DAY 10: The African Queen

Stereotypes

Along with other nations in the Muslim sphere, the local women cover up according to strict Islamic dress requirements. However, many westerners often assume that all Muslim women dress in the stereotypical black burqas that are frequently seen on TV during Muslim pilgrimages. That is only a slice of reality. From my travels throughout the Middle East, the type and amount of cover varies quite considerably from place to place, and with variety even within a country.

Burqa, Burqa, Burqa!

In Saudi Arabia – the home of Islam’s holy sites and most of its pilgrimages – the stereotypical black burqa is standard requirement for all women that is strictly enforced by a zealous religious police. Just across the border in Kuwait, the women wear everything from the standard black burqas to western clothing with light makeup. In Afghanistan, there are different burqas to differentiate the female’s status: young girls wear white sheets that cover the hair only; married women wear bright blue burqas that completely cover everything; and older women wear black sheets that cover the hair and body only.

Individualism in a conformist society

Here in the Djibouti, the local women wore brightly colored head covers – reds, yellows, greens, blues, and purples all made with a chiffon-like material to allow breathing. Underneath, they wore opaque clothing to conceal their body parts except for their faces and hands. It was cool to see a bunch of the local women walking along the road in an eclectic mix of bright rainbow colors – a sign that they were conforming to their culture’s restrictions, yet making individual statements that reflect their personal color preference and taste in clothing design.

A thought to ponder: not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs.