Foreign policy and business experts have this endless celebratory fascination with Dubai, as if building a Las Vegas in the middle of an Islamic theocracy wasn't straightforwardly moronic. This is a country where pregnant women who lose their babies in traffic accidents get rung up for blood money, because how dare they be seen out of the house when they're pregnant?

Or, more broadly, how dare they be seen at all?

All female staff at Dubai Bank, Muslim and non-Muslim, must wear a shailah (head scarf) and abaya (black cloak covering the whole body) starting this Ramadan... A memo sent to staff on Thursday says the bank has decided that all Muslim and non-Muslim female staff must wear a shailah and abaya... all female employees must wear a shailah and abaya regardless of their religion. "Our bank is Islamic and must follow Sharia in all respects, which will satisfy our clients," he said. While the decision takes effect beginning first of Ramadan, it has become a rule and part of the dress code for female employees at all times.

The delightful thing about this theocratic micro-fascism is that it applies even to non-Muslim women. I'd talk about what an outrage it is to force Jewish women in Dubai to cover themselves in traditionally Muslim garb, but I think we all know the flaw in that argument.

References:
* Goodbye Dubai [Smashing Telly]
* UAE fines mother over baby death [BBC]
* Dubai Bank says all female staff must wear abayas [Muslims Against Sharia]

Previously:
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Iran Has Legal Slavery And Rape Of Prepubescent Girls. They Call It "Temporary Marriage".
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - If You Commit Adultery You Only Have To Serve 11 Years In Prison (Your Lover, Though, Still Has To Die)
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - If You Have An Affair In Pakistan Your Husband Will Feed You To Dogs, Kill You, And Then Marry Three Prepubescent Girls From Your Lover's Family