Why do I wear Abaya

My friends ask me, why do I wear "Abaya" in Oman, when I am fully westernized in the US? I say, I wear it out of respect and for respect.

Respect for my family and friends, mostly for the elderly. My father for example understood that he couldn’t force me or intimidate me to do anything I don’t believe in. He accepted his fate to have a daughter like me. But then I felt compelled to meet him half way, to preserve what he perceived as "dignity" (and what I call “ego” ) before his family and friends. So when at his presence I always wore a scarf and Abaya.

On the other hand, I noticed many Omanis have more respect for Omani ladies that wear Abaya than for those that don’t, or at least they show more respect. This behavior reminds me of the blacks' culture in the US. If you are an African American in the US you'd better act like one, you are otherwise perceived to be rejecting your African American culture. Like blacks in the US, Omanis in Oman, are super sensitive.

It takes an emotionally matured and secure individual to understand that what I wear as an Omani does not add or subtract from his/her Omani identity or Islamic beliefs.
Until we get to that level of maturity I wear my Abaya in Oman . . . with all due respect!