JEDDAH, 18 June 2007 — You’d think by now people would have figured out that Saudi authorities are on to the whole “dress up in an abaya to evade police” strategy. The ruse is so obvious that most people should be smart enough to realize Saudi cops aren’t that dumb.
But still they try and they think they’re being clever by covering up in the abaya, that ubiquitous full-body cover worn by so many Khaleeji women, in the hope that the authorities don’t, for example, ask them a question and expect an answer that will, in most cases (except perhaps Michael Jackson) reveal a manly voice from behind the veil.
So the latest failed attempt for men to cross-dress into anonymity comes from a highway checkpoint leading into Jeddah from the south. The highway patrol grew suspicious on Saturday night when two young men in the front seat seemed to be sweating bullets, nervous about something. In the back seat sat four hooded figures.
For those that may not be aware: When a cop stops you in Saudi Arabia and you have women in the vehicle, you’re just as likely to be asked for proof of relationship to the women than you are for proof of insurance. The highway patrol asked the two men for their family ID cards while another officers began questioning the veiled figures in the back seat.
Long story short: The police decided that the reason why the “lady” speaking with such a husky voice didn’t have anything to do with laryngitis, but rather because she was a he pulling the old “dress in an abaya” trick along with three other dudes.
The men were Yemeni illegal migrants who had paid the two men in the front seat to transport them to Jeddah. All six were arrested at the checkpoint, leaving the highway patrol officers with an interesting story to tell their families when they got home.
