Why can a veiled woman travel safely in the Middle East?

In Middle Eastern culture, a veiled woman can go almost anywhere without fear because no one dares touch a veiled woman. The veil itself commands respect and protection, so she travels safely. Without the veil, however, she becomes the object of almost anything others want to do to her.

Les explains that in the Middle East, a veiled woman can go almost anywhere, any street or place, without fear because no one dares touch a veiled woman. He notes that we may not understand this, but it is their culture. By contrast, if she removes her veil, she becomes the object of almost anything others want to do to her. Paul uses this cultural example to instruct women in the Church not to dress, behave, or talk like the brazen prostitutes of the street, but to be subdued, subservient to their husbands, and silent in the assembly, as the law commands.

Why can a veiled woman in the Middle East go anywhere without fear?

In that Middle Eastern culture, a veiled woman is protected: she can go almost anywhere, on any street or in any place, without fear, because no one dares touch a veiled woman. If she removes her veil, however, she becomes the object of almost anything others want to do to her.