For many years I’ve been thinking about how ironic it is that in a region where people focus on women veiling (and whether or not they are forced to cover) we ignore that men use veils as well for various reasons.

One of the most commons ones that I’ve always wanted to take a photo of (and this week’s post gave me the excuse) is of laborers in Qatar. They wrap their faces against the heat, or in cases like today, the dust.

These face wraps would be considered criminal masks elsewhere in the world.

But here they are not only widely used, they are necessary for survival.

DOHA, QATAR - JANUARY 04: Qatari women walking on the corniche (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

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Mohana Rajakumar

Mohana has a PhD from the University of Florida with a focus on gender and postcolonial theory. She is the creator and co-editor of five books in the Qatar Narratives series, as well as the Qatari Voices anthology which features essays by Qataris on modern life in Doha (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, 2010). Mohana has published several ebooks and academic titles. Check out her Amazon.com author page

    

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