I am Doha, or Day 14 in Doha

In some ways it is hard to believe that it has been two weeks. School just started (even though it feels like forever) and I'm still loving the sunny days.

I thought that I'd talk about different forms of dress around here. Let's start with a "hijab." This is a blanket term for modest cultural wear (like the full outfit of cloak and scarf) or just a headscarf worn by many of the women around here. Most Muslim women from a lot of different backgrounds wear the headscarf, from Sudan to the Gulf states.

The "abayah" is the next word I learned. It is a black cloak that primarily Qatari (though some Emirati) women wear over their clothing. After being here for a bit, there is quite a bit of variance. The wrists be drape-y or elasticized, with embroidery or lace, closed all the way up the front, or with their pants and fancy heels showing. There can be color on the cuff and the ends of the scarf, but the scarf always matches.

Finally, the most modest and most religious wear a "niqaab," or a veil that shows a woman's eyes. Some, though very few, wear a veil fully covering there faces.

The "abayah" was the subject (possibly inadvertently) in my Islamic Feminism class today. It started with a question on the Western perception of hijab (modest wear, including the scarf, abayah, and maybe even veil). And, in my opinion, I believe a lot of Americans think that 1) Muslim women are forced to wear hijab and 2) that they don't want to.

Both these statements are mostly incorrect. There is no physical penalty for not wearing hijab, though there is a bit of a cultural stigma against it. However, my professor, a Qatari woman, only wears an abayah without the headscarf as a sign of respect. So it is because they love their country and culture that they wear it. That, too, isn't the same for everyone. I know a Qatari girl who is required to wear it as uniform, but goes out without it because she doesn't like it.

In the class, the discussion turned to the different ways and reasons to wear abayah, hijab, and niqaab. Many women take it off when they leave the country, because it doesn't have the same significance abroad, of solidarity and family values. I think there is also the practical matter of not having to deal with the stares and insinuations that would result from wearing an abayah as well.

While we're talking about cultural differences, I have two things to show you.


1) Yes, I'm eating fries, no big deal. The big deal is that these fries were delivered. What kind of McDonald's delivers? The Qatar kind. So Sarah ordered them for me (what a good roommate) and we had a nice little chat about what her life is like, what my life is like, the crazy amount of sisters we have (she also has three, but has two brothers on top of that!), and, since our schedules don't align much, it was good to see her.


2) It is. The best. Bumper sticker. I have ever seen. Camel + Heart = Pure Awesome. I wanted to peel it off the car, except I didn't know what it said until my roommate translated it for me. It says, "I am Doha." Now I want it even more. This is my quest.