 |
| Women wearing Abaya and Niqab |
Cultural law and expectations vary greatly in the Muslim world. "According to Saudi Arabia's Shariah law, women's clothing should meet the following conditions:
- Women must cover their entire body, but they are allowed to expose one or both eyes in necessity.
- Women should wear abaya and niqāb thick enough to conceal what is underneath, and the abaya should be loose-fitting.
- Women should not wear brightly coloured clothes or clothes that are adorned so that they may attract men's attention." [Wiki Niqab page]
Whereas in Syria, women are barred from teaching and university while wearing the niqab.
After all, isn't the point that we're all people no matter what we look like, or how we dress? I feel quite chastened.
Yet, oddly, in some of those countries where the abaya... ((I want to say Burka, for some reason)).. is used, women are allowed to have high positions of power. Higher than what one would see most women doing in the US.
ReplyDeleteAlso this article reminds me of something I read in college. Back with GWB was president his wife went over to I believe the UAE and spoke about how American presenece in the Middle East would liberate women from the burkas/coverings they were forced to wear. Many of the women were outraged at it! they said that the way they dressed defined them as women in their culture and made them feel feminine, and that they did not want it taken away.
Not to say everyone wants that. Just an interesting perspective. When I move I'll go through my old college notes and see if I still have the article.
@Lain
ReplyDeleteI'd be very interested to hear about that article. I think covering the hair is one thing while wearing a burqa or abaya/niqab is the extreme. It will take generations to teach new attitudes, in areas where that's desired.
I suppose this is just a visible example of restrictive societies.
Yet, oddly, in some of those countries where the abaya... ((I want to say Burka, for some reason)).. is used, women are allowed to have high positions of power. Higher than what one would see most women doing in the US.
ReplyDeleteAlso this article reminds me of something I read in college. Back with GWB was president his wife went over to I believe the UAE and spoke about how American presenece in the Middle East would liberate women from the burkas/coverings they were forced to wear. Many of the women were outraged at it! they said that the way they dressed defined them as women in their culture and made them feel feminine, and that they did not want it taken away.
Not to say everyone wants that. Just an interesting perspective. When I move I'll go through my old college notes and see if I still have the article.