How can I respond to someone who describes my keenness to accustom my eight-year-old daughter to modest clothing, and my replacing her pants with other clothes, as "backwardness"? And should I insist on my position of preventing her from wearing pants, or should I let her wear them with long blouses as my husband suggests?

The hijab (definition) is obligatory for a Muslim woman who has reached puberty, not for one who has not. Therefore, obey your husband in dressing your daughter in modest clothing as long as she has not reached the age of desire [where she attracts attention]. She should be accustomed to wearing the hijab when she reaches the age of desire so that she grows up with modesty. It is not permissible to destroy clothes that are permissible according to Sharia (definition), as this is a waste of money. Demanding modesty is not backwardness, because it conforms to the Qur'an and Sunnah (definition).