Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
All Arab women cover their hair but they don't all wear the
burka
(veil) - in Oman and
the UAE, they mostly do not cover the face. Veils can be of a thin gauze completely cov-
ering the face; a cloth which covers the face but not the eyes; or a mask concealing the
nose, cheeks and part of the mouth - in Sana'a, women wear striking red-and-white tie-
dye cloth to cover the face and in the sands in Oman, a gold-coloured peaked mask is fa-
voured.
The 18th-century traveller, Lady Montagu, noted that Arab women were more at liberty to follow their
own will than their European counterparts and that the
abeyya
(what she describes as the 'black disguise')
made it easier for women to take a lover.
Many Western people assume that men force women to cover up. In fact, this is gener-
ally not the case except in some extreme societies in Arabia. Women often opt for such
coverings in order to pass more comfortably through male company. Nor is it a stated part
of Islam. Indeed, Bedu women maintain that the custom, which protects the skin and hair
from the harsh penalties of sun and sand, predates Islam.
Hajj Statistics
Annual Number of pilgrims to Mecca for Hajj: 2.5 million
Quota of Muslims per country permitted to travel: 1000 per million inhabitants
Arabian Youth
They wear baseball caps with the peak reversed, they've got the latest iPads and smart-
phones, they stay out late with friends and are rude to their elders. A few drink, fewer take
drugs. They watch unsavoury things on satellite TV and they communicate 'inappropri-
ately' via the internet. They sleep a lot and aren't interested in learning. In this regard,
Arab youth are no different from any other youth. The difference in Arab countries is that
really wanton behaviour is rare and the period of abandonment relatively short.
Religious Zeal
Only a tiny minority of people on the Peninsula are involved in religious fundamentalism,
and most of those channel their zeal into peaceful attempts to reconcile the liberties of
modern life with the traditional values of Islam. Those who resort to violence to accom-
plish largely political aims are mistrusted by their own communities and considered mis-
guided by most religious leaders. It is unfortunate that this small minority gain maximum
