Blue Abaya Interviews

Blue Abaya is on summer vacation in Finland and will be M.I.A for a bit. In the meanwhile here are some interviews I recently did for anyone interested in reading them.

An interview I did a while ago that was featured on Jeddah Blog was done by Naima Rashid called "A Bonny Blithe Blue" check it out here: http://jeddahblog.livejournal.com/73868.html

Here's an excerpt from the interview: The blue of 'Blue Abbaya' is a shade apart, merging a spirit of deep inner freedom and an infectiously positive attitude. Jeddah Blog chats with Laylah of Blue Abbaya, investigating the meaning of her blue, and generally, a lot of this and that.

I loved how Naima Rashid described my blog and she really has a way with words, she's an excellent writer and her questions were very interesting too!

"The blue abbaya is both a symbol and an attitude for Laylah’s blog. It’s a posture of being respectful to local traditions while setting oneself apart from the crowd through personal taste."

"Reading her blog, one traverses two regions equally mysterious to many – Finland and Saudi Arabia, and her blog pierces the mystery of both lands to offer us a window into both cultures through the eyes of somebody who embodies them both to some extent."

"Scandinavian ice and deserts of Arabia are physical reliefs, but like all environment, they become landscapes of the mind at some point. In ‘Blue Abbaya’, blue is the colour of the Finnish sky, and the abbaya is a cultural norm of Saudi Arabia. In its name and its nature, the blog is defined by the richly opposed but co-existing worlds that the author is part of, and the best and worst of which peppers her real and virtual space."

Here is my interview by Anna Sierant on the Polish women's magazine OnaOnaOna (SheSheShe in polish):
http://www.onaonaona.com/styl-zycia/kto-kryje-sie-za-zaslona-czyli-kobieta-w-arabii-saudyjskiej/

Since the interview is in Polish here is the original interview:

            How did it happen that you came to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? 

After I graduated I knew I wanted to go work abroad and Saudi-Arabia always fascinated me as a country plus I heard of all the benefits western employees receive there so it was not hard to make the decision.

 Can you describe an ordinary day of Saudi woman?

Actually, I can't! Mainly because it's like asking, what is the ordinary day of a Polish or Finnish woman like? It all depends on the person. Saudi women are just like us, some work, others are stay at home mothers. They have very similar lives to us. The main differences are they can't drive so they must arrange transport by taxis, relatives or their own drivers. Saudi women spend much more time with their close family (meaning their parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles) than we western women do. They see these relatives weekly! Another difference is many of them have maids so this enables them to have more time to spend with family and friends.

Do Saudi woman think that they are treated worse than men are? For example, do they want to have the possibility to driver a car, to work without a mahram’s permission? Or it depends of womans’ education, origin? 

Again this depends on the woman. Some are very actively trying to change these things and have equal rights as citizens. One such amazing woman is Manal Al-Sherif who is not only campaigning for women to be allowed to drive, but for women to have the same rights as men because religion gave  them that right hundreds of years ago but only recently have humans taken it away from them.

On the other hand there are women who are genuinely happy with the way things are now, they see it as a privilege to be "taken care of and protected" by the men of their society.

I’ve read that a Saudi woman must have mahram’s permission if she wants to work, study, go abroad? Is it true, how does it look? Must he sign some papers?

Yes the mahram, also called a guardian is the one who ultimately gives legal permission for a woman to work, travel, admit to hospital, study and marry. This comes from culture, not religion. Yes he has to sign some papers of approval.

What shocked you the most in male-female relations in Saudi Arabia? Are Arabian marriages always dominated by a man, the head of the family?

I guess initially what shocked me was how men would not talk to me directly or not look me into the eyes. My culture tells me to react to this by taking it as an offense and a disrespectful act. But when I learned about Islam I understood that in fact those men were being very respectful toward me by lowering their gazes because Islam advises men to do that when talking to women so that she does not become embarrassed or feel awkward. For a person that's not used to that sort of thing of course it does have an effect and I still sometimes miss the "normal" straight forward western interaction between men and women. I've noticed some Saudi men that have studied abroad do change their behavior to suit what the western person is used to though. I would say many Saudi families are actually dominated by the women, behind the scenes J

What would you change if you could to make women’s life in Saudi Arabia easier?

I would abolish the mahrem system as it is because I see it as the number one cause of difficulty and harm to women in this country. Most women are not lucky to have an understanding, flexible and fair guardian, who agrees to everything she wants. Even adult women need a guardian, she may have given birth to her guardian! Women are not children, but fully capable human beings, just like their male counterparts.

And naturally, allow women to drive!

In the opinion of the West KSA is like a prison for women. Isn’t it a stereotype? Could you point out the benefits of being a woman in Saudi Arabia? Something that they can do, have, something that a typical American, European woman could envy them?

I don't know about the envying other women that's not healthy I think J But what I can say is Saudi women have lots of spare time because the domestic help is cheap and easy to find here. So they have maybe more free time at their hands. Also they have very close family relations and in general never have to worry about financial or most other practical issues, the men take care of everything. Those are things that money cannot buy.

For me as expat woman I feel lucky to be able to travel and explore the region and the world so much. Working here has many benefits and it enables easy travel throughout the year.

What do you find the hardest thing of being a woman in the Kingdom?

Not being able to drive because it limits my movement so much and I hate being so dependent on my husband and having to nag him to drive me somewhere. Luckily we now live in an area (Diplomatic Quarters) where I can walk to the store, parks, spa, gym and restaurants and so on so it has eased my life tremendously.

What is like to come to Arabia and see the ocean of women dressed in black abayas (do you really wear a blue abaya? I've read on Polish Umm Latifa's blog that it was forbidden or "not right")  How the Saudis react when they see a woman in non-covered face? Do some Saudi women show their faces or it happens very rarely?

When I first arrived I must admit that it was a little bit shocking. But you get used to it and start seeing the little differences and details and everything starts looking more colorful instead of just black and white.

I have two blue abayas, mostly I wear them to special occasions because I like to save them and not have it ruined because it's so beautiful! I never had any issues with it and on occasions have seen colored abayas in Riyadh but they are much more common in the more relaxed Jeddah or Khobar.

In Riyadh most women wear niqab (face veil) but there are much more women nowadays who wear head scarf only than when I first came.

Again Jeddah and the Eastern province cities have much more uncovered faces and sometimes Saudi women there don't even cover their hair.

Did KSA surprised you positively of negatively? What were you most scared of before you’ve came to Arabia?

I would say definitely positively! The people have been so welcoming and nice and there's been amazing places to discover and explore that I never even dreamed of. I didn't think the desert could be so interesting.

I was most scared of wearing the abaya correctly and not exposing my skin too much and not offending anyone by doing something wrong in public and also being able to communicate with patients. Now that I think of it that abaya part sounds really silly!

Most of non-Arabic people consider Saudi women as passive persons, without any rights, that they can’t fight for these rights. Isn’t it just another stereotype?

I think it is. There are so many active women out there but we just don't hear about them! Why? Because what the western media likes to tell us (and what sells stories) is about abused, oppressed, veiled, helpless Saudi women. So of course that's the image most people will have.

Is the situation of women in Saudi Arabia changing for better? Or is it still worse and worse? What about the mahram system – does the society want to abolish it? Do they think „my mahram knows better what’s good for me” or, like Rajaa Alsanea, the author of „Girls of Riyadh” they say: „we must change some cases”. 

It's much better but change happens slowly. The King is very supportive of women's rights and he recently granted them the right to vote and participate in Shoura Council. He has done numerous other changes you might not have heard of as well. They might sound like small things, such as allowing women to work as cashiers in grocery stores and lingerie shops, but it does have a huge impact on Saudi society as a whole. Women are becoming more visible and a part of the public life, which will eventually give them more and more rights.

What people think of mahram system varies a lot, some people are against mahram system, some think it should be changed a little, others think it's fine as it is (mainly religious hardliners).

How do young people meet in Arabia? By parents, the Internet? Or by giving an unknown woman the phone number in the malls?

If you mean how do young people meet the opposite sex, then I would say online, at malls and through friends, and yes in the most desperate rare cases, by randomly giving out phone numbers!

            What do you miss the most in Saudi Arabia? Do you miss your homeland?

             Of course I miss my homeland a lot, especially my family. Funny thing is I actually see them more often and more at a time since I moved here. They've visited us here in KSA many times and like it. I miss the sea, fresh air, that things are so organized and the food the most from Finland!

I will leave you with this image I captured last night around midnight, this is the enchanting midsummer night light!