I refer to the letter Tudung won't control lust in men by Pin Pan Dan, who has got it all wrong about the wearing of the tudung.

Yes, our International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz doesn't wear one and Muslim newscasters in all the mainstream television stations also shun the tudung, but this does not mean that it is not obligatory for Muslim women to wear the tudung.

Nor does wearing it mean that the person is practising an extreme form of Islam. Rather, those not wearing it feel that they have not reached a certain level of commitment to wear one or have not been properly taught or coached on wearing a tudung voluntarily.

In the case of the newscasters, it's also due to the standard set by the television stations which oddly thinks that they wearing the tudung may bring down their ratings.

The hijab, or the Islamic veil, is the Muslim women's dress code. The hijab prescribes that Muslim women should wear lose clothes that cover the whole of their bodies, except for their faces and their hands.

Yet, wearing the hijab doesn't mean just putting a piece of cloth on your head. It is an attitude, a way of thinking and a behavior. Basically it constitutes an Islamic way of life; it is a statement which should portray a certain attitude.

A Muslim woman can wear a long skirt and a scarf on her head, but if she flirts constantly and is not well-mannered, then she can't be really be described as wearing the hijab. The whole idea involves conducting oneself with dignity at all times. The hijab depicts a statement, and that is something one should be continually aware of.

It identifies the woman as a Muslim (yet it is not just a symbol). But the curiosity prompts people to question, and it is a good opportunity for the veiled woman to show non-Muslims the beauty of Islam.

A veiled woman may get stares at times, but it is amazing how many are sincerely interested to learn about the veil and about Islam in general. The hijab does not restrict the Muslim woman from doing the kind of things she wants to do.

It is a blessing, because it makes her watch her behavior continuously. However, sometimes the decision to wear the hijab is not very easy for some women and this could be the result of external pressures, notably from family and friends.

Unfortunately, some non-Muslims, or Muslims who don't have a good knowledge of Islam, consider wearing the hijab as being too extreme. But what helps a Muslim woman and actually makes her enjoy wearing the hijab, is her belief in Allah and the conviction that she's doing this only for the sake of Allah.

Also it is important to ascertain the motive behind wearing the hijab. For instance, a Muslim woman should not wear the hijab just to please her husband or to impress people at the mosque or just to have change. Muslim women wear the hijab to follow God's commands. They do it to enjoy the feeling of satisfying God.

Hijab may seem to be merely a woman's issue, but this is not true. Muslim men have to follow a certain dress code too. Muslim men should also wear loose clothes - no tightfitting jeans for instance - and they should not reveal the part between their bellies and their knees.

Also their attitude to all women should always remain respectful and businesslike, as the women's attitude to men should be.

Allah said in the Quran: 'Oh Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and wives and daughters of the believers, to extend their outer garments around themselves, so that they would be distinguished and not molested. And God is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.' (Quran, 33:59).