Man lift’s his wife’s veil to look at her face for the first time, after 30 years of marriage. She storms off and wants a divorce. Here.
Those wacky Saudis!
This is a cultural thing of a minority of Saudis, but you can’t get much better than this as an explanation of why Saudi society is so conservative or why we in the West would see it as extremely odd or even completely fucked up.
I repeat, this is NOT Islam, nor does the article imply that it is. It is very clearly stated that this is a minority cultural practice.
I value other societies and their cultural folkways and mores but this is one I really find odd - I know this is not Islam, but to look at one’s face seems to me so important so fundamental. To cover the face you were given for your lifetime…To my western mind, it’s sad.
You know what? The existence of this minority practice just turned my whole notion of the veiling practice on its ear. I thought the whole point was that only the husband is supposed to see her face, and the veil was a way of protecting his exclusive rights. Apparently it doesn’t work that way in at least one place in Arabia.
I wonder what this woman thinks of the many Muslim women who cover the head and neck but leave the face uncovered.
The article does not mention if she is hot or not. She is obviously a ninja based on the pictures. I can understand why she doesn’t want her identity revealed. What I fail to understand is why she wants a divorce instead of giving him a death touch.
Is there a ninja equivalent to the Vulcan mind meld? That would be good…
I find I can’t comment on this–it is so outside my experience that I cannot wrap my head around someone not seeing someone else’s face for 30 years. I find it vaguely repellent; inhuman, really. What is the reason for this? What possible purpose can it serve?
Yeah, joking about the BJs and the kissing, but worse…
If he hasn’t seen his own wife’s face, EVER, even after THIRTY YEARS of marriage - the most intimate personal relationship… Has he ever seen ANY part of her?
A nurse friend worked in Saudi several years ago. One of her duties was to teach new moms about breast feeding. She and several women were in a room. Since everyone in the room was female, the women had their faces uncovered. An American doctor walked in without knocking. :rolleyes:
All of the women pulled their shirts over their faces, exposing their breasts.
The doctor left quickly, with apologies.
Afterward, my friend asked why they had done that. They said if they passed the doctor on the street, even with a veil, he might recognize their faces, but he would never have the opportunity to recognize their breasts.