Hey everyone,
There has been something on my mind here, which I have been meaning to ask people. I used to ask the women in my university, and they would not have a clear answer for me.
In this part of the world, the temperatures can be extreme. There are official rules in Saudi and UAE that if the temperatures hit 50 C then it's a day off from work. Of course, no one officially declares the temperature to be 50c.
The traditional dress for the men is White thobes/ dishdasha. It is white, cotton and actually quite cool to wear. You don't feel hot in it, and are very comfortable in that dress. On top of that, it's white, and we all know white reflects the heat. So a man stays cool.
On the other hand, a women, who ventures out, has to wear an abaya in Saudi. Now, what I don't understand is why her abaya is black. Of all the colors, her abaya has to be black! We all know black absorbs heat, so why does a woman has to endure that? I know in other Muslim countries, like Indonesia and Turkey, women wear other colors as well. Why can't that dress code be adapted here? I mean, I actually feel sorry for women, who are wearing their normal clothes, and then covered up with the black abaya. Please don't tell me that they are comfortable in that! I know that because almost everyone who I talked to here complained about that.
I wonder if the black color was adopted by the men in this part of the world to make it difficult for women to venture out? Was it a deliberate action to make it balck to discourage women from going out, and be in 'purdah' all the time? I wonder if the same attitude still prevails when the Saudi lawmakers still cannot let women vote and drive?
Just some food for thought!
Mansur
21 comments:
hay dr. Jekyll ...Im really confused ..do u like saudi arabi or not ?? is it ur favorite hobby 2 criticize saudi ppl and their way of living ....we are the one who wear abaya and we still alive alhamdollah so u don't have 2 feel sorry about us ...
I never thought of that! It is actually weird, but be careful! This is Saudi Arabia. Any change, or anything new in general, is not welcome.
Hey Jawaher,
I love being in Jeddah. I love the city. What I don't like is some of the policies it carries out. I am also talking out of experience. I also mention UAE, so it is not just Saudi I am talking about. Many women I know don't know why the abayas has to be black! Do you?
Tomorrow, Friday, on CNN at 630pm there is a program on Saudi women on Inside The Middle East! Let's all see that show!
My main question is: who decided it should be white for men and black for women?
Mansur
Hey Ahmed,
I believe a change can also do good. They finally allowed cam-phones in the country. Nothing went out of control like they were anticipating it would. I mean, even if they open up a cinema, I don't think people will go crazy like we think they will.
Mansur
Please dont get me wrong, I dont like criticizing Saudi Arabia...I mean, I don't do it any less than the newspaper there! Every city has its own problems and issues! Keep in mind, I am not criticizing why women wear the abayas, I am only asking why it is black when we all know black is a bad color in a hot weather!
Mansur
hey Ahmad : saudi arabia is as anyother country ...did u visit all the countries in the world 2 see if we are different from them?? im doing a project about india ..i discovered many strange and bad things their ...so be accurate and moderate when u write anything ...this is ur country and if u are ashamed of being saudi ,we are also ashamed that saudi arabia have ppl like u
funny really...when u think of it...no explanation for it.....does ne one how it was historically and how it started...cant figure it out myself have thought about it alot.....by the ways had a question does it say somewhere in Saudi law that u have to wear a black abaya...or is it just done like this....just for genreral knowledge...no offence to ne one...
take care...peace
H.A
thanks Steliano very much ..I really appreciate what u wrote ...its something great 2 know that there are still ppl who are just and honest ...thanks again..
Good observations mansur !
All I have to say is that today we are invited to the beach and I will have to end up wearing an ABAYA. Why ? I don't UNDERSTAND !!
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
S.A
Every where you go in Saudi has A.C
so shouldnt be so hard, even before they had them no one complained
another motive for women to stay at home :)
Someone here made a comment about writing fair and accurate things about the country. What do Saudi Gazette and Arab News report? They write reports about sexual abuses, drigs, prostitution in the country. Are thet against Saudi Arabia? I dont think so. I think they are highlighting an issue here, which needs to be dealt with. I dont't think it was Mansur's intentions to criticize Saudi Arabia. He has simply, like he said, stated a question and is seeking an answer!
Dame from Dammam
Ahmed-- I hope you were not offended. I think you are a truer and a more honest Saudi than others I have met here who deny that there is something wrong with some of the things here. At least you have the guts to admit some things are wrong, are willing to highlight it and search for a solution.
Guys, there is something called Constructive Criticism. I thought we all would know that. Unfortunately, people think criticism is something negative and downplaying things.
Criticism, when taken in the right mood, can actually help to fix things. It can actually highlihgt the faults and help us to search for the answers.
As Dame from Dammam says, Arab News and Saudi Gazette talk about much worse things happening in the country than I do. Does that mean that we hate Saudi? Definitely not. We are simply stating what we see and observe.
There are good and bad things to every thing. One cannot live in this world believing everything is perfect. Reality is different.
Hope you can make out the difference between criticism and constructive criticism. :)
Mansur
Jawaher,
I'm not ashamed of being Saudi. I'm just like Mansur.
Way to go Ahmed!! Proud of ya!!
Hey Puss in Boots,
I too have seen other colored abayas, but I mean, they can be white, beige, brown-- they can be muted, earthy colors...not red, orange blue! I have to share with you my expereince with a mutawa one time..it was bad enough for me to slap him!
Now that I think about it, I think women don't wear white is maybe because when you are out in the sunlight, you can see through the white cloth. Which is why I can see if men are wearing a tshirt, vest, sleeveless vest, briefs, boxers or pants under the thobe!
I think I am close to reaching to my answer!
Mansur
Mansur I urgly
ask you to seek forgivness from Allah for what you have done to this mu6awa3 by slapping him
and if you can find him go and apologize
a guy who asks you to do good and avoid bad, gets a slap from you!!!!
what you have done could be the action that makes the balance of your deeds sway towards the bad actions and throw you in hell
sub7an Allah
beating some one pious is not something minor
Hey q8iblogger,
I did not mean to imply that I actually did slap the mutawa. What I meant to say was that this particular mutawa misbehaved with me badly enough, so much so, in my heart I wanted to slap him.
I was out with my sister and he was accusing me of illicit relations and asked me to move away from her. He was implying I was in a sexual, illegal relationship. I told him forcefully that this girl is my SISTER and how could he ever think of something so disgusting. Poor guy did not know English, and so my sister told him in Arabic furiously as to how he could assume she and I were in a relationship. I prayed for that mutawa, that he doesn't think so badly of people who are only brother and sister. I was disgusted at his way of thinking.
Put yourself in my position please. How would you honestly feel if a mutawa came up to you, accusing you of having a relationship with your sister?
If the mutawa are so pious, why did they allow for those innocent schoolgirls to die in Makkah. They were young school girls, and in times of danger, there is no time to develop relationships between firemen and innocent schoolgirls who were trying to save their lives!
Mansur
By the way, my sister were out at Sawary Grocery shop...so it was out in the public, in front of people, in the evening time.....we were not even in a secluded place where a mutawa may have some reason to accuse us, but come on man: it was evening time, at a public place, hanging out with my sister shopping, that this mutawa had the nerve to accuse me of incest! Disgusting..I am sorry, you can defend the mutawas all you want, but I was disgusted by his way of thinking!
Mansur
say how mutwa3as are bad coz they let the school girls die in mecca
is like saying white people are so trash and low coz they treated black people so bad
it might be coz yr a foreigner and he justg wants to give you a hard time:P
All, right, that argument is not strong. It is silly to make such huge general statements. I am talking out of personal experience. Sure, they may be some more pious mutawa out there, but generally speaking, you get to hear more about the silly things they do. I also know of other people who have had a rough time from the mutawas in general, and I think after that incident in Mecca with the death of the school girls, the country is polarized. The conservatives like the mutawas, and the liberals don't. I clearly did not like that one particular mutawa, who you think was giving me a hard time because I am non-Saudi. I don't believe that! Why would he give me a hard time? Are they THAT intolerant? Was he jealous that I was able to hang out with my sister at the grocery shop, whereas he probably couldnt? :)
Mansur
My uncle had a similar experience to you Mansur, except in Iran. the Iranian equivalent for Mutawa is called Basijj.
As my uncle was shopping with his daughters, a Basijj accused him of being a pimp. He even handcuffed my uncle until his daughter sufficiently proved that he was their father and that they were shopping!
I agree, sometimes enough is enough.
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