Yemeni women and their kids.
Barbie, all covered up.
Women in Manakah, Yemen.
Depending on the country, the appearance and role of Islamic women can widely vary. In Tunisia, women didn't usually cover their hair. In Egypt, Jordan, Dubai and Oman, they usually covered their hair but seldom covered their faces. In Yemen almost all women wear long, loose-fitting, black abeyas, with a hejab covering their hair, and a burqa ('mask') covering everything but their eyes. In some of the country villages, women also cover their eyes, their hands and their feet.
Here, the role of Islam is contentious with most arguments describing the subjugation of women. The religion, however, provided women with many rights that did not previously enjoy, such as the right to divorce, inheritance, property ownership and earnings. A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the bride for the woman's personal use and she keeps her own name in marriage. Mothers are highly honoured and they are exempted (not 'excluded') from attending prayer sessions at the mosque.
Concealing their bodies, however, is different. From what I've read Islam espouses that showing a woman's beauty can arouse sexual desire in men and can lead to harassment or rape. The black abeya and hejab cover the body and head but the use of the 'veil' over the face pre-dates Islam and it is not a 'requirement' of Islamic teaching. The clothing reflects modesty, purity, chastity, righteousness and honor. Not everything is concealed, however. Hands may be decorated with henna 'tattoos', fashionable rings, and nail polish. Eyes are highlighted with eyeliner, mascara or eyeshadow. Feet can be dressed with the fanciest pumps and sandals. And a nice, slim figure is still easy to discern. Still, after a whole gaggle of kids and some aging, some of that beauty wanes and yet women must still remain covered.
It may sound a bit pervy, but a guy's imagination can make all veiled women into hotties. With only big brown eyes showing, it's easy to think that they're all fantastic beauties so this 'standard' of dress levels the playing field. Practicalities are another matter: if your face is covered with a veil, you can't eat or drink in public so no sipping on a Starbucks'. Forget about doing laps in the pool before work. No peering out of the window across at the neighbors, unless you're behind a screen. Your kids won't know you apart from all the other women in the shop if you get separated. And then there is the wedding celebration: there's no point in taking photos when you're fully covered up.
Unfortunately, there are some other oddities here. With little contact between men and women before marriage, the level of repressed sexuality must go through the roof. Marriages are still usually arranged affairs although there is plenty of opportunity to refuse a partner. Some societies are obviously more 'open' than others. In Tunisia, women don't cover-up but they also don't get the front seat if another man is present. And in Egypt, I heard that female circumcision was still common. Finally, in Dubai, I hear the two fastest growing industries are money laundering and prostitution. Go figure.
