By now most people have seen the video of an Egyptian actress being told off by Emirati women for allegedly walking out of the changing room in her underwear. Despite being cut off from some social media sources even I had the pleasure of a private screening and being dragged into a discussion about what is or is not appropriate attire in the public places and how to let people know that they are dressed inappropriately.
First of all I do not believe that filming this kind of conversation and then blasting it on social media in order to shame this actress is in line with Emirati or Islamic customs. If there is any thing I have learnt from Emirati tradition it is that if you see something that is not right or someone behaving in an inappropriate manner you try to talk to them in a way that does not bring attention to them publicly, and that you find a way to politely advise them and move on.
Even if these Emirati women felt frustrated by the fact that the woman ignored their initial calls for modesty and continued to disrespect them, publicly shaming an individual, especially a woman, seems counter to the initial goal of engendering respect and modesty in the public sphere.
Although I am the kind of person who rarely has an issue with what people wear, I do understand why others might take offence. While travelling around the world, there were many places were I had to be mindful of certain dress codes that I wouldn’t have known about without research.
I do not spend much of my leisure time in malls and was reminded by my sister that there is a dress code that is clearly stated on the entrance of most malls. I think all things considered it’s fair to ask people to respect this dress code. I think that if a concerned citizen wants to take it upon him- or herself to inform someone that they are not respecting the modesty codes, then they should do this assuming the person is not purposefully being disrespectful. I think that people are more likely to be receptive to a gentle reminder than an all-out attack. This needs to be done in tandem with better education about what is or is not acceptable attire. This could include the more active participation of malls, hotels, travel agencies or tourism authorities.
In 2012 the subject of how people dressed became a heated debate as the #UAEDressCode campaign took off.
Started by two Emirati women, the campaign tried to use social media to promote the local culture and educate foreigners on what they believe is appropriate attire in public spaces in the UAE. Yet even with a campaign like that not everyone agrees on what is or isn’t appropriate. I have many friends who fear that campaigns such as these might try to impose uniforms or impose laws that are counter to the tolerant approach the UAE has normally adopted.
This almost happened a few years back when the FNC agreed to recommend a federal law to the Cabinet, which if passed would have enforced a dress code in public places. While the justification for such a law was that some European countries had banned the headscarf in certain places, I find the reasoning problematic as I do not think that we should be emulating anything that infringed on people’s freedom of expression or religion and disproportionality targeted Muslim women.
The idea that modesty should apply to everyone: local, resident and tourist, is important. I think that the UAE has already done a really good job of trying to balance the local culture all the while embracing the 200 nationalities that live here and make up over 80 per cent of the residents. I think the best way for Emiratis to try to spread their idea of modesty is by embodying it and being able to engage people instead of shunning or shaming them. This should not just be reflected in the way that we dress, but also in the way that we behave and carry ourselves, whether it is publicly or privately.
Fatima Al Shamsi is a globetrotting Emirati foodie, film buff and football fanatic