Desert Moon's Diary: My Beautiful Abaya

Monday, May 30, 2011

My Beautiful Abaya

All females entering the conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are required to adorn the abaya. The abaya is basically a long cloak like or robe like garment that is adorned over normal clothing. The abaya is normally a loose fitting garment with its primary purpose being the concealment of the female anatomy.The Islamic faith emphasizes that women should dress modestly whilst venturing outside their homes. Recently though, whilst shopping at the malls, I have noticed women wearing body fit, figure hugging abayas especially among younger Saudi women.I often get asked by friends and family residing abroad if there are any areas within the Kingdom where women are exempt from wearing the abaya. Is there such a thing as an abaya free zone?

Of course there is.Expat women like myself are not required to adorn the abaya within the compound as well as within the hospital environment.Kingdom mall Riyadh has a women-only floor. Women are at liberty to remove their abayas and do their shopping in normal clothing.There are also girls only colleges and schools along with women only private beach resorts. Of course, women also remove their abayas at private wedding ceremonies that usually adheres to strict laws of segregation between males and females.For most Saudi women their abaya free zone is usually in the comfort of their own homes whilst being in the absence of unrelated men.In many of the rural areas away from the city I have also noticed many Bedouin women without the abaya. The Riyadh equestrian club is also an abaya free zone. Many families rent out Istarahas during the weekend to enjoy private family gatherings where the women of the house are free to wear any kind of clothing they desire. An istaraha is like a small private farm holding or property that is equipped with a house, a Bedouin style tent and swimming pool. Some of the bigger Istarahas that I have frequented even have a tennis court and small miniature soccer field. It is interesting to note that the abaya is very much a new form of dress code for Saudi women. In the past most Saudi women were attired in Kaftan or Jalabiyya type garments. There was even a time when Westerners frequenting the country were not required to adorn the abaya but were only required to dress modestly. However, as religious conservatism returned coupled with western opposition, all women irrespective of religion, faith or culture were required by law to wear the abaya.

Now an increasing number of women not only wear the abaya and headscarf, but the niqab (face veil) too, with only their eyes showing. I have also come across many Saudi women who simply throw their head scarves over their faces, some completing the look with black gloves and stockings. Not an inch of skin showing. It kind of makes me wonder how do their husbands find them in a crowd especially in a shopping mall. Speaking of shopping malls, a friend of mine once spent almost an hour hunting me down in Riyadh gallery, trying to figure out which shrouded woman was his friend. Yes, I am one of those women who adorn the abaya with the full face veil when embarking on a trip outside the hospital premises.

It is worth mentioning that not all women visiting Makkah and Medina wear the black abaya. This is because so many Muslim women from all over the world congregate there throughout the year for Umrah (a mini pilgrimage that can be performed any time of the year). They're all dressed modestly, of course, but often in brightly coloured cloaks, abayas, dresses, wraps, etc. A beautiful sight indeed. (Non-Muslims are not allowed in Mecca or Medina, the sites of the two Holy Mosques.). The first time I visited the city of Makkah almost a decade ago, I recall wearing abayas that were navy blue, deep purple and dark green in colour. Most Indian and Pakistani women prefer wearing the Salwar Kameez type outfits with a matching head scarf. Turkish women usually wear a long thick coat accompanied with "strange" looking Aladdin type trousers.The Sudanese, Nigerian and Ethiopian Muslim women also have their own cultural dress code which is usually a few meters of fabric with traditional prints wrapped around them in a signature style. Recently though according to a news report the Saudi government has sent a memorandum to the Pakistani government insisting that all women arriving in the country must be attired in the black abaya and not their traditional clothing.Passengers failing to comply will not be allowed on the plane.

Saudi woman writer Abeer Mishkhas wrote in a column for Arab news wherein she lambasted authorities for their double standards. She says that," when Saudi women perform Umrah or Haj, they have to wear a black abaya and veil, and are constantly followed by men who tell them to cover their face and close their abayas. But when foreign women perform the pilgrimage – wearing white garments – nobody comes near them.This has resulted in a lot of Saudi women wearing white long garments and veils while performing their religious duties, just to be left alone." One thing that does concern me is the fact that Saudi women cover their faces whilst in a state of Ihram (sacred state). When performing Hajj or Umra men would wear a white piece of cloth around them and that would constitute their ihram. A woman can wear any garment like an abaya but according to many religious scholars around the world the face should be open, not covered. The Saudi authorities see otherwise.

The famed religious police also known as the mutawwa are dead against women adorning beautifully decorated abayas. In their eyes, the purpose of an abaya is to conceal the shape of a woman's body. Hence the abaya should be plain black and loose fitting without any beading or embellishments. In their opinion a woman who adorns a heavily beaded abaya with a fancy design and a mixture of fabrics will only cause her to become a source of attraction by men and hence defeats the objective of wearing an abaya. Almost every week there are religious police(the mutawwa) raiding the abaya shops in Diera Souq down town. Twice I was stopped by the religious police at the souq. The man who stopped me was of course a religious man, tall, fair and bearded wearing a white thobe and a long flowing gold rimmed black robe over(Mishlah or Bisht).He was accompanied by two police officers. He was under the impression that I was a Saudi woman and asked me why isn't my face covered.He kept on shouting "Gata wajhak"..which means cover your face.After arguing with him that I'm not Saudi and after producing my Iqama and other documentation he let me go. According to BBC news reports, in March 2002, a fire broke out in the Thirty-first Girls' Middle School, in Mecca. With the only exit locked; fifteen girls were trampled to death and more than fifty injured when firefighters and others rushed to put out the blaze, but were turned away by the Mutawwa (religious police) who warned "it is sinful to approach them" because they were not wearing abayas.

Each year the Mutawwa or the religious police vow to clamp down on fancy abayas. However, each time I visit the souq I am fascinated to discover more and more beautiful abayas.I prefer purchasing my own abayas in Medina tul Munawwara or at certain boutiques in Riyadh. Most of my abayas are custom made at the tailor. He usually shows me a catalogue where I can choose a style and then of course I can improvise by choosing the colour beading or embroidery I require.

The following excerpts are taken from an article I read recently written by Laura of Arabia. I thought I'd share it with all of you.

"Abayas come in a variety of styles; zip ups, buttons, umbrella cuts, broad sleeves, all in one jilbaabs, slim-fitting with finger loops, beaded sleeves,lace and crochet sleeves as well as floral print sleeves.While some really look like nothing more than over-sized graduation gowns, others are perfectly beautiful and are worn with pride.
Some gossip from my trustworthy char. She moonlights at a hotel that's often used by the rich and royalty for parties and weddings, and she is in charge of abaya safekeeping. She says the princesses and bejewelled rich waltz in with dozens of servants in toe, handing over their stupendously expensive abayas that are often made of pure silk and embroidered with real diamonds and colourful precious and semi-precious stones. These could easily cost a couple of thousand, up to 20 000 Saudi Riyals.
The clothes they wear under the abayas are even more expensive, and same goes at regular, segregated wedding parties or women-only get-togethers in the Kingdom. Exquisite designer garb, beautician-perfected manicures and makeup, beautiful tresses and imported accessories are all on display as the classically beautiful Saudi women compete for the most oohs and aahs of admiration.
Sometimes I do an abaya study while shopping, trying to guess a completely covered woman's social stature by looking at the quality of her abaya, her shoes and her handbag. Some give it away more openly, like the daring and trendy young girls who step out of their cars all decently covered, only to shake the Chanel hijab from their highlighted hair and partially open the front of the abaya to reveal designer jeans frayed at the edges, impossibly high Gucci stilettos, expensive gold jewellery and (always) a jewel-studded watch."

"Two years ago a study was released in Saudi that warned that 20% of pedestrians knocked over at night are women in black abayas. Sad, but quite logical.
Then there was the story in the local press of a girl's abaya getting caught in the closing bus door. The driver couldn't see her and she was dragged to her death when the bus took off. Maddening.
Walking up stairs is tricky, and taking an escalator downright dangerous if you're not watching your step and keeping your abaya's hem from under your feet. On the upside, a friend of mine tripped over her abaya while entering a lift, falling right into the arms of a man she's now dating (secretly).
An abaya can also hide a multitude of sins, such as a lack of the latest fashions or a couple of extra pounds around the waist or derriere. Nothing could be simpler than throwing your abaya over whatever you've got on, and hopping down to the shop when your driver arrives. I've even been shopping in my pyjamas – why not? And how hot is it in there? Depending on what your abaya is made of, it could either be an oven or slightly cooler than normal. A tight-fitting polyester abaya is obviously going to make you feel hotter than a flowing, all-cotton one."

It is noteworthy to make mention that the abaya is surprisingly abused by men.There are scores of reports of men carrying out their deviant behaviour by wearing the abaya and niqaab. This reminds me of the famed Burka thieves who robbed a jewellery store in the upmarket Sandton city shopping centre in South Africa and walked away with thousands of rand worth of jewellery items. There have also been numerous reports from the compound security who mentioned that many men have tried entering the single female only compounds to visit their girlfriends whilst attired in an abaya and full face veil. Some of these men have been given the marching orders for failing to comply with the hospital code of conduct. On the flip side of things, police officers across the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, are donning wigs and wearing women's clothing to catch criminals targeting females on the city's streets.The specially formed teams across Dhaka, nicknamed "burka squads" after the Muslim female garment, are helping to catch muggers, bag snatchers and pickpockets, which are on the increase in the city.Some male officers wear full burkas, while others opt for wigs to disguise themselves as women at busy intersections and crowded places where most of the crimes occur.

Whilst travelling through the various towns and cities of the Kingdom, I have noticed many cloaked and veiled Saudi women engaging in various activities like jet and water skiing, picnicking, bumping car racing, swimming, horse riding and even enjoying the rides at the amusement park. Many a times whilst visiting the beach in South Africa, I would come across an abaya clad Muslim woman playing in the water or building sandcastles with her children.Of course, this may seem strange to unaccustomed western eyes, but this is definitely a normal everyday scenario for Saudi women as well as religious South African Muslim women.

Like Nada al Fayez, at 26 a successful Saudi newspaper columnist and human rights activist who says she doesn't mind wearing an abaya as it meets the Islamic decree that women dress modestly in public. "I must wear it. This is my religion and my roots. For another Arab woman it might be easy to take off the abaya but I am a Saudi. It's like I'm carrying history in my heart." Similarly, women across the Gulf region, from the United Arab Emirates to Qatar, wear the abaya out of choice. The Dubai and Qatari abayas are a bit different compared to the Saudi abayas in terms of style..Dubai abayas are generally more bold and heavily embellished with swarovski crystals, beading and embroidery. Dubai abaya designers also utilize a variety of floral fabrics in combination with plain black fabric to create unique and elegant abaya collections. They are also not afraid to experiment with different types of fabric in terms of texture and print. I guess this is due to the fact that Dubai is more of an open society in comparison to the ultra conservative Kingdom.

The one issue that kind of baffles me though, is that despite the fact that the majority of Saudi women are all covered up in their own country, virtually all of them discard their niqaab, hijaab and abaya when they travel abroad on vacations.You would find many of them in different parts of the world wearing bikinis and other skin revealing western clothing.I guess the whole issue of the abaya and the niqaab for a Saudi is more of a traditional,custom based issue rather than satisfying a religious obligation. It makes one wonder whether they really believe in its purpose from a religious point of view. But trying to find an answer will only tire you as I have come to realize that the Kingdom is filled with laws of hypocrisy and double standards.