ABAYA- At what age do girls have to start to wear abaya?

typically adolescent ... but some start'em early...

have to sharia  or have to culturally?

In terms of sharia.   I have a 11 old daughter who looks like 9.  I'm sure she wouldn't want to wear one.   She's full blooded California girl.   I'm just dreading telling her that at some point she will have to wear one.   But wanted to know if she would have to wear one right off the plane at the airport.

trailblazingdoc wrote:

In terms of sharia.   I have a 11 old daughter who looks like 9.  I'm sure she wouldn't want to wear one.   She's full blooded California girl.   I'm just dreading telling her that at some point she will have to wear one.   But wanted to know if she would have to wear one right off the plane at the airport.

it's better...trust me, many pervs out there....

nice question bro
if she start to look like a grown up girl .
between 12 -14 i think

Tell her it's just playing dress up, and that she'll feel uncomfortable with people staring at her all the time, that she'd really prefer to fit in rather than always feel the outsider.

the reason why abaya is a must for women, girls is to avoid unpleasant gaze from men.  for her protection. as mentioned above....there are pervs around not only here but other countries as well.

follow the rules in this country. just like you followed the rules in your country.

just curious, what's a full bloodied california girl?

i'm a straight cali girl and i wore my abayah in cali - that is because I'm muslim and I have to cover. Shariah indicates that a woman must cover when she gets her flow because this indicates that she can have children transitioning her from a girl to a woman

rareshine wrote:

i'm a straight cali girl and i wore my abayah in cali - that is because I'm muslim and I have to cover. Shariah indicates that a woman must cover when she gets her flow because this indicates that she can have children transitioning her from a girl to a woman

dude ur a woman! damn...learn something new errday!

My 6 year old wanted one to have so she now has one. Puberty is the age most expat girls start having to wear them. I tutor a 12 year old who wears one when she is out & she is tall but is not quite at puberty. I'd say at 11 she might need to wear it, but you could get her blue or gray instead of black...

the beauty of the religion is that we were taught to look down or cover our eyes when there is uncovered woman. also women were taught to cover  their body, by using abaya. it is for protection.

in america or other countries, parents thinks its ok that other men are oogling at their women or girls. here, it is forbidden. so follow the rules in this country for your (your whole family) protection.

i apologize for the word 'oogle'  but i'm just stating reality.

mannyd wrote:

just curious, what's a full bloodied california girl?

Well for one thing, CA is known for sunny weather.  So people dress accordingly.

mannyd wrote:

the beauty of the religion is that we were taught to look down or cover our eyes when there is uncovered woman. also women were taught to cover  their body, by using abaya. it is for protection.

in america or other countries, parents thinks its ok that other men are oogling at their women or girls. here, it is forbidden. so follow the rules in this country for your (your whole family) protection.

i apologize for the word 'oogle'  but i'm just stating reality.

The question was out of respect and to abide by it.  Otherwise, the question would be moot.  I'm not gonna go around judging other's customs.  I am South Korean by blood before becoming US citizen and Korea has in the past had similar custom.  Women had of respectable class had to cover everything from head to toe except for their eyes when they go out.  During the old times, boy and a girl aged 7 or older couldn't even sit in a same room.  Of course, that's all changed now with the influence of western culture.  But I am not a stranger to such customs.  I just wanted to know so that I can ease my girl into the culture as she's only known US all her life.

mannyd wrote:

the beauty of the religion is that we were taught to look down or cover our eyes when there is uncovered woman. also women were taught to cover  their body, by using abaya. it is for protection.

in america or other countries, parents thinks its ok that other men are oogling at their women or girls. here, it is forbidden. so follow the rules in this country for your (your whole family) protection.

i apologize for the word 'oogle'  but i'm just stating reality.

yea unfortunately 90 % of the men "oogle" at women wearing abaya...including myself. and those eyes...oh god...don't get me started ..

Been harrased and ogled more here while wearing an abaya than I ever was in the US & I lived in Las Vegas for 11 years!

trailblazingdoc definitely find a cotton abaya for her and your wife as the heat while wearing one can become unbearable.  Your daughter (not your wife) being young could leave hers open (many girls do in Jeddah at least). I often have shorts and tank tops under mine so that I can have very light layers on underneath to help with the heat of wearing one.

stressedmom wrote:

Been harrased and ogled more here while wearing an abaya than I ever was in the US & I lived in Las Vegas for 11 years!

THIS!!!!.....

stressedmom wrote:

Been harrased and ogled more here while wearing an abaya than I ever was in the US & I lived in Las Vegas for 11 years!

Yeah....   Some of the posts about oogling eyes is a bit hard to relate to as that really isn't the case here in US.   I guess if men live in a setting where they don't get to see much of skin it's all in their imagination.  Often sexual perversion is more rampant in a society that represses it.   Anyway when in Rome...

Thanx for the recommendation.  I was quite worried about the heat issue also.  I grew up in Palm Springs, CA which is probably the only US city hotter than Saudi and know what it's like to live in extreme climate.   I certainly wouldn't have survived if I were to have to cover head to toe with black garment.

Actually Las Vegas & Jeddah are fairly similar in temp in the heat of the summer, but Vegas doesn't have the humidity....

stressedmom wrote:

Actually Las Vegas & Jeddah are fairly similar in temp in the heat of the summer, but Vegas doesn't have the humidity....

and Jeddah doesn't have casinos, strippers, clubs, etc "openly"