Middle East strikes again, outlaws women's "enticing eyes"

I agree it is asinine, but I also think that public school dress codes that bar girls from wearing leggings are asinine.

Could someone explain what 'tempting' eyes are.?

Why are they apples and oranges?  My middle-school daughter has a list of more than twenty items she is not permitted to wear to school because they are distracting to boys.  It is different in degree, but not kind.

Crazy. I also can't imagine fumbling about in a garment that also impeded my vision. Saudi women are already isolated enough, and this only worsens the situation.

You know what a better solution would be? If the men all wore blindfolds. Problem solved. Unfortunately nothing would stop the vice already in their hearts and the impure thoughts they seem to have major difficulty with.

But then they'd have to go around by feel and boobs would be outlawed.

Imagine how you would feel if you were a woman who was allowed to have your eyes uncovered because they weren't tempting enough!

Lord, what a world we live in.

That is it, exactly. If you can keep women isolated and uneducated, you can keep them powerless.

When educated women can work together, watch out!

You know--honestly, many Americans have a really false impression of life in Saudi. While it IS restrictive for women, it is not as bad as many of us think. We have to remember Saudi women do not have the same cultural expectations that we have. I know many of you will find this hard to believe, but there are a huge amount of Saudi women who are perfectly happy with their lives and would not exchange it for our so-called "freedoms" at all. If you think they are (in general) victims of their husbands, think again. Many Saudi women literally rule the roost at home. And under those abayas (Saudi women do not wear burkas) you will find women dressed to the teeth of fashion.

Saudi women shop! That is their entertainment. There are massive malls all over Riyadh that carry stores from our top designers (AND the most expensive). Saudis shop there all the time and they dress up. I mean really dress up! They spend a fortune on couture and jewelry.

It is true that they can't dress that way in public, but under those abayas they put us to shame with how beautifully dressed they are. They have many parties with female friends and it is sort of a contest to see who is the best (and most expensively) dressed.

There is a blog (The Blue Abaya) written by a Danish woman who has lived in Saudi for many years (think she married a Saudi). I got a chuckle one day reading how she characterized the difference between a woman in Denmark having a baby and a woman in Saudi. She said the Danish husband will kiss his wife, say "great job" and head out for beers with his buddy. The Saudi husband is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to his wife and he will shower her with jewelry There will be a massive party and she will be pampered for days.

Life is pretty horrible for Westerners living in Saudi, but for the Saudis themselves, they are quite happy. They truly believe that our movies and our culture in general has led to degeneracy. They don't want to live like we do.

I was really surprised when I heard how happy many Saudi women are and how they don't want to change their lifestyle. They like having a driver to take them places (and if you saw how people drive in Saudi Arabia, you'd want a driver too!). They like being spoiled by their menfolk.

Not ALL Saudi women agree of course. Many of the younger ones are pushing for more freedoms. And it appears that they will be allowed to drive in the near future although there will be heavy restrictions (have to be over 30 and wear no makeup while driving).

About King Abdullah--he is LOVED. Most of the Saudis adore the old king and there is great fear of what will happen when he dies.

You probably wonder where I get my information from. My son has lived there for quite a number of years and he is now married and my DIL lives there too. She teaches at a women's college and she deals with Saudi women all the time! As soon as they get to the female part of the college, they take off those abayas and believe me they are dressed to the hilt. My DIL says she feels actually frumpy around many of them and can't do anything about it because she doesn't have the money to wear designer clothing. But she talks with many, many Saudi women and it has been a real eye-opener for her.

We always seem to think that everyone wants our culture and they are oppressed if they don't have it. I can tell you that is not true. Don't get me wrong--I do think there is a lot of oppression in the Kingdom, but perhaps things are not quite the way many of us imagine them. About the enticing eyes--what a lot of bunk! The muttawa will have a field day . Actually I'm guessing that this has come about due to some of the younger, more liberal women pushing the envelope. Saudi women wear a LOT of makeup and I'll bet some of the women have really gone to town with the with it. Don't get me wrong--I think this is nuts, but I thought maybe you might enjoy a little view of what life in Saudi is really like.

^ snowsilver, my sister lived in Saudi for many years and tells many of the same stories about high fashion, female kinship, and family dynamics. I remember being so surprised when she said that a Saudi woman will take off her abaya as soon as the airplane she's on leaves the Saudi runway, with absolutely no comment from her husband. 

The mutawa are bastards. My sister and her friends would go into town wearing the abaya, but if even a hint of blonde hair showed, they'd have to run from stone-throwing (!) mutawa calling them whores. 

I lived in Riyadh 2001-2002. it's a completely different culture and for most Saudis the rules change when they leave the country (especially for the men). I wore an abaya and hijab (black robe and headscarf), I couldn't drive, carried a letter stating I had permission from my husband to be out in the city without him. Their country, their rules.

Truthfully, I really enjoyed living there. Life on the compound was wonderful until they bombed it.

High-end fashion under a mandated head-to-toe covering = bird in a gilded cage.

I know they shop and wear makeup and that's great that some of them get to rule the insides of their own homes (what a privilege!). Doesn't seem like such a great thing knowing they need male escorts and drivers just to get to the mall.

It's ridiculous bullshit...I hope someday things will be different for our fellow women. Maybe someday their men will get control enough over their penises to let women dress however they like, God/Allah be willing.