Saudi women can change the color of their hijab and wear a blue, green or white one, or whichever color they feel suits their mood and the hot climate in the Kingdom. They are not obligated to wear a black hijab all the time. There is nothing in the Shariah which states that a hijab must be black. However, the majority of Saudi women are used to wearing a black hijab. It has become a tradition, a part of their culture. Some men and women tend to be very strict about their interpretation of the Shariah and as a result, they sometimes invent things that are not mentioned in it. When a female member of the Shoura Council recently attended a session wearing a colored hijab, some people became angry and attempted to interpret her choice of hijab in a number of different ways. Many people wonder if Saudi women wear black hijabs because it is part of their religion or because it is a traditional part of their culture. In my opinion, the more important question is: How do some men view women wearing a hijab and an abaya? There is a certain type of man who only views women from a sexual perspective and as a sex object. Those men are superficial. All they care about is the flesh beneath the abaya and hijab. The way those men look at women reflects the type of character they have. Other men look at women as human beings who deserve their due respect, and this reflects the type of character they have. It is said that a wise man was once asked his opinion of those men who regard women as shoes, meaning that women are like shoes which can be changed until the right size is found. The wise man said a man who views a woman in this way is a man who views himself as a foot. A man who views a woman as a crown is a man who views himself as a king. When a man voices an opinion about a woman, we should first look at how this man views himself.
