#UAEDressCode: A Tool for Judgement, or Education?

June 14, 2012 By

A few years back, when shopping malls turned into major destination for shoppers and tourists in the United Arab Emirates, the issue of how men and women appear in public began to gain greater attention. Mall entrances have come to carry signs and instructions relating not only to pets, trash, bicycles and skaters, but dress codes as well.  In a cosmopolitan society, the idea of modesty does not have a clear definition; it just refers to wearing clothes that do not resemble wearing a swimming suit.  One sign, for example, asks people to wear “respectful clothing,” and specifies that “shoulders and knees should be covered.” But so as not to portray Dubai only as a strict conservative society, it is worth mentioning the fact that in certain areas, such as bars and night clubs, people can wear whatever they want, and there is no one that polices them. On beaches, on the other hand, people who wear full clothes are not allowed to just sit and watch beach goers, because it is obvious that their goal is to watch rather than swim (this refers mainly to men watching women), and this is considered an invasion of people’s privacy.

Among other things, dress code signs encourage modesty in clothing out of respect for Arab-Islamic traditions that define life in the UAE.  But as it turned out later, many mall visitors seem to have either missed on noticing those signs or have ignored them by putting on more revealing clothes that certainly go counter to what was suggested by those signs.

In reaction to what seems like a rising dress code violations in public places, two Emirati ladies, Hanan Al Rayes and Asma Al Muhairi, decided to launch a Twitter campaign to prod people to respect certain norms around clothing. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture/Society, Web Tagged With: , ,

A Muslim Woman Worth Her Salt

May 28, 2012 By

So I never really envisioned this being a topic worth mentioning on MMW.  However, for reasons that will become clear in a minute (or already, for most of you, given the photo attached to this post), it has become unexpectedly relevant to tell you that my family has an impressively (or embarrassingly, depending on who you ask) large collection of salt and pepper shakers – the more ridiculous and tacky, the better.  It started a long time ago with salt and pepper shakers shaped like very ugly turkeys.  Over the years, the collection has grown, and even more so as friends have seen the existing collection, and then have added their own finds.  We’ve got salt and pepper shakers shaped like alligators, police cars, Minnie Mouse’s bow and shoe, ants, kangaroos, a Coke machine, various types of birds, outhouses, frogs, lobsters, and oh so many more.

So it is perhaps fitting that when my lovely friend Tabassum was flying through Dubai recently, she thought of us when she saw these: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture/Society Tagged With: ,

Book Review: Desperate in Dubai

March 29, 2012 By

Desperate in Dubai, a cheeky exposé novel based on the original blog written by Ameera al-Hakawati (a pseudonym), revolves around the lives of four women who live, love, and labour in the sparkling Gulf city of Dubai.

Cover of Desperate in Dubai.

I recently had the chance to catch up with al-Hakawati in Dubai, to chat about her book, her faith, and the politics of anonymous writing as a Muslim woman.

British-born Al-Hakawati says she knew she had to write a book about Dubai the moment she arrived in what she describes as the “craziness and diversity” of the city. She initially chose to write anonymously due to the salacious nature of the book, particularly as she would be writing about Arab and Muslim women in an Arab country. Later on, her anonymity developed into more than a tactic to avoid censorship, and became what she calls a “liberating tool,” allowing her to write at leisure about taboo subjects concerning Muslim women, such as sexuality and extra-marital relationships. She was able to explore the lives of Muslim women, without worrying about what people thought about her as a Muslimah. She has faced some hiccups along the way, with her blog being banned and her books being temporarily taken off the shelves in Dubai.

Al-Hakawati felt it important to delve into aspects of women’s lives that are normally brushed under the carpet – issues like falling in love, dating, secret marriages, getting pregnant, experimenting with drugs, alcohol and men; things which do happen in reality but which Muslims like to believe do not. She writes, not to condone these actions, but to highlight the challenges facing Muslim women in the real world. She did receive a lot of criticism on the blog for writing about Muslims doing “sinful things,” but felt the issues too important to be deterred.

I read the book on the flight home from Dubai, and although it was light reading and at times simplistic or exaggerated, I did enjoy that it cast light upon aspects of Muslim women’s lives that are normally viewed through Orientalist lenses. Fashion, hijab, relationships, sex, and marriage are intertwined and feature throughout the book, and are written in as a normal part of the women’s lives. As a Muslim and a woman herself, al-Hakawati’s voice certainly lends authenticity to the narrative, which revolves around four main female characters, three of whom are Muslim.

Of the three Muslim characters in the book, one is Arab-Emirati, another of Moroccan descent, and the third a British-born Indian. Al-Hakawati chose these identities as a representation of the diversity of Muslim women, whom she feels are often lumped into the same category despite varying cultural, linguistic and national differences. The fourth character is a Lebanese Christian. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books/Magazines Tagged With: , ,

Common Ground: Sexist Ramadan “Mistakes”

August 25, 2009 By

For many of us, the last few weeks before the start of Ramadan mark a time to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for gaining the benefits of the month ahead.

As such, the mass email forwards began arriving in my inbox in early August, with lists prepared by various Muslim institutions gently reminding the faithful to beware of the “Common Mistakes Made During Ramadan.”

The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, recently published one such list (see the list in Arabic here).

The notion of a subtle reminder not to let the blessings of Ramadan slip from our grasp is worthy and appreciated.

But, as U.A.E. newspaper The National points out, nearly half of the “mistakes” on Dubai’s list concern women.

One such “mistake” is “wasting too much time” on food preparation and spending most of the day in the kitchen during Ramadan working on elaborate iftar (fast-breaking) meals, the department says.

Another error, it notes, is a tendency of women to wear too much perfume and make-up when attending congregational prayers and then mingling with men when they join their families after prayers at the mosque.

“Such behavior may distract others from worship,” The National quotes the department as saying.

In total, six of the 14 errors that the department says Muslims make during Ramadan deal specifically with women.

The critiques are all valid in their own right. It is unfortunate that Ramadan often becomes more about cooking and feasting than fasting, and some women may very well come to the mosque dressed more appropriately for a night of revelry than a night of prayer.

But what the list fails to mention is the idea that often times, the females of a household spend hours in the kitchen not of their own accord, but because it is demanded or expected of them by their families.

Further, perhaps the time and effort it takes to prepare such meals for fasting family members could be considered an alternative form of ibadah, or worship.

More generally, though, this list and others like it beg the question: Why is it that women are so often found seemingly in need of reminders about the error of their ways when it comes to religion?

Is it because women are not encouraged to attend the mosque on a regular basis in many of our societies, where the fundamentals of faith are often taught?

Is it because Muslim women are often told what not to do without being told the rationale behind the edict?

Or are these lists simply not cognizant of the fact that these supposed breaches of behavior have more to do with societal factors than by virtue of being a woman?

Filed Under: Culture/Society, Events Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Random WTF – Financial Times Edition

April 8, 2009 By

Last Friday, the Financial Times covered the “richest race meeting in the world”, the 2009 Dubai World Cup. What do you think might best illustrate a story about horse racing in Dubai?

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Two Arab women in abayas contrasted with a white girl in a short dress. Of course!

This is really just a preview of what’s to come, because the Financial Times’ Robin Oakley can’t seem to get enough of those abaya-wearin’ ladies: when describing the atmosphere, s/he states: “Women in black abayas, some wearing veils that cover all but their eyes, dish out family picnics of curry and flatbread.”

How terribly relevant to horse racing! Thanks, Robin.

Muslimah Media Watch thanks ‘Aqoul for the tip.

Filed Under: Events, Sports Tagged With: , ,

All About Eve: a Women’s Only Business Complex in Dubai

December 25, 2008 By

Dubai’s leading U.A.E.-based international property developer, Hydra Properties, recently announced plans to build an all-female office tower for businesswomen.

I have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, I dislike it because it promotes segregation of the sexes and further perpetuates the idea that women need ‘different’ facilities in order to succeed in the workforce.

This article in Emirates Business 24/7 paints the development as a Utopian picture (and for some reason gives us at the very end a small list of female-run firms like The Body Shop and eBay):

Women have long been pushing for a role equal to men in the boardroom. Now […] a new office tower announced recently will give female executives a place at the top of the table.

Does the fact that only companies owned or run by women can lease office spaces really place women “at the top of the table?”

“Some people would consider this discriminatory,” the article tells us, but not Dr. Sulaiman Al Fahim, the Chief Executive Officer of Hydra Properties, who came up with the idea after seeing that women were joining the workforce in increasing numbers. Apparently, he says, “all reactions have been positive.”

But like I said, the idea that women need ‘different’ facilities in order to succeed in the workforce shines through in his next quote:

The ultimate goal of Eve’s Tower is to provide women with an environment that tends to their needs, allowing more comfort and freedom.

An artist's rendering of the Eve Tower. Image via Hydra Properties.
An artist’s rendering of the Eve Tower. Image via Hydra Properties.

What different ‘needs’ can women possibly have? Pink wallpaper and free chocolate? The only real needs I can think of are day care centers, and those can exist in normal office spaces. The option of women wearing what they want isn’t possible since men are allowed to work in the tower.

Al Fahim is also quoted as saying:

We have conceptualized the building as a tribute to the nurturing spirit of womanhood, world over. I’m confident that the tower will lead to a new awakening and unleash the latent entrepreneurial talent of UAE women and contribute to the overall growth of the nation and region.

The “nurturing spirit of womanhood?” I’d love to see how on earth that can be conceptualized. And is ‘nurturing’ the skill you really need in business?

And I don’t exactly believe the tower will “unleash” the female entrepreneurs who were all bursting to get started but couldn’t just because they didn’t want to deal with men.

Nevertheless, I still think the project has some merit.

For one, Gulf traditions are still pretty firmly ingrained in Dubai, as “liberal” as it’s supposed to be. Perhaps for many Emirati women, the option of working in an all-female environment will open up more opportunities for them.

The 20-story high tech building is also in a prime location (downtown Dubai’s Business Bay directly across Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world), so it’s not like they’re dumping all the female businesswomen in any old building.

Then again, I’m just trying to imagine how many male clients will willingly and eagerly step over the threshold of the building and into an estrogen filled workplace. With teddy bears on every desk.

Filed Under: Culture/Society, News Tagged With: , , , ,