People without faces?

There is a slightly odd phenomenon that exists  in The Land of Sand. The reason for it is completely beyond me.

I have absolutely no issues with the rules and traditions of Islam and will never try to push the boundaries or question the rules here, partly because I am terrified of the consequences of doing so but mostly because I am a visitor in this country and need to show respect in a land not my own.

There are very strict censorship laws in Saudi Arabia. Magazines, books, music, websites and the like are all heavily censored. Nothing quite like being a breastfeeding mother with a serious bout of mastitis and not being able to google any kind of medical information regarding the issue as your search contains the word ‘breast’. 

You also aint gonna find a Cosmo, Heat or even Marie Claire magazine on the shelves here. The magazines that are allowed into the country, regularly have pages torn out of them. The typical photo of a woman in a fragrance advertisement with a low-cut dress is a big no-no so as a result one might buy a women’s’ magazine and find that it is falling apart because so many pages have been ripped out. Alternatively, someone has sat and coloured over the exposed skin in a photo with a black marker. It is always coloured very neatly and the rest of the outfit is left in pristine condition! How long do you think that must take? I can just imagine a whole department of men sitting  in a government office somewhere in the “censorship department” colouring in woman’s bodies all day, for a living.

My absolute favorite are the adverts containing women in bathing suits. Here is one such ad:

Don’t you love the ladies in their bikini’s with wetsuits underneath? Must have been a really cold day, although the guys seem to be coping okay with the temperature.

I understand the underlying reasons why some websites are blocked, books banned or music confiscated. Anything of a sexual nature is considered offensive to the religion and I respect that it be banned from a country that is the Home of Islam.

But this is the thing that I find particularly strange:

This is a large image in a storefront window in a mall. I am stumped as to why she has lost her face and arms. As a woman I am required to wear an abaya when I leave our compound and enter public areas but I do not need to cover my face. Sometimes we are asked to cover our heads but generally it is acceptable to leave your head uncovered. Not all Muslim woman cover their faces either so what is up with this?

And this?

This guy, also in a storefront window, has had his eyes pixellated (for want of a better word).

Also, this is not the case in all storefront windows. In fact, these two pics were the only two I spotted throughout the entire mall. When we first arrived in The Land of Sand 2 years ago, there were many more of these censored photos than exist now. We shall miss this strange phenomenon if it disappears entirely. It is a dying art form, I tell ya.