As a mother, I consider it just as important to teach my sons to dress and behave properly in front of women as it is to teach my daughters the same behavior in front of men. I do think that modest behavior and dress should be taught from a young age and that boys and girls both deserve to be dressed modestly because this will teach them that their self-worth is in their faith, good deeds and intelligence rather than in being cute or flirtatious in order to impress the opposite sex, something which distracts many young girls in particular. It is important for Muslim parents to make it clear for their sons as well as their daughters that fornication and adultery are not only wrong from the moral point of view but that they are also very serious crimes in Islam which carry equal punishments for men and women both. (These punishments include whipping or stoning depending on the marital status of the offenders.) It is the responsibilty of parents to teach boys and girls both to lower the gaze in the presence of the opposite sex and to provide them with a practical means of curbing their desires once they reach puberty. There should also be reassurance for our children that we will help them to get married when they feel that they are ready to handle it.
While the question that prompted this article was linked to a question about the Muslim woman's dress, it should be evident that modest dress alone is not what prevents a society from improper behavior. In order to have the desired effect, such dress must be accompanied by an understanding of the Islamic morals and manners which are required of all believing Muslims whether they are male or female. Until now, I have briefly described what Islam requires of Muslim men with regards to their responsibility in avoiding the temptation of women. But I did not even begin to discuss non-Muslim men or what role the Muslim woman's dress has in her own interactions with the men and women she will meet in her life. As I alluded to in the introduction of this article, hijab
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