MOE news, colorful abayas

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  • The Ministry of Education has started investigating a school incident where a public high school teacher made his students play a theatrical scene representing detailed postmortem procedures like how to wash a dead person, cover him, and then laid him to rest. In other news, the ministry issued on Wednesday a circular to all schools in the Kingdom ordering that no music or dancing be allowed during upcoming graduation celebration, which must take place in the morning within the last three weeks of the academic year, and that no cameras should be allowed in schools. Last week I attended my brother graduation ceremony from intermediate school (that’s junior high for you American folks). The celebration took place at night, there was no dancing, and the music was “Islamic” aka nasheed. There were hundreds of cameras, including a video crew brought in by the school itself. Below is a video I took during the graduation:

  • Out of the 198 members of FIFA, only 32 countries can play in the World Cup in football (that’s soccer for you American folks) every four years. Saudi Arabia did not make it to the tournament that will take place in South Africa and starts on Friday. This, of course, will not stop business owners of trying to make money on the occasion anyway they can, including selling World Cup themed abayas. Non-black abayas was one of the topics which appeared in that now infamous MTV video. Speaking of such nonconformist abayas, Khalaf al-Harbi wrote a hilarious article earlier this week on Okaz about the Blue Abaya Controversy.

6 thoughts on “MOE news, colorful abayas”

  1. I think the idea of letting a student do a theatrical scene representing detailed postmortem procedures is kinnda weird!!
    I read on a newletter few days ago about a school that is carrying out actor – pretending to be dead. They became obessessive with the dead thingie! according to the news letter the aim of that was to remind them that they are going to die eventully!!
    about gradution parties
    1- no music
    2- day tim only
    3- no cams
    !!!!!!!!
    that is not a party at all !!
    how about canceling celebrations and stick wth reminding ppl of death instead!?

  2. since i read about that scene in the newspaper i havent been able to stop thinking about what sort of mindset would think this appropriate on any level? the teacher probably had to consult with other teachers and the principle before putting on that show, how did ALL these people think NOTHING was wrong with that?!
    i live in the same country that made those people think it’s ok to wrap a student up and pretend he’s dead. not keeping in mind the psychological harm resulting from that! that boy might never wear white again, might hate ba5oor, hate quraan, hate religion as a whole and they’d have created a theophobic individual. Everyone needs more of those in an Islamic country where he could get killed!

  3. This “pedagogical technique” sounds like one I should add to the list my profs and now colleagues use and which I intend to publish about some day when it won’t totally flambee my career. Let’s just say sado-masochistic comes to mind, as does identification with the aggressor, and just plain all round stupid ie low IQ and especially low EQ.

    Depending on the student this could be devastating to the target and to those forced into complicity, all for a skill set better learned in an age appropriate way in a supportive family environment.

    Hopefully the investigation will be thorough an include a serious action plan.

    Thanks for sharing a glimpse of the graduation, and congratulations to your brother! Looks very non-haram a celebration to me. :)

    Hmmm the google Arabish is rather…confusing, but it seems as if the law is less concerned about coloured abayas except for those breaking Valentine’s Day laws (!) (I was expecting something more political, like white abayas with red dripping blood marks in protest of something; or flag themed abayas etc), and more concerned about fit, and surviving the climate (ie non-black).

    The author seems to believe the sight of a light grey abaya heralds the arrival of blue, yellow, and pistachio coloured abayas, to which I say, seems like a nice combination of colours for a single abaya, but then again, maybe not on national peacock day or whatever. :)

    • The Moroccan state channel 2M (free in Morocco) will be able to show one match live, maybe other state channels will show selected matches. Not the same access to all of it free, I realize, but maybe worth the search.

      OR come to Canada and see it free in English, or French. I’m thinking the Telelatino (Spanish, and maybe Italian) coverage will be the best given the “affection” (read craziness) for the sport in Latin America, and it is part of most basic cable packages.

      Not so good for those who want their commentary in Arabic, I realize. Or with a specific Arabic accent. (Hockey coverage with a European accent is…well…inadvertently amusing).

      I hope you have satellite access to AlJazeera! :)

  5. Whats up with this Blue Abaya controversy?
    My abaya is blue, and I wear it in Riyadh!Mafi mushkila so far..
    If I find any other color will definately get it!!Is there a law that says it has to be black?
    check my blog blueabaya.blogspot.com :)

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