Filipino women are reminded not to dress revealing summer wear after two of them were reprimanded by authorities last week for sporting flirty get ups in public. This warning came from Federation of Filipino Workers Worldwide (FFWW) which received a report about the case of two Filipino women who were confronted by authorities after they were seen wearing skimpy shorts and halter tops at a mall and on the street near the accommodation. “We remind our female compatriots that they are working in a Muslim country which is conservative on their culture. We should be discreet enough not to abuse their hospitality to us,” said Noli Perez, FFWW chairman. Perez called on Filipino women to wear decent attires even when they are just strolling around to any public places in the city to avoid getting provocative attention particularly among men. FFWW’s caution came in the heels of another advisory from the US Embassy in Qatar telling its citizens living and working in the country against wearing revealing and “provocative” clothes. Concerned over the report, a female spokesperson of the Filipino Community Organisations Alliance (FILCOA) said the incident has encouraged her to push for an advocacy campaign to all groups of the community particularly about dress code for women that would not be an affront to the customs and traditions of Arab people. Cristina Mariñas, FILCOA spokesperson, said she would coordinate with a Filipino Muslim group based at Fanar Islamic Center at the Souq Area for the continuous basic orientation on laws, rules and regulation of the Qatari government for Filipino women to be aware of. “We should respect the culture of their country. We are here to work and earn a living and it is just proper enough not to bring here our modern westernized influence back in our country,” she said. A Filipino Muslim leader also agreed with the calls. Dawud Turla, chairman of Philippine Islamic Kibla Association in Qatar (PIKAQ), said the respect of women’s right and their well-being is not recognised by being modernised with alluring dresses. “Both the Holy Quran and the Bible taught us that women should not show the shape of their bodies to avoid getting the attention in the eyes of men,” Turla said. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=July2009&file=Local_News2009072315616.xml

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