Tag Archives: women

How Single Ladies DO in Jordan (Yep, There’s Tinder)

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Most people assume single women in the Middle East are — how shall we say this? — stymied; that it’s difficult for them to have a social life, date, or go out at night. In Jordan, at least, people who assume that would be wrong.

WATCH: Ladies’ Night in Amman, Jordan — Not as Tame as You Might Think

Amman by night (Photo: Thinkstock)

On a recent trip to Jordan, I met up with my single friend, Muna Haddad, in the capital city of Amman to hang out on a Friday night. While Muna still lives with her parents (single women do not live alone, not just in the Middle East but in many places in Europe and South America as well), her life is not dissimilar to a single woman’s life in much of the United States. She attends parties, shops, and goes to clubs and (as she is Christian; many Muslims do not drink alcohol) bars.

Related: A Broad Abroad: How to Go Full Local in Jordan

Our first stop was Hashem Falafel, which is so good even the King of Jordan eats here, despite it looking decidedly un-kingly.

Afterwards, we shopped and then headed to Jordan Bar, Jordan’s oldest bar, established in 1945, for a beer and a glass of arak — a traditional Jordanian alcoholic drink that’s clear until it’s mixed with water and turns a milky color. Despite alcohol being labelled a controlled substance, it is still freely served in the country’s many bars and nightclubs.

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So – What’s Life REALLY Like for Women in the Middle East?

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We’ve all seen women in burqas, niqabs, and abayas on the news — but how many do you actually know? And what is it like to wear one all the time?

Thanks to recent events and the advancement of IS, many people in the West see this traditional Islamic dress and cringe. But the truth is the niqab (a veil covering the head and face but not the eyes) has been around for millennia, predating the coming of Muhammad and the founding of Islam.

On my recent trip to Oman, I wanted to answer the question, “What is life really like for women in the Middle East?”

WATCH: Behind the Veil: What Life Is REALLY Like for Women in the Middle East

In Oman, they call the face mask a burqa. Sampta, a very traditional Bedouin woman, helps Froelich test it out. (Andrew Rothschild)

I’ve long been fascinated by that. I was raised in the Midwest, a part of the generation that grew up on Sally Field’s Not Without My Daughter (a movie in which Field’s character has to smuggle her daughter out of Iran because her Iranian husband will not give them permission to leave). In my hometown of Cincinnati, there were no women in burqas or hijabs, and it was completely alien to me.

Related: Did Sinbad Get This Seasick: Hitting the High Seas of Oman

As I grew up and traveled and lived around the world, I started to experience other cultures. But even when I visited places like Iraq, I still rarely had the opportunity to talk with the women behind the masks. I was never able to ask all the questions I had, like: Did you go to university? Do you date? And if you do — how? How do you socialize? Do you have arranged marriages? Can you get a divorce? Can you work after you get married? Do you have rights?

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Faten, young and middle class — very much your everyday Omani woman. (Andrew Rothschild)

Now, clearly there are some women in the Middle East who go to college and have careers; there are female politicians there, of course. But I also know that most of these women are from upper-class families, who have always been educated and tend to live slightly outside the traditional norms.

I wanted to know what everyday life was like for everyday women.

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Nawal, a fashion designer and very modern Omani woman, and Froelich. (Andrew Rothschild)

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Meet Candace: The Girl Cross Dressing Her Way Across Afghanistan

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This is Candace - to local Afghans, Candace looks like a Hazara man. This let Candace get away with a lot. I was a little jealous.

This is Candace – to local Afghans, Candace looks like a Hazara man. This let Candace get away with a lot. I was a little jealous.

One of the reasons I travel are the people I meet along the way. In Afghanistan I met Candace – a 28 year old Australian of Chinese origin – who about a year and a half ago decided to quit work and travel… cross dressing her way across the most volatile region in the world .

“I thought I’d only be gone for about six months but it’s been a year and a half so far,” Candace said. She started in India, made her way through Pakistan, China and into Afghanistan. Along the way, because of her hair and her style of dress, everyone assumed she was a man… which let her get away with a lot more than any woman could have. Candace and I met up at the Afghan Ski Challenge in Bamiyan where she agreed to be videotaped and, after the jump, she tells us what Afghans really think of white people and which tribe members makes the worst husbands:

Related: Avalanches, Death Threats and No Lifts. Welcome to the World’s Most Dangerous Ski Race

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The Biker Girl Gangs Of Marrakech Via NYC

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When I saw the words: “Biker” “girl” “culture” “Morocco” in a headline I immediately assumed someone was playing a drunken game of Mad Libs on me – but no! There really is such a thing and it’s not an oxymoron. Who Knew? You know I love me some Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves shizz so I bring you news of the new exhibit in NYC – Hassan Hajjaj: Kesh Angels at the Taymour Grahne Gallery on Hudson Street – and DAMN is it cool!

According to the brochure:

Marking the artist’s first exhibition in New York, ‘Kesh Angels presents a unique take on the vibrant street culture of Morocco and pays tribute to the biker culture of the young women of Marrakesh in a series of photographs, limited edition objects, an installation, and a video.

Sign me up! Those ladies got some serious street style (and in one pic even look like they’re endorsed by Nike. Now wouldn’t THAT be cool?). This exhibit makes me want to go to Morrocco stat and drag race with some biker ladies – because you know that would be a good time… Go. See. Now. But hurry – it’s only up until March 7. After the jump, more biker ladies:

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Ladies: Thank God Every Day You Weren’t Born A Woman In Mali

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The discarded women of Mali live behind these walls. Photo from Family Care International.

I have mixed feeling towards Mali. I loved my time there and would go back in a heart beat… but. and it’s a big BUT. It’s one of the few countries in the world where female genital mutilation is still widely practiced and is legal. Many countries at least pay lip service and outlaw the practice on the books (it is performed anyway). But at least if it is technically illegal – it can be prosecuted AND when a government publicly proclaims something to be illegal, it is the first step in the permanent eradication against FGM. If FGM is still legal, there is not even a toe hold for the battle to begin.

On my three and a half week journey up the Niger River, we stopped at a small village, miles from any road and days from a major city. A woman who looked to be about 50 [she was 31] came up to me crying, begging and pleading. My interpreter said, “She wants to know if you have medicine. She is sick.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“All women out here have the female cut when they are young. When they get married and have children, there are problems. She is in a lot of pain. If something doesn’t happen she will be turned out.”

TURNED OUT. As in – you are no good to your husband anymore so get the hell out. The “lucky” ones end up at the Fistule hospital in Mopti, where the women and some of their children have a roof over their head and access to food. The unlucky ones just disappear.

This shop next to the Fistule home is how the women make money to eat. Photo from the Catholic Relief Services.

The hospital – which is really more of a “retirement home” for women past their prime (read: anyone who has had complications due to an unsanitary and brutal cut)  is a few blocks from the port of Mopti and the courtyard is full of discarded women and their children. Next to the mud walled courtyard is a small metal shop which sells jewelry and trinkets made by the women in an attempt to get money to eat and pay their rent at the home (because yeah – it ain’t free).

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