http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=96980&d=3&m=6&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Sunday, 3, June, 2007 (17, Jumada al-Ula, 1428)
Forcing Maids to Wear Veil
Najah Alosaimi, Arab News
Some women feel that a maid walking outside without a veil attracts
the attention of men. (AN photo)
RIYADH, 3 June 2007 - The scene of a veiled maid walking with a Saudi
family in public is a familiar one. It is also a normal scene when we consider
how the veil and religion are closely associated with most Saudis.
Veils constitute an important component of dress for many women in the
Kingdom, where it is considered a sign of feminine modesty. Interestingly,
non-Muslim maids that work for conservative Muslim families are also obliged by
their sponsors to wear veils in public. However, these women are not required
to do so when at home and among the family's menfolk.
The reasons why some housewives tend to require their maids to wear veils
vary according to the family. Some feel that a maid walking outside without a
veil attracts the attention of men. They feel that veiling their maids protects
them from annoying flirters.
Laila Al-Hilali, a Saudi researcher, referred to a contradiction in the
way that some families oblige their maids to wear veils in public and ignore
other "priorities." "A maid's appearance in public attracts the attention of
the families they work for, who tend to ignore other serious issues such as how
committed the maid is to her work, or how she treats the kids when the parents
are away," said Al-Hilali.
Some housewives also force their maids to wear the veil. At a kid's
funfair, an Asian maid who was taking care of some children could not stop
asking other maids if her refusal to wear a veil would lead her to being sent
to jail. She said that her employer gave her an abaya as soon as she arrived at
the airport and told her she was not allowed to take it off in public.
Shariah expert Dr. Suhaila Zain Al-Abedin, told Arab News that the
Kingdom's domestic work force make up a quarter of the expatriates living in
the Kingdom. "This huge work force needs to be educated about our culture,
society, religion and the whole point of hijab, which is a symbol of modesty
and has been prescribed to protect women from molestation in public. Women have
never been forced to wear it," she said.
"A maid should be treated like a human being by her employers, not like a
slave. She should be given the freedom to choose if she really wishes to wear
the hijab without being obliged... Housewives must treat their maids with
respect and not terrify them. This may lead them to hurt their employers," she
added.
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