Abaya Scandals

by Jungmin Lee

Edited by Salma Elfouly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the research, in Middle East, the tradition for women to wear abayas started about 4000 years ago in the civilizations of Mesopotamia, when Islam arose. Abayas are worn in most Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia that covers the full body and sometimes also the face-cover, which covers all aspects of the face except the eyes, which is called burqa.

The purpose for wearing this is because they believe it is mandatory in the Islamic religious dogma, and the protection of women from unwanted attentions and any other acts of disrespect and to blend in with the population better especially for foreigners. Wearing this also shows their cultural sensitivity and helps to avoid the attention from the Saudi religious police.

According to the research from the U.S. Department of Defense, many American and other non-muslim women who are living in Saudi Arabia have been saying they are affected by the change negatively and have been questioning why they have to wear the abayas.

There has been an issue reported by the Seattle Post news report that received a lot of attention about an American woman, Air Force Lt. Col. Martha McSally. She has been fighting against the policy for seven years, and filed the lawsuit after being threatened with a court if she did not follow the rule and wear the abaya.

Some westerners might joke that women in abayas are weak woman who needs to hide from men and that wearing this is women discrimination. They believe that Saudi women should have the freedom of expression by their clothing choice.

 

According to a non-muslim student in the AIS-R stated, “At first it was uncomfortable to wear them, but now, I am used to it and I am finding more benefits to wearing an abaya than disadvantages and my view completely changed.”

I felt the same way when I first came to Saudi Arabia. I wasn’t positive about wearing the abaya when I first started wearing them, but after experiencing the culture of wearing the abaya, I wanted to find more about the history and the culture and other perceptions about wearing it.

A muslim student who has worn abayas for all of her life says, “Clothing has become nothing but a means of advertising rather than an act of "freedom of expression", and I am against that. That’s why I love abayas since it doesn't make one look wealthier or poorer, your clothes do not become the image of their money, and no one is of a higher status in abayas.” In some countries, the freedom to express yourself may be excruciatingly important, but these days, clothing has become nothing but a way to boast about their amount of wealth by wearing brands. This is not the case in Middle East countries, you can wear any clothes outside and no one would say anything since it is covered by the abaya.

The majority of the students in AIS-R I have interviewed have said that they prefer to wear the abaya and said a lot of positive things about the culture of wearing them. They have gotten used to their surroundings and have started to see the positivity the abaya brings.

 

Most people’s perceptions about abayas outside of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is much different than what is actually occurring. Research concludes that many Saudi women do not believe they are a victim of abuse due to them wearing the abaya. This does not imply that ALL Saudi Women feel this way. Also, most women that have lived in Saudi Arabia would have never genuinely felt that the abaya is a sign of women discrimination or abuse. Have you ever felt this way when you were wearing the abaya? Lets try not to hear any of the negative comments or actions toward wearing the abaya anymore. It isn’t right to make opinions about a culture or any other things without knowing and experiencing them.

 

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