From: zaineb@mips.com (Zaineb Asaf)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: trip to Jordan & Egytp
Date: 10 Nov 1992 18:24:43 GMT
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, California
NNTP-Posting-Host: robin.mti.sgi.com
Keywords: Arab culture & travel

In article <1def9tINNlb5@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> zaccardi@sunkat.East.Sun.COM writes:
>
>I found Jordan, friendly but the woman for about 95% covered their heads with scarves and
>wore long garb over regular clothes. Many I met, carried this into the house as the strict
>interpretation is to cover and not wear make-up in front of any man other than your husband.
>This also included brothers!  This was Amman.  In Irbid, a little more of a large country town,
>many woman chose to uncover once in the house.  The weather didn't seem to be a factor.  July
>is hot no matter what and no one I met had AC.
>

I find this hard to believe.  I visit Jordan very often and most of the woman
are not covered.  I walk in downtown Amman with my mini-skirts with no
probelm.  None of my Jordanian or Palastinian freinds who live over there 
cover themselves.  If you go to downtown Amman, you might find more 
people covered up than in the mountains; ie Jabal Amman and Jabal Al-Hussain.

I have to admit that more women are going back to the Islamic dress in the past
few years than when I used to live in the Middle East; but Jordan is one of
the westernized Arab Countries.

>What I did enjoy was the level of education these women displayed and their knowledge of the 
>United States.  But for all their education, subservience to the man, though subtle was not
>to my taste.  Though I do not subscribe to the Madonna style of fashion and behavior, I do not
>think that showing an ankle should drive a man stark raving mad, nor is it a sin.
>
>I only visited Cairo for a few days, but this is what I observed.  Women for the most part covered
>their heads, but used more colorful materials.  They were also not as obsessed as Jordanian woman
>about stray locks of hair peeking out.  Older female girls were dressed both ways and the only
>fashionable woman I saw were in the Marriott where we stayed.  However, dress ran the gamut.
>Many Saudis and Kuwaitis vacation with their families in Cairo.  I would see most men in what I
>call the Lawrence of ARabia flowing white robes which in the Middle East on an Arab man looked
>appropriate.  But most of the woman were draped in heavy black with covered faces to the point of
>not even being able to see their eyes.  They usually had several children and several servants, 
>probably from Sri Lanka who also covered but showed their faces. Some vacation. I don't know how the covered
>women saw where they were going.  In some cases the husbands of the covered women wore designer
>jeans, summer short sleeve shirts and comfortable shoes. What a double standard. 
>
>I really enjoyed Egyptians as a people because they were so friendly and smiled a lot and tried
>to be helpful.  I never felt threatened when we walked the crowded streets or bazaars.  I truly
>want to return to Egypt and see other places.
>
>It's true that headlights as a rule were off at night and the driving was wild.  But those cab
>drivers and tour guides know what they are doing.  There seems to be a whole set of informal
>driving rules everyone accepts and abides by which is more than I can say for drivers in the 
>Washington, DC metro area who are selfish, nasty and unyielding.
>
>We got the impression from our private tour guide that Christian, Moslems and Jews had lived
>together for over a thousand years in Cairo and quite happily.  We visited all three religious
>areas of the city, although too briefly.
>
>I hope that I have not offended anyone with my comments, but this is how I say it.  Even my
>husband doesn't always agree with my views but we are together.
>
>Regards,
>Kathy Zaccardi-Kurdi


-- 
--      zaineb Asaf
UUCP:	{ames,decwrl,prls,pyramid}!mips!zaineb	(or zaineb@mips.com)
USPS:	Silicon Graphics, 930 Arques, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-3650
Newsgroups: rec.travel