I have been to the UAE a few times and always dressed modestly I am now going over to Qatar and I have heard that Qatar is more conservative than the UAE but not as strict as saudi of course, but I would prefer to dress as correctly and respectable as possible.
I asked this question on another site but I didnt really get an answer to my question, they were more intrested in trying to figure out why as a non muslim I would want to wear such a thing, which then made me realise that I needed to post this question on a islamic forum and not one that was for peolpe based in Qatar (most of which were expats i later found out)
Anyhoo I ramble on, but what I was getting at was although I am not a Muslim, can I wear an abaya? One person pointed out to me on the other site that unless I have it advertised on my abaya that I am not muslim who will know? whilst this is true, I do not want to do something that is not allowed, offensive to islam or un-godly as my conscience will get the better of me.
imo theres no harm in wearing abaya if you are a non muslim. you will be dressed conservatively and modestly that is good anyway. though you will not get any reward for it since you aint a muslim.
The Abaya and Shayla are also traditional clothing of many Baltic Country non-Muslims.
I do not know of any Muslims who would complain about you wearing such. In fact in Saudi you would be asked to wear them if you were out of any non-Muslim sections.
look women in Ksa and Qater how they are and they dress Abaya and when they travel to any country they dress like women in these countries which they travel
its fine that you wear abaya infact youd probably be respected and admired for it...
Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one calling to Faith: 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed.
Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die (in the state of righteousness) along with Al-Abrar
It is good that you wish to observe the local customs regarding women's apparel. I find it most irritating when I watch those travel programs and the female "travel guides" insist on still wearing tank tops and minis in Muslim countries! We should be respectful of local traditions, and if local traditions call for women to dress more modestly, then we should.
For example, I do not wear abaya every day, yet if I were to visit a more conservative Muslim country, I would. It is good to show respect for one another.
This could be a very good experience for you as well, and perhaps you will learn something about the Muslim concept of modesty. It's not as "oppressive" as it first appears (in fact, it's not oppressive at all!).
I hope that you will enjoy your time in Qatar. I have a friend who grew up there (she's Pakistani), and she absolutely loved it. Apparently, they have really good coffee in Qatar as well!
I was starting to feel a bit silly for asking the question as the replies I recevied from the other site were quite unhelpful and abaya bashing (if that makes sense)
Noorinaya: I have never thought as dressing modest (Abaya or not) oppressive especially now i have seen some of the glamourous abayas they wear in the UAE, I actually felt dressed down...lol Infact since coming back from the UAE i have been looking into islam.
I have never been a lady to have it all hanging out so to speak so covering up for me really isn't a issue. The best one yet has to be in the mall in Dubai, a woman came out of the supermarket dressed in a vest top and sarong with sandals, like she just steped off her personal beach, now one does not have to be a muslim to know thats just wrong.
You may get mistaken for a muslim, but I'm sure worse things have happened, lol. I can't speak for Qater, but I know in Egypt, both muslims and christians wear abayas.
You must have access to awesome abayas. The gulf fashions are absolutely fabulous! It's a pity they don't sell more of the latest fashions online, or I'd wear abayas every day
Infact since coming back from the UAE i have been looking into islam.
For some reason the largest group of reverts, here in the USA, seems to be College educated females.
You will find many things about Islam worth looking into, even if you never choose it as your path. It is good to see you have an open mind and are aware that we are not as the stereotypical views make us out to be.
Why would you want to dress as a muslim? Dress as the expats dress... You won't get any praises by the muslims or free food and beer... If Turkey was anything to go by then they'll love you for your money
"Please I am your friend, come and eat at this restaurant!"
"I will make you a really good offer because I am your friend. I will sell this to you for....!"
Dress appropriately as yourself. They dress as themselves when coming over here...
For some reason the largest group of reverts, here in the USA, seems to be College educated females.
You will find many things about Islam worth looking into, even if you never choose it as your path. It is good to see you have an open mind and are aware that we are not as the stereotypical views make us out to be.
Ive never had the sterotypical view, I think it mainly becasue I have always lived in areas with a large muslim community and everyone kinda just gets along regardless of religion
Why would you want to dress as a muslim? Dress as the expats dress... You won't get any praises by the muslims or free food and beer... If Turkey was anything to go by then they'll love you for your money
"Please I am your friend, come and eat at this restaurant!"
"I will make you a really good offer because I am your friend. I will sell this to you for....!"
Dress appropriately as yourself. They dress as themselves when coming over here...
firstly I am not doing this to get anything for free, I am wanting to wear an abaya because I want to be respectful and feel comfortable, having seen what half of the expats in Dubai and abu dhabi wear i'd rather not thank you.
Now as much as I would like to agree with you on the "they dress as themselves when coming over here" we are all quite aware that is not entirely true,for instance in harrods I saw so many women in abayas that were the button up type, that were just left open, or ones that were chiffon (or some kind of see-through material) on the chest area and no head covering, and I can only image how many who didnt wear an abaya actually did when back home.
Nobody here in the UK would bat an eyelid so easier for them to get away with it, I have heard so many stories/compliants about both the men and women once getting on the plane to the uk, off comes the traditional clothes and on with the western gear.
Personally I don't care who wears what, when I go to africa I see loads of europeans wearing traditional african outfits or getting their hair in braids which is not their normal way of dressing especially if they are just on a 2 week holiday (if they lived there I could understand it a bit more) , but that seems to be ok, but what I want to do isn't?
firstly I am not doing this to get anything for free, I am wanting to wear an abaya because I want to be respectful and feel comfortable, having seen what half of the expats in Dubai and abu dhabi wear i'd rather not thank you.
Now as much as I would like to agree with you on the "they dress as themselves when coming over here" we are all quite aware that is not entirely true,for instance in harrods I saw so many women in abayas that were the button up type, that were just left open, or ones that were chiffon (or some kind of see-through material) on the chest area and no head covering, and I can only image how many who didnt wear an abaya actually did when back home.
Nobody here in the UK would bat an eyelid so easier for them to get away with it, I have heard so many stories/compliants about both the men and women once getting on the plane to the uk, off comes the traditional clothes and on with the western gear.
Personally I don't care who wears what, when I go to africa I see loads of europeans wearing traditional african outfits or getting their hair in braids which is not their normal way of dressing especially if they are just on a 2 week holiday (if they lived there I could understand it a bit more) , but that seems to be ok, but what I want to do isn't?
I think your desire to dress in a way that does not offend the natives of any country you visit is common courtesy. I have done considerable traveling in my life time, I learned it is simply respect to try not to offend the people of any nation you visit. When we go outside our home lands, we are guests and as guests we should try to be gracious to our hosts.
I think your desire to dress in a way that does not offend the natives of any country you visit is common courtesy. I have done considerable traveling in my life time, I learned it is simply respect to try not to offend the people of any nation you visit. When we go outside our home lands, we are guests and as guests we should try to be gracious to our hosts.
Exactly!
If a muslim woman from KSA came here to the UK dressed like a model straight off the catwalk that would normally be covered by an abaya, thats up to her, it's not offensive to me, unless of course the outfit was shockingly revealing, but if when i travel where there is a prefered way of dress then I will happily and gladly adopt that.
It is good that you wish to observe the local customs regarding women's apparel. We should be respectful of local traditions, and if local traditions call for women to dress more modestly, then we should.
Although i have not traveled to Qatar before, the basic rule of thumb is dress like the locals (this is for anywhere you go). I dont think anyone anywhere would get upset for you following and respecting local customs muslim or not.
modesty is never out of fashion anywhere...
Last edited by Grofica; 08-14-2009 at 11:11 PM.
Reason: update my post.
Go for it! Nothing wrong with it Hey look at Mary...people should take more as an example like her I'm actually glad you like the idea of modesty...and indeed modesty never goes out of fashion.
Btw, it's not a silly question. Feel free to ask
All the best xx
*Without Allah, without Islam, life would be meaningless. If I've ever learned patience, it's because of this. Alhamdulillah...*
Qatar is pretty much the same as the UAE when it comes to dress, only slightly more conservative. Wearing an abaya is fine, I've known plenty of non muslimahs who wore it, especially on occasions during national day and other cultural festivities. Like sister Janaan said, there's a chance you'll probably get mistaken for a muslim, but that's about as different as things will get inshaAllah. Enjoy your timein Qatar!
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Dress as the expats dress... You won't get any praises by the muslims or free food and beer... If Turkey was anything to go by then they'll love you for your money
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