What was the likely cause of women not wearing the veil?

(A) They were probably rebelling against the oppression of women in Islam. (B) It was a continuation of a preexisting cultural pattern. (C) As sexual objects, they were prevented from veiling themselves. (D) The climate of Mali makes veiling women impractical.Explanation: Women wearing the veil is a cultural practice found in Southwest Asia (the Middle East) that predated the founding of Islam. Women of Africa did not have that custom, and so were less likely to adopt it as part of Islamic practice. Muslim women do not always perceive the veil to be a means of oppression, not to mention the fact that the passage did not indicate that the Muslim women of Mali were oppressed (A). That women could have male friends indicates that they were not merely sexual objects (C). The climate of Mali would be similar to that of Southwest Asia, where wearing the veil was a common practice (D).