I got caught yesterday lugging my bags of grocery back the hotel when the call to prayer rang out from the minarets. I’ve heard they used to have a guy up there chanting but now they just have speakers wired at the top. Somehow it loses mystique going from solitary male chanter to techno but I guess it gains somewhat in volume. You can hear it all over the city. I find it rather melodious and enchanting. Anyway, as I was walking by the Mosque I saw all sorts of men coming out of buildings responding to the call to prayer. It occurred to me, “where were all the women?” Is this an invitation only event and women (or kids) are not invited or were they just too busy cooking for the soon to be Iftar (the evening meal that breaks the day long fast of Ramadan?) Do women have to pray in solitude – what’s the deal? I'll get back with you when I find out.
By the way, even from a distance it is easy to tell the difference between a male and female. Males wear long white robes and females long black robes (abayas) – kind of black and white culture. I read in the local paper that the Islamic religion doesn’t require a full face covering just a scarf (shayla) covering a women’s hair. The Quran stated only Prophet Mohammed’s wives had to have their faces covered. So it’s an optional only deal here. About 20-30% of UAE national women choose to cover their faces in addition to wearing the black abaya. Traditionally, the gold colored burkha mask which covers the cheekbones, nose and brow was the favored form of face covering but the younger crowd is favoring the full black veil. It’s a kind of shear black face covering – one way viewing only. Personally, I’d go for the full black veil too. You can stare where you want to and nobody will know, plus you don’t have to bother with eye make-up. Bad hair day? - nobody will know.