“It is not of Islam,” she whispered to me, “It is required by the culture here, not by religion. But I cannot say so, because that would be ‘aeeb [shameful].” My Yemeni professor was referring to the balto and niqab, two pieces of attire that Yemeni women don every time they leave the home. In public it is necessary for the women to wear the balto (a shapeless, black robe-like garment also known as an abaya), a hijab (a head scarf covering the hair,) and a niqab (a black veil covering the entire face, leaving two slits for the eyes). Only the woman’s eyes and sometimes the hands (if she is not wearing gloves) and the faintest outline of a human shape are visible. But despite disagreement about whether the balto and niqab are required by the culture or religion, the Yemenis do not debate this topic. Those who believe the balto/niqab are not religious requirements do not voice their opinions because they do not want to be seen as impious by the majority of Yemenis who believe that the balto and niqab are required by Islam.
It is important to note two things about this situation. The first is the conservative nature of Yemeni society, and the second is how society and Islam are intertwined. The nature of male-female relations demonstrates the conservative character of Yemeni society. Men and women have their separate domains: the man in the outside world and the woman in the home. Women are generally not outside of their homes after 6:00 p.m. When a woman does go out, it is rare to see her walking alone in the street; more often she is accompanied by a male relative, children, or at least other women. At a music concert men and women in the audience are separated by four rows of empty chairs. It is rude for a man to even mention, much less ask about the health of his friend’s wife. Even a son calling his mother does not inquire about his sisters, but rather tells his mother only to wish his brothers well. Such barriers between men and women are believed in and supported by many, both women and men. My Yemeni friend explained to me the idea originally behind such division was to maintain the privacy and honor of women. The honor and modesty of women is believed to be a central tenet of Islam. As such, the majority of Yemenis interpret this to mean wearing the balto and niqab is part of a woman’s duty as a Muslim. The idea, Yemenis have told me, is that a woman is supposed to respect a man’s feelings by hiding her ability to seduce him. In return, men should not bother [harass] her but respect her.
Even non-Muslim Yemenis generally don the balto. In fact, women I met and talked to on the street told me it would be better for me, a non-Muslim, to wear the balto and hijab (but not the niqab, which is reserved for Muslims only). Then I would be seen as more respectable. My male Yemeni professors told me that wearing the balto made women more beautiful, whatever their religion. This emphasizes the high esteem people accord to Islam within their society.
It also demonstrates how this religious belief has become a cultural value. There are a few Yemenis, generally upper-class, who see the balto/niqab as required by culture only, not Islam. They tend to believe their society was (or has grown) conservative and the practice of Islam has been shaped around already formed beliefs, not vice-versa. The general agreement is that while the professed idea behind the balto is well-meaning, in fact it is a distortion of the original intention to protect women. Yet they do not voice their opinion because it is not prudent to do so.
To question the balto and niqab would appear impious to the majority of Yemenis. At this point, cultural and religious reasons for the balto/niqab have become intertwined. The sources are mutually reinforcing reasons for maintaining such conservative attire. Piety and especially adherence to Islam are among the most highly prized characteristics for the majority of Yemenis. Such an intense focus on maintaining commitment to Islam influences the culture to uphold more conservative values, especially in the face of Saudi influence, and in reaction against a perceived corrupting Western influence. Such conservative values in society in turn encourage a more conservative interpretation of Islam. Thus the vast majority of Yemenis believe in the balto and niqab; the few who do not tend to remain silent.
