Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Hijab and Modesty: a Severed Connection?
I was reading Islamic Horizons magazine produced by ISNA, and I came across an amusing piece on fashion. Here's an excerpt...
"Ambling through the Convention Centre this year, you might have mistaken the Hyatt's hallways for runways. Women with perfectly-coiffed manes and stylish blazers passed by ladies with ornate hijabs and manicured nails. Pointy-toed shoes clicked past colorful flip-flops in the bazaar.
Traditional hijabs and jilbabs are seemingly harder to spot year after year, as unique interpretations of the season's latest fashions find their ways onto ISNA-goers. Case in point. Knee-length dresses were all the rage this year, but paired with pants or jeans for modesty's sake. Many girls wore embroidered tank tops or sleeveless blouses obscured beneath this season's hottest item, the shrug. Long layered gypsy skirts in vibrant colors were matched to hijabs and purses, and reds and lavenders proved to be the hottest hues of the Labor Day weekend...
The hotel lobby glittered aplenty this year, since sequins formed the staple of virtually every ensemble. Belts, purses, peasant skirts, and shawls all shimmered in rich shades of emerald, turquoise, magenta, gold, and silver. From the sparkles adorning their clothes to the funky, jeweled accessories embellishing their outfits, 'bling-bling' was definitely at the forefront of the ISNA fashion scene this year..."
There's not really much I can say to this. It struck me as just plain ridiculous. I'm all for Muslim women looking their best, but this is too much. The article wasn't limited to women - there was also a chunk about men's fashion at the conference, but I didn't find it quite as fascinating as the above selection. The point of wearing hijab is not to attract as much attention as is humanly possible. Quite the contrary. But I'm sure many people disagree with me. Oh well.
I wonder if there will be a similar phenomenon at RIS. Those of you who attend can enlighten me.
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11 comments:
The purpose of the hijab is to conceal your beauty, not magnify it tenfold. RE: the fashionable clothing; I think as long as a person looks presentable without wearing revealing clothing, it's ok. It's not a fardh to wear a beige or black (or navy blue) jilbab all the time. (Although what the article talks about is a bit ridiculous).
It's when girls wear a hijab, but cake on make-up and drench themselves in perfume that they need to re-evaluate their reason for wearing a hijab in the first place.
I've heard many stories about things that go on at RIS between some of the "brothers" and "sisters". Dunno which are true and which aren't.... but judging by this article and things I've seen first hand, those stories might be closer to fact than fiction. It's also one of the reasons why I am usually unenthusiastic about going.
RIS == fashionista parlour. Ditto for any North American Muslim convention where young girls have the opportunity to giggle audibly in front of young males and toss a corner of a hijab over their shoulder while they're at it.
When the girls in hijab look "hotter" than the girls not wearing hijab, you know you've got a problem. I've read articles in which people say, "And then this hot girl in hijab..." Erm. Another article by a non-muslim mentioned "lacy, fetching headscarfs." Some girls are all covered up, but have neglected the teensie detail of the fact that waist-hugging, bust-emphasizing blouses are likely to turn more heads, and I don't mean after tashahhud. Or perhaps that is the point. Perhaps girls are trying to reconcile the messages blasted at them from all corners which frankly equate beauty with self-worth, with a religious identity that is the complete antithesis to this, emphasizing "pious" before "pretty", and stressing a dress-code that establishes this. Ok, so the pressure is intense because that extra kohl really makes your eyes stand out and it's just lipgloss and hey, it makes you feel good. Girls, self-esteem: Allah doesn't care if your lips are Summer Peach or plain old Winter Chapped. And if Allah's pleased, what more can you need? And if Allah's displeased, you need to wonder who it is you're trying to please instead.
Let's not be one sided. To the men: lower thy gases. If impressionable young girls didn't think there were so many Modest Muslim Men gawking at them, and that the "good ones" were in fact turning away, perhaps they'd pass on the glitter.
nicely said.
Old woman: gaze. I think the word is gaze. :)
Yeah, I noticed that seconds after posting : ) Felt that deleting my post and copy-pasting it would be too suspicious. Which begs the question, why the heck does blogger not have an "edit-post" function? This is one area where Live Journal triumphs.
But, I digress. And I read somwhere on Asmaa's blog that comments are not supposed to digress from the content of the original post. : )
One thing that should be noted is that RIS isn't entirely to blame. I think the lectures would be worth going there.
The issue that olde woman spoke about is unfortunately a universal problem found anywhere muslim girls and boys interact, be it at school, parties, even mosques. RIS just provides a bigger platform for this to take place. The organizing committee definitely needs to tackle this issue.
In my last year of high school, I was made co-president of the MSA (along with another girl). There had been too many issues with guys and girls coming with the wrong intentions, and when I heard for myself some girl say to a guy, "If you're going to join the MSA, then I'll be there too" I dismantled it.
We didn't do a whole lot anyways, except have the occasional Popeyes sale.
I think I heard that Sh. Sudais came to RIS a few years back, but left because he was appalled by the segregation issues.
Thanks for your input on the article guys. For the record, I'm not blaming RIS for anything, nor am I insinuating that the conference is responsible for whatever mingling and such goes on.
Just put an eclectic bunch of Muslims together, and voila.
Is it weird that I'm offended by most of the arguments stated?
I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as one of those Muslim women in hijab, but based on what I'm reading from the comments, maybe all of you are.
Or maybe I'm just being defensive.
Assalamu aleikum,
Sorry Sara if I offended you (or anyone else for that matter). I just wanted to emphasize that the ettiquettes of hijab are being sadly neglected in this day, and that we should all reflect upon the rules of modesty and segregation for both genders, and the purpose behind them in Islam. If we are sincere in our intentions and in our efforts to improve ourselves and our state of Imaan, and not just dismissive or complacent of the issues around us (or worse, sanctioning what is at odds with Islamic teachings), then inshaAllah Allah will continue rewarding us for every concious effort. :) Everyone is at a different level of practice in every Islamic tenet, so the point is to remind each other what is most righteous and encourage one another towards the best way of pleasing Allah.
haha... just came across this:
Hijjabed
It's on my blog now.
hmmmm. Interesting opinions and everyone's comments sound very familiar to the discussions I have been having with people these last couple of days about RIS.
I'd just like to point out the this whole "guy/girl" thing can be said about any lecture or organization in general, however I believe it all comes down to the person's intention. If an individual is looking to come to these events for the purposes of hooking up they will have the opportunity to do so, but that is not the purpose of the event. I think it is important for events such as these to take place so that the Muslim youth have an alternative to other less Islamic events that occur during the breaks.
Just an opinion... Check out the website if interested.
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