thehalalpeniswhisperer asked: While on the subject of life in Saudi, do these rules apply to non-Muslim diasporas as well? I was under the impression that there are sizable minorities from the subcontinent and elsewhere who work in Saudi, but didn't know if those women also have to wear abaya.
The abaya is a must for all women. They have to wear black ones. There’s no way around it if they want to go out in public. If the religious police see them in public without an abaya on I believe they can get arrested. The hijab.niqab is optional but the hijab, at least, is strongly recommended for Muslim women in public.
Minorities from other Arab countries, South Asia, Far East Asia, and Western countries actually make up a huge minority as a whole - as much as 30% of the population by some estimates.
Anonymous asked: I've gone through about ten pages or so of your blog and love everything so far. Sorry if you've been asked this or something similar before (I haven't been through everything just yet) but could you tell me what life really is like for women in Saudi Arabia? I mean you here all these things in the US, where I live, but what is actually true if you don't mind sharing? Thanks a lot in advance :)
Oh my God! I love it when I get messages like this. It means so much when a person takes time out to go through my little blog.
Well… it’s strange here for women. I mean, they can go out and do whatever they want but they all have to wear an abaya. Muslim women really have to wear hijabs too but not all do. They’re not allowed to drive. When they go to restaurants they have a separate area for women and families and a different area for single men/groups of men. In all honesty, life here is pretty boring for men and women but people find things to do. You either get used to it or leave. If you have any specific questions then I’ll try my very best to answer from my knowledge.
I’ve written about malls in Saudi Arabia on this blog before - I think - but I’m compelled to write about them again today. I’ve visited a few of them over the last few weeks but I haven’t been with the express intention to buy anything in particular. The people I went with, however, did want to buy things. I noticed a few things about them that are really interesting.
I’ve been talking about my impressions of Saudi Arabia for the last few days and have mentioned loads of the positive aspects of being here. I’ll be the first to admit that there are a lot of positives, like the spiritual aspect and the money I’m earning, but there are some negative aspects too. Maybe other people don’t feel them as strongly as I do, or at all, but it’s something that I’m going to have to get used to. I guess I’m already starting that.
