After an extended holiday in Athens, I have traded in my winter coat for an abaya once again, and returned to the Kingdom, ready to get back to blogging. The first post of the new year, brings what may be the explanation to one of the first things that struck me as incredibly odd in Saudi Arabia.
A few posts back I mentioned that most stores in malls don't have fitting rooms. Instead, the clothes must be bought, taken to the bathroom and tried on there. This is an arrangement I have not encountered anywhere else in the world, so I assumed it is the product of some Saudi belief. Saudis are very preoccupied with concepts like modesty, decency, etc, something very understandable, since they strive to live in accordance with Islamic law (Sharia). I was recently told by several people that there is a very concrete reason for the absence of changing rooms.
Apparently, a number of years ago, it was something of a trend for young (unwed) couples to meet up secretly in malls, the man concealing his identity under an abaya and a veil, so it would seem they were just two girls out shopping. These couples would often proceed to the then existing fitting rooms, where they would engage in acts of sexual nature. It seems that this scandalous, and indeed, very haraam* behaviour, became a frequent phenomenon. After a few of these incidents, it was decided that the root of this evil were the changing rooms, as they provided a space with enough privacy for the sinful act of premarital lovemaking. Lo and behold, they were removed from practically every clothing store.
I must stress the fact that this is just something I heard, so I can't be sure that it's the actual truth. It seems bizarre, but very plausible at the same time. After all, anything is possible in a place where sex is considered an extremely taboo subject and sexuality is, consequently, widely oppressed.
That's all for now, just a little fun fact until I can readjust to life in Saudi and start posting regularly. Also, I just added a subscribe field, so if you'd like to follow Hellenic Hijab, all you have to do is submit your e-mail address in the space provided on the top of the sidebar, and you will receive a notification every time a new post is published :)
*Haraam - sinful, a term used to refer to anything that displeases God (Allah) .
A few posts back I mentioned that most stores in malls don't have fitting rooms. Instead, the clothes must be bought, taken to the bathroom and tried on there. This is an arrangement I have not encountered anywhere else in the world, so I assumed it is the product of some Saudi belief. Saudis are very preoccupied with concepts like modesty, decency, etc, something very understandable, since they strive to live in accordance with Islamic law (Sharia). I was recently told by several people that there is a very concrete reason for the absence of changing rooms.
Apparently, a number of years ago, it was something of a trend for young (unwed) couples to meet up secretly in malls, the man concealing his identity under an abaya and a veil, so it would seem they were just two girls out shopping. These couples would often proceed to the then existing fitting rooms, where they would engage in acts of sexual nature. It seems that this scandalous, and indeed, very haraam* behaviour, became a frequent phenomenon. After a few of these incidents, it was decided that the root of this evil were the changing rooms, as they provided a space with enough privacy for the sinful act of premarital lovemaking. Lo and behold, they were removed from practically every clothing store.
I must stress the fact that this is just something I heard, so I can't be sure that it's the actual truth. It seems bizarre, but very plausible at the same time. After all, anything is possible in a place where sex is considered an extremely taboo subject and sexuality is, consequently, widely oppressed.
That's all for now, just a little fun fact until I can readjust to life in Saudi and start posting regularly. Also, I just added a subscribe field, so if you'd like to follow Hellenic Hijab, all you have to do is submit your e-mail address in the space provided on the top of the sidebar, and you will receive a notification every time a new post is published :)
*Haraam - sinful, a term used to refer to anything that displeases God (Allah) .
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