Saudis are debating whether women should wear jackets

The abaya is compulsory in the kingdom

It is about women's morality, some claim

Others think its just about fashion

by Rosie Alfatlawi

As the world praises Saudi advances on women’s rights, some in the ultra-conservative kingdom are still arguing over whether they should be allowed to wear coats.

Saudi Arabia’s second city of Jeddah may still be recovering from devastating floods last week, but the right to winter clothing is still for debate.

Hashtag “yes to jackets over abayas” has taken off as Saudis heatedly discuss the religious and moral intricacies of the issue.

Along with laws restricting women’s freedom of movement and right to an independent existence, Saudi enforces strict public dress codes for women.

The hijab head covering and the black, loose-fitting full-body abaya are compulsory under the Gulf state’s conservative interpretation of Islamic law.

“The black abaya was made to cover women's “decoration,’” tweeted @Jk0M19. “So if you wear a jacket full of decoration on top of it, what is the point of the abaya?”

She added the Qur’anic verse "Do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance" from Surat al-Ahzab.

It was even suggested that the phenomenon was a sign of the spread of “corruption” in society. The “poor” Saudi woman has “become a cheap product and an experiment for any Western and secular project,” wrote @abdalah506.

Others made general comments about how a woman’s clothes reflect the “manliness of her husband” and the “upbringing by her father and brother.”

One startling claim in particular gained 256 retweets: “A girl asked her father what parts of her body she should hide and what parts she should reveal. He responded: expose as much of your body as you can handle the fires of hell.”

Before being hijacked by debate about morality, the hashtag had started off as women encouraging each other to embrace their “personal freedom” and “most importantly, keep warm.”

It came in response to one tweet saying: “Girls, whatever happens do not wear a jacket on top of your abaya.”

While Saudi Arabia might be known for its desert and scorching temperatures, as the Middle East enters winter temperatures in some parts are reaching single figures.

#نعم_للجاكيت_فوق_العبايه

It is our right to wear what we want

and let me hear your cries pic.twitter.com/gldsgTCJbh — Leda and the swan (@LedaSwan4) November 26, 2017

“When I wear a jacket and put the abaya on top, this is what I look like,” tweeted @Really1100. “It’s fine on top or underneath, the most important thing is we don’t get cold.”

#نعم_للجاكيت_فوق_العبايه انا جاكيتي علي والبس فوقها العبايه يصير شكلي وعادي فوقها او تحتها اهم شي مانبرد pic.twitter.com/1VT5um0yPq — اخت ساره (@Really1100) November 26, 2017

“The question that poses itself is: what is the problem if the jacket is on top of the abaya?” added @wkhjwlh84. “Seriously, what’s the problem? The weather is cold and we’re not going to abandon the abaya.”

Women blasted the later intervention of men in the discussion, which had previously centered mostly on fashion concerns.

Men trying to involve themselves into what women wear please stfu .. #نعم_للجاكيت_فوق_العبايه — Rakeza (@Rakezawrakeza) November 26, 2017

“I mean, you wear fur or a jacket over your thobe and we aren't allowed?” wrote @su5rya_0 addressing male Saudis. “I'm going to keep warm and your looks and styles don't concern me.”

In recent months Saudi Arabia has made headlines for allowing women to drive for the first time and loosening its restrictive male guardianship system. Social conservatism remains prevalent, however, with images of women publicly revealing their hair or legs routinely sparking controversy among its considerable Twitter community.