is it acceptable to wear sandles in Dubai?
Saturday, August 28th, 2010Me and my husband are going to Dubai in October and I want to know if it’s acceptable to wear sandles with my feet exposed or should my feet be covered?
I know it’s not necessary but I want to cover in proper islamic dress and wear Hijab when I’m out there, but I’m uncertain about covering my feet.
Yes, sandles are fine. Even the Emirati women wear open shoes under their abayas.
Western women are not required to wear an abaya while in the UAE, however if you want to do so you should be ok. If wearing Western clothing, the Emiratis ask that clothing is modest and covers shoulders to knees. Recently some female tourists have been literally ‘red carded’ in public by security guards for wearing immodest clothing, and asked to go and change into something that is more attuned to local sentiment. You should also note that locals are very sensitive about public displays of affection. Married couples may hold hands, but that is the limit. A British couple were recently arrested for indecent behaviour (kissing) in a restaurant. They appealed the sentence imposed, and lost that one too.