Third week of class in the Spring Semester. I’ve been in Jeddah for six months. Well, I was in the states over Ramadan and for three weeks during Hajj, so in fact I was home as much as I was away. In this case Jeddah is home and the US has become away. Not because I have renounced my citizenship—but home is where you live and work. Or where your stuff is. Most of my stuff is in a storage locker in Raleigh.
There have been requests that I write about all the interesting things I am doing and all the cool stuff I am seeing… and explain why I do not have my hair covered in any of the pictures I send folks back in the states.
Regarding the last question: Consider the following for a moment; crank up the heat to 110 F, the humidity to 100%, and then wrap heavy shoulder length hair twice with 2 yards of black fabric. NO. I only wear a headscarf to enter and exit the school and whenever there are men in the building, it’s part of our dress code and there is one stashed in my bag as a precautionary measure when in public.
(The presence of men is announced by a garbled overhead pa system that no one can understand in English or Arabic—except for the word abaya—and the usual result is that everyone ducks into their offices out of sight until the all clear).
Besides when I have worn it in public places, at first glance I look enough like a local (Black hair, brown eyes) that people speak in Arabic to me... which leads to hurt feelings and confusion when I fail to respond in kind
(I have exactly 11 words in Arabic and pronounce them pretty badly – languages are not my strong point and as almost every one in Saudi uses English as the universal second language I’m afraid this will remain constant).
Finally I can’t keep a tarha on for more than 15 minutes, unless I pin it—which is just not a hip presentation. Wrapping it so that it stays in place without assistance is a Muslim form of casual chic.
The debate on Muslim women's dress is endless; much is a matter of family/cultural custom. Some of my Saudi students do indeed wear a rather comprehensive form of concealment in public. Wearing scarves over their hair (tarha), double veils (hajib) over their faces, abayas covering their clothing, gloves and socks, all in black.
The number of expiates in Saudi is enormous, both Muslims and non-Muslims. I have the utmost respect for the simple elegance with which the Muslim women around me present themselves. The range and diversity of dress is a lesson in it’s self, as is the interpretation of the term “public”. Technically women are not required to wear any cover in the school because we have an all women faculty and staff
(well, with some specific exceptions, including the board of directors —and there is a “men’s” wing to accommodate them).
In the KSA “public” as regards the modesty of an abaya, tarha or hajib is defined as “in view of men who are not blood relatives” and most of the women wear western dress at school and underneath the black in public.
Frankly, a few of my students could pass for Brittney Spears in her teens—but they are a minority. Most of the women and students wear clothing that conforms to a reasonable standard of modesty in general; Wearing long sleeves, pants, skirts, modest necklines and nothing skin tight or sheer. And it should be pointed out that the requirement for modesty extends to Muslim men as well. Note the standard Saudi male garb: floor length white thobs (pull up loose pants underneath), with long sleeves and high closed necks, head scarf and camel hobbles. It’s the hottest place I’ve ever been and you rarely see short sleeves or male limbs in public, and when you do it’s some guy from Australia or Canada.
Sadly I didn’t have to adapt my wardrobe much to conform to the schools request that faculty dress conservatively; I have worked and taught school in mostly male dominated places. I’m not saying I was driving the guys to distraction if I wore revealing cloths or let my hair down—but it was considerably easier to accomplish actual work if I didn’t. Muhammad had something there, men being somewhat simple minded and all.
The black over robe–the abaya, is required dress for women in public in Saudi Arabia but, despite what CNN and other news services say about “women” being required to cover from head to foot, a tarha (head scarf) is not.
(All those non-Muslim women reporters doing live feeds from Jeddah with ridiculous looking scarves draped artistically over their heads? I want desperately to think is a concession to the government and the religious police for the privilege of being allowed to broadcast live from the most rundown disreputable part of the historical Old Town they (the news crews) could find, but I’m pretty sure is the typical reporters completely un-researched and inappropriate use of an exotic prop).
So to recap: non-Muslim women in Saudi Arabia are not (at this point in time) required to wear a headscarf. In less “liberal” parts of the country western friends report pretty intense stares at uncovered hair—but Jeddah is not Makkah or Riyadh—and I can go most places without raising an eyebrow (assuming it was uncovered so as to be able to see it—it is a learning curve talking to an unknown draped figure who is causally interpreting for you at some falafel stand).
I'm getting on with the photo taking, but taking photos requires some planning—and a letter of permission if out and about. And this may not be completely obvious—but taking pictures of uncovered Muslim women is not allowed.
So we’ll start with inside the compound.
Cheers.
Labels: Saudi Arabia
I have just had one of those truly intense experiences that need months maybe years to sort out. We held a design conference on campus and invited some amazing people to come speak about their work and hold workshops with our students. Graciously excepting the invitation where Tarek Atrissi, Jonathan Barnbrook, Mohammed Harib, Nadim Karam, Anja Lutz, Teal Triggs, Will Brown and Douglas Haddow from Adbusters. In any context this would be a dream line up - at a private woman's college in Saudi Arabia it was a bit surreal. Just a tiny little bit.
