To Wear A Burqa Or Not?

i've always wanted to try wearing an abaya. just to know how it feels like. but i'm afraid it would be disrespectful of their culture to do so because i won't understand and appreciate the reason for wearing them. apart from the fact that i don't think i can pull off the elegance the local ladies show when wearing them.

yes, a lot of people are wearing form-fitting clothes here. they may or may not be offensive to the local people but it is easier for these women to get unwanted attention or get offended by other men

HisSunshine!

You mean the same ignorance that prevented you from running a google search on dress codes in Qatar before you came?

It seems some people who post on these forums have nothing better to do with their time than to jump to conclusions of what someone says/asks. I'm grateful for the few kind responses I received that were trying to HELP a newcomer. Some of you attempt to insult with witty intellect back and forth, but instead you show your ignorance and rudeness. Food for thought: if you have nothing kind to say, say nothing at all. Have a good day.

oryx, how i wish i can go there. i understand that the place of Mama Mary's appearance is very commercialised now. i would have wanted it as it was during the time of Blessed Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. it would have been a good place to make a pilgrimage.

jahannam

Don't wear any disgusting Burqa/Niqab.

Nic lol , she knows..thats why she wrote " I packed lightly".

Pilgram,

Reading sajmarhab's comment and looking at the pictured I posted above, really makes me laugh and ironically shows what hypocrisy attempts to disguise...lol

Arien,

lol... i wonder how she survived all these years in the US with all those sexy ladies everywhere ;)

LOL. Then we're all in agreement. Mary wore trousers and mid-riff tops.

Pilgram,

its ok, i picked on your observation to respond to sajmarhab's comment when he said:

"and if you look Mother Mary you can very clearly see she is following the Gods instruction. it is not necessary to cover with black color cloth."

Why dont you relocate to Saudia, Qatar seems to be not the place of your choice.

Oh I wasn't even responding to you Nic, I was responding to what arecel said.

Pilgram,

When I mentioned the colors, I was being sarcastic (no sense of humour here) to emphasize the fact that all the representations we see are guesses. Blue and white being the typical guess ;)

I’ve been to Fatima and that's what the statue is wearing because that's how the 3 kids referred by arecel described here.

comment

"or are those not wearing them being disrespectful and simply tolerated?"

I am never disrespectful of Qatar or its culture - if the requirement was that we had to cover up, I would - I know many others who feel the same - and the fact is laughable that the Qataris would simply tolerate us if we were being disrespectful in our dress, shows you just how much you have to learn about Qataris - believe me when I tell you, if we were supposed to be wearing Abhaya - we would be - and every Qatari in Qatar would be making sure of it....

Arecel more than likely she wore what everyone wore, a simple shift style woolen dress, definitely not in blue as that would have been incredibly expensive. Probably in brown, gray or black. She probably would have carried a shawl style hair covering, but so did the men as it helped protect from the sun.

you can get over your surprise now.... we non locals and mere motals walk around in t-shirts and jeans or whatever we deem fit to wear out of the house.

I too shudder when I see someone in less than 'conservative' clothing - but who am I to judge what is 'conservative' to someone else....

This is Qatar - its not Saudi Arabia - frankly, you should have been on QL more when you were back at home, as opposed to listening to the TV - maybe then you would have more of an idea of what is acceptable and what isn't in Qatar:-)

sajmarhab,

lol... the things you were told!

Here is a picture of Mary for you to see what they used to wear then:

Chill man, free yourself from dogmas, after all this is the XXI century ;)

pilgram, i told nic that there's no distinct dress (white and blue)of Mama Mary, only that she is clothed (full clothing) as per the statues i saw in churches. you are right, nobody knows what she is wearing DURING her time, well, except the archeologists and historians who will then make an informed guess based on the traditional dress in her time.

as for st. bernadette (sorry for the misspelling), she did claim that she saw the Virgin and even give details as to her dress and appearance to the local priest or maybe the bishop. that is why i posted that the dress of Mama Mary (in statues) varies accdg to the place where she appeared.

Where did you do your research FOX news????

burkas are worn in Afghanistan.....and even there as a non-afghani you don't have to wear one.

Aracel...have you been to Fatima in Porutugal?

Thanks for the abridged version sajmarhab, but it you look at the whole passage they're only referring to when a woman is praying or preaching.

11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

11:6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

Convene a meeting brother..

It should be the right of all men or women to wear the burqa or not if they wish to..

The appearance of Mary is the figment of artists & others imaginations. Nothing more. Saint Bernadette (I'm assuming that's who you're speaking of since I can't find a Saint Bernadeth) was born in 1844. There is no possible way she could know what Mary would have worn.

And it most certainly wouldn't have been an abaya as she was a poor carpenters wife who I'm sure could never afford anything more than a simple dress made of home made sheeps wool just like everyone else. (or again, perhaps she really like trousers and mid-rif tops)

Dont play with word brother, please read the Bible 1 Corinthians 11:6...

"Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.

after reading the above sentence then you look the Mother Mary's picture... she's following whom....

pilgram, it is understood that Mama Mary will wear the traditional costume of the place where she comes from which is the abaya or whatever it is called. and believe it or not, the appearance of Mama Mary as Our Lady of Lourdes (statue)is based on the description provided by St. Bernadeth. The appearance of Mama Mary as Our lady of Fatima (statue) is provided by the three Portuguese kids. and on and on...

HisSunshine - OPEN CITY :D

I feel discriminated against. Why can I not wear a Burqa?

If you look at pictures of the Virgin Mary what you usually see is a Renaissance or even more modern day interpretation of what she would look like, based off, funnily enough, what people were wearing in the Middle East at the same time the painting was being painted or what the Artist thinks people in the Middle East might wear since most Renaissance artists probably thought the Holy Land was filled with dark skinned, hairy Musselman Devils.

Isn't it funny how Mary & Jesus are depicted as Caucasian, when the last time I check not to many caucasians come from Palestine. Especially not fair haired and even red haired caucasians as Mary is often depicted.

Fact of the matter is nobody knows what Mary would have looked like and can only make a guess on what she would have worn. For all we know she was a fan of trousers and mid-rif tops.

HisSunshine there's a place called Saudi Arabia just a few kilometres up Salwa Road. I suggest you move there in your efforts to get away from form fitting clothing.

hissunshine, since the locals did not find offensive those non- locals wearing form fitting clothing, i dont think you should also.

nic, it depends i guess on the place where she appeared. i mean i don't think there's a distinct color or design except that she is clothed.

Islam doesn't says that....Burqa is a part of Islam and every mslima has to wear it other wise they will be punished on the day of judgment

Regards

I did my research, but I am still surprised to see the culture here as relaxed as it is in regards to attire. I am confused as to whether the non-locals are offensive when they walk around in their modest clothing. I have seen quite a few dressed in very form fitting clothing, which I believe to be offensive to the culture, and something I shy away from even back home. I was expecting more conservative dress by all non-locals.

so Nic your concept of abaya or burqa is wrong, in Islam it said women should cover her body from head to toe that is also a loose dress. and if you look Mother Mary you can very clearly see she is following the Gods instruction. it is not necessary to cover with black color cloth.

and for your info. Islam didnt invent 1400 years ago, neither Prophe Muhammad (pbuh) is the founder of this religion, he is the last prophet who completed the religion as per Allahs instruction.

If yes so I think you are not proud to be a Muslim..

as you asked the question it seems that before you were not wearing a burqa..which was absolutely wrong as per Islam..

britexpat, the burqa's started in Afghanistan then spread to the regions around it.

arecel,

A white abaya with a light blue veil or is it the other way around?

saj, i would say that Mama Mary is wearing an abaya based from the statues of her in churches..

britexpat,

Is Qatar now in the Indian subcontinent?

sajmarhab,

Where did you see her wearing what?

Whatever she was wearing, was what women used to wear 2000 years ago in Palestine, before Christianity and Islam were invented.

You are wrong and you are right :O)

In the Indian sub continent, both types are referred to as a Burqa...

Happy Horizons,

you are 100% right, as usual ;)

I am confused regarding the Burga and Nicab, by the way so what is Mother Mary (Jesus PBUH's Mother) is she wearing a Burqa, Abaya or Nicab...

to answer your question...

No it is not neccessary for women to wear any kind of abhaya, burka, niqab, unless they are driven by their own/or family requirements to wear one.

You can walk around quite comfortably and safe in the knowledge that wearing a pair of pants, a skirt (below the knee), a shirt or t-shirt(not revealing and covering the top part of the arms at least) ARE NOT in the least disrespectful to the locals.

In short you are not disrespecting anyone b y NOT wearing an abhaya!

Burqa: they are exactly as pictured in Nic's post with the drawing right. It's an abaya, hijab, niqab all in one, for lack of a better description. Burqas are characterized by a limited window in criss-cross fabric covering where the eyes are.

Niqab: as seen in Nic's left drawing, it is worn in addition to a hijab to cover the face. It is often not sewn into the hijab but added as an extra piece. Many also do not cover the eyes with fabric but some do have a sheer fabric that can be tossed over the head to add a sheer veil to the eyes or the fabric comes from the hijab forward and can be tossed back over the head to get the same effect.

Abaya: a loose fitting gown that is worn over clothes by women and men (depending on the country) that extends from the shoulders down to the feet. It may or may not have a hood, if it does, it has another name. If it doesn't have a hood and extends from the top of the head to the feet, it has yet another name.

If I am wrong, forgive my mistake.

Happy Horizons,

It’s not correct. In Saudi all women must wear an abaya, not necessarily cover the hair.

In Qatar it’s up to the individual or her family.

No law, no enforcement and no fines!

Qatar is much much much more liberal than its middle age’s neighbor.

Burka is a combat dress!

Understood that in KSA every woman has to cover her hair, Muslim or not...

But in Qatar, would a Muslim woman be required to cover her hair? If so, how is it enforced?

tinkerbell10,

another minor correction, niqab is NOT a burka.

check the differences:

Slight confusion here methinks..

The Burqa in this region is usually referred to as the type of Abaya worn by Shiites (Iranian).

In India, pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, it is also called a Burqa.

Wow, there must be a hell of a lot of disrespectful women in Qatar.

tinkerbell10,

in that case, you statement above is wrong.

in Saudi, whether or not a woman is a muslim, they have to wear an abaya, NOT a burqa!...

tinkerbell10,

you are confusing abaya with burqa, they're not the same!

why dont ya all just walk naked and show us some tata's lolz

Happy Horizons,

you're absolutely correct!

I've never saw a burqa in Qatar.

I know a Muslim who doesn't wear one..

tinkerbell, you said, "if u r not a muslim u need not wear a burka"

Does this mean that Muslimas need to wear a burka or hijab in Qatar?

During my short visit I got the impression that Muslim or not, it's each individual's decision (or sometimes her family's or community's decision) and if no veil is chosen (whether for the hair alone/hijab or hair and face/burka/niqab) that modest dress is ok.

You must wear a burqa always.

lol...can't resist laughing at certain people’s ignorance of the rest of the world!

PS. By the way, in Canada, not everybody lives in an igloo ;)

wear anything that you feel comfortable but follow the qatar dress code...

not wearing the burqa does not mean that we are being disrespectful...

I'm shocked. You say you're already here. You didn't realise yet that Qatar, sorrily, is a step away from Dubai (or may be Egypt) where you seldomly meet a woman with Niqab (Burqa)

It's worthy to express gratitude for respecting the land traditions.

Welcome to Qatar, if you feel this is decent Dress and more safer, you can wear. either Muslim or not if you wear this dress, you will be respected.

Hi

Go as per what your mind says.