Dubai Marina. October 2013
[from FB post: October 19. 2013]
Different points of view.... but still enjoying the same scenery.
I remember taking that photo just to emphasize what a confluence of cultures Dubai was.
I grew up on the edge of Amish Country. Seeing people dressed "differently" was normal for me. Everyone found the Amish "quaint" and there was never any talk about their women covering up their bodies and hair (which they actually do - and they have no choice). I think that helped me deal with living in the Middle East later. With regard to women wearing the "hijab" (veil), I really didn't care. For me, women in traditional Islamic dress really didn't register as anything but "looks different".
Women's wear has become increasingly politicized and nowhere is that clearer than Dubai. The Emiratis gently remind guests that they should respect local customs, and guests push that tolerance to the limit. Can a country or a city be "international" with any kind of dress code? The Middle Eastern women visiting Dubai are dressing according their culture. However, women not from the region likely wish to dress as they would back home on a hot summer day (meaning shorts and smaller tops), but they are reminded to "cover up". In the land of endless summer (like Dubai) that is a recipe for conflict. Admittedly, I never witnessed any problems. No police ever came to tell a woman she was inappropriately dressed. If anything, I was surprised at how much tourists (male and female) pushed the envelop on what they wore there.
Then in a country like France the issue is that women must UNcover themselves and the hijab was made illegal in certain settings. How could a woman be covering herself too much? The niqab (the face covering) is quite different from wearing a veil. Former Italian PM Berlusconi reportedly said he could never sign a law banning the hijab because he prays to a veiled woman every day. Quite a biting criticism of intolerance.
Of course, people will rally to the cause of "freedom" and that women are being forced to cover up by men or a paternalistic religion. Is that any worse than being forced to "uncover" in the name of safeguarding freedom (which was also historically defined by males) if a woman is choosing to cover her head of her own volition ? What kind of freedom forces you to do anything that does not harm another person? What kind of freedom is dictated by others?
So that photo above shows the strange intersection of cultures in Dubai and the (perhaps) underlying tension. I am sure the women enjoying the view over the Marina didn't give each other a second glance. Passersby though, notably men, would formulate a lot of opinions depending on their own culture and beliefs. The pressure to conform (by choice or force) will always run afoul of the individual freedom of expression.
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