<p>If studying abroad in the Middle East (Israel, Egypt), should women wear headscarves or something to cover their hair?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Depends on the country. You won’t need to in Israel, Jordan or Egypt, and i doubt you’d need to in the UAE, Lebanon or Syria. Just dress modestly and you should be fine.</p>
<p>if you’re in israel, its a normal country, so you are fine.</p>
<p>the rest… you should probably wear a headscarf</p>
<p>you as an American would NOT wear a headscarf…my d is currently in the middle east - dresses modestly - mostly slacks -but no headscarf . it would be an affectation for you to wear a headscarf if that is not your culture…
if you are going abroad and already know your program, see if there is a facebook group for that program for the current group - that might help you see what the Americans wear.</p>
<p>I find that quite offensive and im not even Arab. What do you mean by a ‘normal country’? Have you ever actually been to the Middle East?</p>
<p>yes, I have been to the middle east</p>
<p>Well then you should know you won’t need to wear a headscarf anywhere but Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. Many places in the Middle East are decidedly more diverse, multi-cultural and tolerant than you give them credit for.</p>
<p>you don’t need to wear a headscarf in any of the gulf countries except saudi arabia. i’ve lived in oman last semester and know that you will not have to wear one. if you will be going to kuwait, qatar, bahrain, or the UAE, you do not need to. as mentioned above, just dress modestly.</p>
<p>Oman, really? A BBC documentary i watched recently showed the presenter, who was travelling through the country, being confronted for not wearing one. It was in a very rural part of the country however.</p>
<p>In the cities you will hardly need a headscarve anywhere. saudi arabia and currently yemen being the exceptions. i remember for example a lot of unimaginably short skirts in lebanon. dress conservative in more rural areas or traditional quarters</p>
<p>Is it safe for Americans to learn in this region at the moment?</p>
<p>I think it is…in some places at least. Many areas in this region are American-friendly; you just have to watch out for some places, i think.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who answered!</p>
<p>Just for clarification: I get that I will have to dress modestly, and would not need a headscarf in most areas. What about strong religious areas (i.e. Jerusalem)?</p>
<p>And are women looked down upon for NOT wearing a headscarf? </p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>they will generally cut western women some slack. though you will get some hisses and inappropriate behaviour if traveling alone in many places. just dont put up with that cr*p if you speak some arabic.</p>
<p>“Strong religious areas” is a term thats hard to define 
generally big cities, even if they have some holy sights, are far more liberal. Jerusalem for example has so many tourists that they are used to it. Generally speaking: the more rural the more cover. Also be more conservative in areas controlled by religious militias.
Ofcourse thats different for religious buildings where you will have to conform with the norm.</p>
<p>@pacboy
Americans would have no real problems with any country except for rural yemen, the syrian officials and parts of hezbollah and hamas. Just try to use some common sense when picking where you go. I know americans in almost every country in the maghreb and ME and generally the attitude is very friendly - until there is problems with Israel which again is transfered back onto the US.
Generally I would advise US-citz to study in the more liberal areas: Morocco, Cairo, Beirut or Israel</p>
<p>Israel is pretty westernized so no headscarves. The only headscarves on women you’d see in Israel are married ultra-Orthodox women and more observant Arab women. Otherwise, completely unnecessary.</p>
<p>If you’re planning to travel to Jerusalem, I’d recommend showing up in modest clothes anyway so you don’t have to worry about walking in <em>wrong</em> neighborhoods. There are places within the Old City where dress is actually enforced (indirectly or directly).</p>
<p>If you are not Muslim and not going to Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Yemen, you should not wear a headscarf. Many Middle Eastern women consider their hijabs signs of their religious devotion, and it is offensive for you to wear it if you are not Muslim.</p>
<p>Besides, if you are very obviously not Arab, you will get more stares, I guarantee it.</p>
<p>BTW, to clarify: dressing modestly means that you should wear loose clothes that cover your entire lower body and sleeves at least to your elbow (“very modest” means your entire arm should be covered). In the West it’s not a big deal if your shirt is a little short and your lower back shows a little when you bend over; here it’s considered the height of immodesty. You will see Middle Eastern women dressed much less modestly than this; they attract a lot of attention, and not the good kind. As a foreigner and especially a Westerner, you should keep a low profile, and that means covering up.</p>
<p>Beirut is an exception to this, but I completely LOL at the assertion that because Beirut is more liberal it is “safer” for Westerners to study abroad in. Lebanon nowadays generally seems safe, but can get VERY ugly VERY fast–in the summer of 2006 my university had to airlift students out of Beirut.</p>
<p>i know Egypt, Israel, and Jordan You really don’t need to.
I know plenty of people who live there without the headscarves</p>