange men. Otherwise, they smile about as much as anybody else. Is **ccwaterback** a man? The OP doesn’t really seem to say. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/23 "2004-03-16T20:31:50Z")
The Muslim women I am referring to, the ones that seem to have this solemn pall hanging over them, are the ones wearing the headgear. Are they like wanna-be nuns in their religion? If they are, I guess that would explain their automaton behavior. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/24 "2004-03-16T20:42:05Z")
Or maybe it’s that their culture has suppressed woman for so many years they are afraid to show any expression? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/25 "2004-03-16T21:37:15Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > Or maybe it’s that their culture has suppressed woman for so many years they are afraid to show any expression? :rolleyes: Maybe they just don’t smile to you because you’re putting out “close-minded against all Muslems” vibes? ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/26 "2004-03-16T22:45:40Z")
Answer to OP: It’s against their religion. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/27 "2004-03-16T22:48:48Z")
I have found that most Muslim woman I know smile often and freely. When I traveled to Jordan it was common to see almost everyone smiling often. I sometimes feel that Chinese women don’t smile often, but that is just my skewed perception biased by the fact that my two nearest Chinese female friends are not very smiley people. ( my spell checker just told me I should have typed “my two nearest Chinese female friends are not very smelly people”. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Omnipresent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@Omnipresent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omnipresent)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/28 "2004-03-16T23:17:31Z")
(Seinfeld) - “Have you SEEN the Muslim men?” ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/29 "2004-03-16T23:56:46Z")
When I lived in Bahrain it was drilled in my head quite early not to smile at men you don’t know. Various reasons but I am going to assume that if you grew up in a primarily Muslim country this was most likely the lesson you also received. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/30 "2004-03-17T00:02:12Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > :rolleyes: > > Maybe they just don’t smile to you because you’re putting out “close-minded against all Muslems” vibes? Yeah, I suppose a smile and friendly hello is a bit suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/31 "2004-03-17T00:10:53Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > Or maybe it’s that their culture has suppressed woman for so many years they are afraid to show any expression? There is no one “Muslim culture”. Predominantly-Muslim countries stretch from western Africa to Indonesia. It’s like talking about “Christian Culture”. > [@ccwaterback](#): > > The Muslim women I am referring to, the ones that seem to have this solemn pall hanging over them, are the ones wearing the headgear. Are they like wanna-be nuns in their religion? If they are, I guess that would explain their automaton behavior. Firstly, nuns are a uniquely Christian concept. Secondly, the Hijab, which I presume is the headwear you talk about, is a contentious issue in various western countries - just search recent news sites about the banning of the hijab in French schools. To draw a parallel to your experience…I could look at a short-skirted young lady, and smile at her, and she’d smile back. I could look at one in dark trousers, wearing a coat, and she’d ignore me. Is there any opression going on? Or am I just being a randy-pandy goat-boy, who wants all women to smile at me? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/32 "2004-03-17T00:47:22Z")
Mr. Monkey, Do an experiment. Say hello to 20 women, make sure a few of them are wearing Muslim headgear. Report your results. Now you may be a repulsive and ugly, but we can take that into account. ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/33 "2004-03-17T00:52:33Z")
I have noticed that Muslim women in full dress (headcovering and shawl outfit) do not smile at all in publc and I have seen women wearing just the hijab scarf who are smiling and laughing. But then again when I see the women in full garb, they are usually with their husband and sometimes children, very rarely alone. The women wearing hijabs I have seen with groups of friends and/or with their husband/male companion. This is just from what I have recall seeing here (Las Vegas area). It may be a culture thing. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/34 "2004-03-17T01:04:24Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > Mr. Monkey, > > Do an experiment. Say hello to 20 women, make sure a few of them are wearing Muslim headgear. Report your results. Now you may be a repulsive and ugly, but we can take that into account. Is that directed at me? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/35 "2004-03-17T02:23:50Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > The Muslim women I am referring to, the ones that seem to have this solemn pall hanging over them, are the ones wearing the headgear. Are they like wanna-be nuns in their religion? If they are, I guess that would explain their automaton behavior. It’s “women” now? Your OP is about _one_ woman. I was in school with several foreign Muslim students from the Middle East and SE Asia, some of whom wore head scarves. Never noticed that they smiled any less than other students. Same for the American Muslims who wore head coverings. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/36 "2004-03-17T10:57:24Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > It’s “women” now? Your OP is about _one_ woman. > > I was in school with several foreign Muslim students from the Middle East and SE Asia, some of whom wore head scarves. Never noticed that they smiled any less than other students. Same for the American Muslims who wore head coverings. Yeah but that’s because you were’nt a stranger. It has already been said many are told not to smile at strangers. ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/37 "2004-03-17T11:28:47Z")
Although I can’t defend the poor use of statistics by the OP, (s?)he does actually have a point. I tend to smile at random strangers; no particular reason - people just don’t smile enough. 🙂 Muslim women tend to smile back less often than other women (and don’t get me started on how few men smile back). It’s not just muslim women who don’t smile back of course, and some of them _do_ smile back. There are no hard and fast rules. However I’ve also interacted with a lot of muslim women socially, some wearing the hijab and some not, and can definitely say that it’s not the same when you actually know them (or even have just been introduced). As far as I’ve noticed they smile just as much or as little as anyone else. Basically it boils down to some people smile at strangers, some don’t, and a lot of muslim women tend to fall into the latter category. ::shrug:: It’s no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/38 "2004-03-17T11:30:43Z")
It’s just a trick your perceptions are playing on you. You can identify the muslim women and, probably correctly, notice that they are not smiling. Check out men in blue shirts, most of them aren’t smiling, neither are women wearing green, or women with kids, or overweight men, or people in suits. It is why bells and whistles go off when slot machines pay out - if the event is distinctive (like women in muslim garb) you unconciously ascribe greater significance to it then chance would warrant. Mind you, the experience of seeing how many people around you look unhappy, won’t cheer you up much. ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/39 "2004-03-17T23:37:45Z")
Hmm. I’m not sure I agree with that. It could be a trick my perceptions are playing on me, but I thought about it pretty carefully and I’m pretty certain it was a reasonably accurate perception. That being said, I would like to qualify my previous statement to ‘muslim women wearing a hijab’. I of course can’t tell who is and isn’t muslim without some sort of indicator like that (unless they tell me, which in the kind of random contact we’re talking about doesn’t seem too likely). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614/40 "2004-03-18T00:42:45Z")
What the hell do they have to smile about? * * * Fagjunk Theology: Not just for Sodomite Propagandists anymore! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-muslim-women-smile/234614.md?page=3)