Women Adjust to University Life in Oman

By Ernet Sipes - Al-Fanar. The young women who attend A’Sharqiyah University in Oman wear black abayas, an obligatory custom in this conservative country at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf.
Occasionally, however, a gust of wind reveals a glimpse of a colorful dress or Western-style blue jeans and high heels under the black cloak.
The fashion clash is a metaphor for what’s happening at A’Sharqiyah and a host of other universities that have sprung up in recent years in Oman under a plan to educate young women for free. More...