Driving to a friends home last evening, with my abaya draped over my shoulders and my exposed knees peeking out before the air-conditioning vent, I had a renewed sense of just how restricting this place is for women. I saw a picture the other day on the news of a Saudi woman getting rescued from a flooding car in full abaya and head-covering. (This was from a winter story of sudden rainfall.) If you are a Saudi woman, there are few to no occasions that are safe to go unshrouded. Even life-threatening emergencies are not reasons to uncover. The weird thing is that many women don't think like American women (imagine that!). Many Saudi women are extremely conservative themselves - they have no desire to uncover, or drive, or push the social norms. Their religion and cultural/tribal norms teach that following God and protecting their family honor demands these practices. How does wearing the abaya do this? I'm learning more about this so look for a follow up post.
Saudi women can take off their abayas in their homes if they are with close family or female friends. However, with extended family or male guests they remain shrouded and often segregated. Even going to open the door for a female friend, where you may be observed by curious neighbors, is an occasion to cover.
We are the lucky few -- living on the DQ (diplomatic quarter) is like living in another country. I wore my shorts and tank top up to the swimming pool the other day. Jeff and I walk down the street holding hands. I run the wadi trail in comfortable exercise clothes. We are free to be seen, to express our personalities and emotions publically, to have ideas and opinions, to live full lives.
Even more than this, we are spiritually free. Free to follow a God who knows exactly what we are. This is Yahweh, who created us whole - body, soul and mind and intended us to live rich lives in relationship with Him. However, He sees us fully and knows what we are capable of doing in the darkness of our hearts. This God wants our heart's affection, but will not coerce, restrict, or squash us in order to win us. This God (if we let Him pursue us) gives us a new heart, new desires, and the power to live a good life. When we are made new in Him, we don't have to create rule upon rule upon rule in order to live safely in His blessing. When His favor comes to us through the work of his Son there is nothing we can do to lose it.
