Trippy, going back to a previous post, Muslim women and men are directed to dress modestly and indeed, amongst practicing Muslims, that is the case. It gives them uniformity, particularly the men when they wear long white shirts, a small hat and have a beard. The women vary in their head covering, I've seen some beautifully coloured hijabs with intricate designs. Covering hair is not, however, a Q'ranic requirement.
It is quite fashionable atm for young Muslim women to take up wearing a hijab. Difficult for many non-Muslims to understand but those who do adopt the headgear say they want to be seen to be a Muslim. It's a kind of statement. I think I understand that sort of attitude having been inclined to make bold statements as a young person (before I became "wishy-washy"); were I a young Muslim woman I'd probably do the same.
(Niqab/burqa is a different matter, there's no real reason to go that far and there aren't many who do in this country but that's for another discussion.)
