How to answer?

[بنت ارشد]

Many of the non-muslim friends while seeing us wearing hijab use to ask this question"Is it compulsory for you,as they feel we are compelled to wear this or it is subjugating women.My question is that if i have to explain in one sentence ,without giving reason either yes or no.Obviously answer is yes but they feel it is subjugating.one should tell strictly yes or what?
ii)Once one of my classmate asked me what is maher,I told about that in brief.She told me You mean boy buy the girl.You mean "ladka adiki ko kharidta hai" Now she is not with me but Still I would like to no the answer,how to answer it?

[Abu-Rayhan]

explain to them that it is both compulsory and worn out of choice, for example i think they'd agree that to respect their parents is compulsory but yet they'd do it out of love and choice and not only because their religion says they have to

mahr is a gift to the wife; it is to respect her and marry her in honour; it is not 'buy' because the girl chooses boy and visa versa and the mahr part is an additional integral part of marraige; mahr can be as less as teaching the wife a few Quranic ayahs, if the man has nothing else and the woman agree

[sudoku]

:salam:

In India don't they have the custom of jahez where basically it's like the girl's family is buying the boy? I wonder why the non Muslims in India would make a big deal out of mahr.