In Grace Awakening Myth, Bright comments that purdah is a “curse word.” Just for clarity, I thought I should include a thorough definition of what it actually is. In short, it means separation. It is the act of separating female family members from public. There are variations of practice depending on location and faith. Knowing Bright, you will be able to understand why she thinks it’s a curse word.
In 1925 Marmaduke Pickthall, a British convert to Islam and translator of the Quran, gave a lecture in Madras entitled “The Relation of the Sexes”[7] which condemned purdah in the Indian subcontinent, and also criticized the practice of face veiling among Muslim women.
If you read the article, you will have a clear understanding of the real definition, and have a historical context for a practice that exists in some places even today.
Shawn L. Bird 