Fabrics used in Islamic Clothing - Hijab

Cotton

COTTON, cool, soft, comfortable, the principal clothing fiber of the world. Its production is one of the major factors in world prosperity and economic stability. Cotton "breathes";. What would we do without cotton? Since cotton wrinkles, polyester was added to give it wash and wear properties for a busy world. In recent times, the consumer determined that polyester, although easier to care for, took away the cool from cotton and also added a "pilling"; effect to cotton/polyester blends. Consumers now often request "100% Cotton";. Permanent finishes also added to the all cotton fabric gave a wash and wear property to cotton. cotton. The cotton fiber is from the cotton plant’s seed pod The fiber is hollow in the center and, under a microscope looks like a twisted ribbon. "Absorbent"; cotton will retain 24-27 times its own weight in water and is stronger when wet than dry. This fiber absorbs and releases perspiration quickly, thus allowing the fabric to "breathe";. Cotton can stand high temperatures and takes dyes easily. Chlorine bleach can be used to restore white garments to a clear white but this bleach may yellow chemically finished cottons or remove color in dyed cottons. Boiling and sterilizing temperatures can also be used on cotton without disintegration. Cotton can also be ironed at relatively high temperatures, stands up to abrasion and wears well. Cotton hijabs are popular in the summer months while polyester ones are worn all year long. 

Silk

SILK, the fabric that makes its own statement. Say "silk"; to someone and what do they visualize? No other fabric generates quite the same reaction. For centuries silk has had a reputation as a luxurious and sensuous fabric, one associated with wealth and success. Silk is one of the oldest textile fibers known to man. It has been used by the Chinese since the 27th century BC. Silk is mentioned by Aristotle and became a valuable commodity both in Greece and Rome. During the Roman Empire, silk was sold for its weight in gold. Today, silk is yet another word for elegance, and silk garments are prized for their versatility, wearability and comfort. Silk, or soie in French, is the strongest natural fiber. A steel filament of the same diameter as silk will break before a filament of silk. Silk absorbs moisture, which makes it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Because of its high absorbency, it is easily dyed in many deep colors. Silk retains its shape, drapes well, caresses the figure, and shimmers with a luster all its own. Contemporary silk garments range from evening wear to sports wear. A silk suit can go to the office and, with a change of accessories and a blouse, transform into an elegant dinner ensemble. Silk garments can be worn for all seasons. 

 

Silk -- elegant, versatile and washable. In the past, owning a silk garment meant not only the initial price of the garment but also the cost of dry cleaning. All silk is washable. Silk is a natural protein fiber, like human hair, taken from the cocoon of the silkworm. The natural glue, sericin, secreted by silkworms and not totally removed during manufacturing of the silk, is a natural sizing which is brought out when washing in warm water. Most silk fabrics can be hand washed. Technically, silk does not shrink like other fibers.  If the fabric is not tightly woven, washing a silk with tighten up the weave.... thus, lighter weights of silk (say a crepe de chine of 14 mm) can be improved by washing as it will tighten up the weave.  A tightly woven silk will not "shrink";  or will "shrink"; a lot less. Silk garments, however, can shrink if the fabric has not been washed prior to garment construction. When washing silk, do not wring but roll in a towel. Silk dries quickly but should not be put in an automatic dryer unless the fabric is dried in an automatic dryer prior to garment construction. A good shampoo works well on silk. It will remove oil and revitalize your silk. Do not use an alkaline shampoo or one which contains ingredients such as wax, petroleum, or their derivatives, as these products will leave a residue on your silk and may cause "oil"; spots. If static or clinging is a problem with your silks, a good hair conditioner (see above cautions) may be used in the rinse water. Silk may yellow and fade with the use of a high iron setting. Press cloths and a steam     iron are recommended. Silk is also weakened by sunlight and perspiration. Some Turkish scarves used as hijabs are made of silk. 

 
Wool

WOOL brings to mind cozy warmth. Some wools are scratchy giving some people the idea that they are allergic to wool. Although wool fiber comes from a variety of animal coats, not all wool’s are scratchy but rather extremely soft. The wool fibers have crimps or curls which create pockets and gives the wool a spongy feel and creates insulation for the wearer. The outside surface of the fiber consists of a series of serrated scales which overlap each other much like the scales of a fish. Wool is the only fiber with such serration’s which make it possible for the fibers to cling together and produce felt. The same serration’s will also cling together tightly when wool is improperly washed and shrinks! Wool will not only return to its original position after being stretched or creased, it will absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp. Its unique properties allow shaping and tailoring, making the wool the most popular fabric for tailoring fine garments. Wool is also dirt resistant, flame resistant, and, in many weaves, resists wear and tearing.

 

Basically, there are two different processes used in wool production. Woolen fabrics have a soft feel and fuzzy surface, very little shine or sheen, will not hold a crease, and are heavier and bulkier than worsteds. Blankets, scarves, coating, and some fabrics are considered woolens. Worsted wool is smoother than woolen, takes shine more easily, does not sag, holds a crease well, is lighter and less bulky, and wears longer than woolen. Worsted wool’s require a greater number of processes, during which fibers are arranged parallel to each other. The smoother, harder-surface worsted yarns produce smoother fabrics with a minimum of fuzziness and nap. Fine worsted wool is even seen in clothing for athletics such as tennis. No, they are not hotter than polyester but actually cooler, as the weave of the fabric allows wool to absorb perspiration and the fabric "breathes"; unlike polyester.

 

WOOL SPECIALTY FIBERS, although still classified as wool, are further classified by the animal the fiber comes from. Alpaca fleece is very rich and silky with considerable luster. It comes from the Alpaca. Mohair is from the angora goat and is highly resilient and strong. Mohair’s luster, not softness, determines its value. Mohair is used in home decorating fabrics as well as garment fabrics including tropical worsteds. Angora wool is from the angora rabbit. This soft fiber is used in sweaters, mittens and baby clothes. Camel hair is from the extremely soft and fine fur from the undercoat of the camel. Camel’s hair can be used alone but is most often combined with fine wool for overcoating, topcoating, sportswear and sports hosiery. Because of the beauty of the color, fabrics containing camel’s hair are usually left in the natural camel color or dyed a darker brown. Light weight and soft, it is said that a 22 oz. camel fabric is as warm as a 32 oz. woolen fabric. Cashmere is from the Kasmir goat down. Separation of the soft fibers from the long, coarse hair is tedious and difficult, contributing to the expense of the fabric. The soft hair is woven or knitted into fine garments and can also be blended with silk, cotton, or wool. Vicuna is the softest coat cloth in the world. The amount of coarse hair to be separated from the soft fibers is negligible and yields the finest animal fiber in the world. Vicuna is a member of the Llama family and is small and wild. Since it is generally killed to obtain the fleece, it is protected by rigorous conservation measures. This fiber is rare and very expensive, costing several hundred dollars per yard.

Sources: http://www.hilalplaza.com/aboutislamicclothingfabrics.aspx

Click Video For Quick & Simple Hijab Tutorial - Courtesy of Hijab Hills

Quick & Simple Hijab Tutorial!

"Hijab" or "ḥijāb" is a veil that covers the head and chest,which is particularly worn by a Muslim woman beyond the age of pubertyin the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family.

 Watch this quick and simple Hijab Tutorial.

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Behind the Veil

HEBAH AHMED assessed the weather before she stepped out of her minivan. “It’s windy,” she said with a sigh, tucking a loose bit of hair into her scarf. Her younger sister, Sarah, watched out the window as dust devils danced across the parking lot. “Oh, great,” she said, “I’m going to look like the flying nun.”Hebah, who is 32, and Sarah, 28, do wear religious attire, but of the Islamic sort: a loose outer garment called a jilbab; a khimar, a head covering that drapes to the fingertips; and a niqab, a scarf that covers most of the face. Before the shopping trip, they consulted by phone to make sure they didn’t wear the same color. “Otherwise, we start to look like a cult,” Sarah explained. 

When Hebah yanked open the van’s door, the wind filled her loose-fitting garments like a sail. Her 6-year-old daughter, Khadijah Leseman, laughed. Hebah unloaded Khadijah and her 2-year-old son, Saulih, while struggling to hold her khimar and niqab in place.The wind whipped Sarah’s navy-blue jilbab like a sheet on a clothesline as she wrangled a shopping cart. Her 3-year-old son, Eesa Soliman, stayed close at her side, lost in the billowing fabric.Most people in the parking lot stopped to stare.If the sisters were aware that all eyes were on them, they gave no signs. In the supermarket, they ignored the curious glances in the produce section, the startled double takes by the baked goods and the scowls near the cereal. They glided along the aisles, stopping to compare prices on spaghetti sauce. 

Two Hispanic children gasped and ran behind their mother. “Why are they dressed that way?” the girl asked her mother in Spanish. “Islam,” the woman said, also telling the child that the women were from Saudi Arabia.Hebah, who is from Tennessee, smiled at the girl, but all that could be seen of her face were the lines around the eyes that signaled a grin. After nearly a decade under the veil, she and her sister know full well that they are a source of fascination — and many other reactions — to those around them.Hebah said she has been kicked off planes by nervous flight attendants and shouted down in a Wal-Mart by angry shoppers who called her a terrorist. Her sister was threatened by a stranger in a picnic area who claimed he had killed a woman in Afghanistan “who looked just like” her. When she joined the Curves gym near her home in Edgewood, N.M., some members threatened to quit. “They said Islamists were taking over,” Ms. Ahmed said. 

Her choice to become so identifiably Muslim even rattled her parents, immigrants from Egypt.“I was more surprised than anything,” said her father, Mohamed Ahmed, who lives in Houston with her mother, Mervat Ahmed. He said he raised his daughters with a deep sense of pride about their Muslim background, but nevertheless did not expect them to wear a hijab, a head scarf, let alone a niqab.Raised in what she described as a “minimally religious” household by parents who wore typical American clothes, Hebah used to think that women who wore a niqab were crazy, she said.“It looked like they were suffocating,” she said. “I thought, ‘There’s no way God meant for us to walk around the earth that way, so why would anyone do that to themselves?’ ” Now many people ask that same question of her.

HEBAH AHMED (her first name is pronounced HIB-ah) was born in Chattanooga, raised in Nashville and Houston, and speaks with a slight drawl. She played basketball for her Catholic high school, earned a master’s in mechanical engineering and once worked in the Gulf of Mexico oilfields.She is not a Muslim Everywoman; it is not a role she would ever claim for herself. Her story is hers alone. But she was willing to spend several days with a reporter to give an idea of what American life looks like from behind the veil, a garment that has become a powerful symbol of culture clash.All that’s visible of Ms. Ahmed when she ventures into mixed company are her deep brown eyes, some faint freckles where the sun hits the top of her nose, and her hands. She used to leave the house in jeans and T-shirt (she still can, under her jilbab), but that all changed after the 9/11 attacks. It shook her deeply that the people who had committed the horrifying acts had identified themselves as Muslims.“I just kept thinking ‘Why would they do this in the name of Islam?’ ” she said. “Does my religion really say to do those horrible things?” 

So she read the Koran and other Islamic texts and began attending Friday prayers at her local Islamic Center. While she found nothing that justified the attacks, she did find meaning in prayers about strength, piety and resolve. She saw them as guideposts for navigating the world.“I was really questioning my life’s purpose,” Ms. Ahmed said. “And everything about the bigger picture. I just wasn’t about me and my career anymore.”She also reacted to a backlash against Islam and the news that many American Muslim women were not covering for fear of being targeted. “It was all so wrong,” she said. She took it upon herself to provide a positive example of her embattled faith, in a way that was hard to ignore. 

So on Sept. 17, 2001, she wore a hijab into the laboratory where she worked, along with her business attire.“A co-worker said, ‘You need to wrap a big ol’ American flag around your head so people know what side you’re on,’ ” Ms. Ahmed said. “From then on, they never let up.”Three months later, she quit her job and started wearing a niqab, covering her face from view when in the presence of men other than her husband.“I do this because I want to be closer to God, I want to please him and I want to live a modest lifestyle,” said Ms. Ahmed, who asked that her appearance without a veil not be described. “I want to be tested in that way. The niqab is a constant reminder to do the right thing. It’s God-consciousness in my face.” 

But there were secular motivations, too. In her job, she worked with all-male teams on oil rigs and in labs.“No matter how smart I was, I wasn’t getting the respect I wanted,” she said. “They still hit on me, made crude remarks and even smacked me on the butt a couple times.”Wearing the niqab is “liberating,” she said. “They have to deal with my brain because I don’t give them any other choice.”Her first run-in with public opinion came, ordinarily enough, while driving.“A woman in the car next to me was waving, honking, motioning for me to roll down my window,” she said. “I tried to ignore her, but finally, we both had to stop at a light. I rolled down the window and braced myself. Then she said ‘Excuse me, your burqa is caught in your door.’ That broke the ice.”

Her sister Sarah started wearing a niqab around the same time, while completing her engineering degree at Rice University. The learning curve was steep; both sisters found they needed to carry straws for drinking in public, but eating was another story. Once Sarah forgot she was wearing a niqab and took a bite of an ice cream cone. “Humiliating,” she said, shaking her head.Breathing wasn’t as difficult as they had imagined, but Hebah had a hard time contending with all the material around her.“I kept losing things or leaving them behind,” she said. “But it’s like when you first put on high heels or a bra. It’s not the most comfortable thing, but there’s a purpose, and you believe that purpose outweighs the discomfort.” 

WOMEN who cover totally, called niqabis, make up a tiny sliver of the estimated three million to seven million Muslims in the United States, yet they have come to embody much of what Westerners find foreign about Islam. Hidden under yards of cloth, they are the most visceral reminders of the differences between East and West, and an indisputable sign that Islam is weaving its way into American culture. 

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy is backing a bill to ban women from publicly wearing the niqab and its more conservative cousin, the burqa, which covers the wearer’s eyes with a mesh panel. Similar legislation is being considered in the province of Quebec and Belgium.In the United States, there have been flashpoints: in 2006, Ginnnah Muhammad, a plaintiff in a small claims case in Detroit, refused the judge’s request to take off her niqab during court proceedings and so her case was thrown out. She later found herself in front of the Michigan Supreme Court, arguing for her right to wear the niqab in court. The high court upheld the judge’s action. 

Ms. Muhammad and five other American niqabis were interviewed for this article, in addition to the Ahmed sisters. All of them made the decision to wear the niqab when they were single. And, although the Muslim faith does not require women to cover their faces, all believe the niqab gave them a bit of extra credit in the eyes of God. “The more clothes you wear, the closer you are to God,” Ms. Muhammad said.Menahal Begawala, 28, was raised in Queens, the daughter of Indian immigrants. She began covering her face at age 19. “I suppose there is some part of me that wants to make a statement, ‘I am a Muslim,’ ” she said.She is a former grade school teacher now living in Irving, Tex. “I think I blow perceptions because I speak English, I’m educated and it’s my choice to cover,” Ms. Begawala said. 

Sarah Zitterman, who as a teenager was a blond California surfer, converted to Islam after living in Zanzibar as a student. In Africa, she felt more at peace with the call to prayer than she ever did at church back home in San Diego. Now 30 and the mother of three in Fresno, Calif., Ms. Zitterman said that being white and American has made her experience under the niqab a little easier.“It’s less scary for others,” she said. “But the hardest is when kids are frightened. If there’s no men around, I’ll uncover and say ‘Hey, I’m just a mommy — see?’ ”Most of the niqabis interviewed said that they have received almost as much criticism at their local mosques as at their local malls. Many Muslim Americans do not like being associated with the niqab, saying it gives non-Muslims the wrong idea about their faith. 

“The idea of covering one’s face is challenging, even in our community,” said Edina Lekovic, communications director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. “For more-mainstream Muslims, the understanding is that you dress modestly and cover everything but your hands and your face. So for a woman to choose to wear niqab is above and beyond what the Koran calls for.”SARAH and Hebah Ahmed live only a few miles apart in Albuquerque’s East Mountains — Hebah off a winding dirt road with her children and husband, Zayd Chad Leseman, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico; Sarah in a rural geodesic dome with her son and husband, Yasser Soliman, an engineer with Intel. 

Hebah and her husband, who is from Moline, Ill., met as graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. By the time they were married in 2003, he had converted to Islam and taken the first name Zayd. People were often confused by the sight of the couple, she said, because he looks like “a corn-fed, Midwestern guy, then he’s walking with this covered women who’s dark — they can tell from my eyes.” She laughed and added, “They must wonder where he bought me.” 

Mr. Leseman supports his wife’s decision to wear the niqab. “I am proud of my wife’s conviction to her beliefs, but it took some adjustment being out in public with her, especially with all the stares and comments,” he said.Once, he said, “we wanted to go to my sister’s softball game, and my mother said ‘Yeah, right! Hebah will have to stay in the van.’ People think because her face is covered that her feelings are, too.”The sisters make the 30-minute drive to Albuquerque a few times a week to grocery shop, attend prayers at the Islamic Center of New Mexico and drink smoothies at Satellite Coffee. The trunk of Hebah’s car is filled with pamphlets on Islam, English translations of the Koran and granola bars for her children. 

When it comes to dealing with the public, she is a niqabi ambassador, friendly and outgoing. “I look at those run-ins with people as an opportunity to explain who I am and maybe shed some light on Islam,” Hebah said. “If they knew me or more about my faith, I’m sure they would think differently.”She is used to explaining that a niqab is not a burqa and that no, she doesn’t wear it at home. In an all-female setting like Curves, one would not be able to identify a niqabi among the other women in workout gear. It does get hot under the jilbab, but as Sarah explained, it is “sort of like a self-contained air-conditioning unit that circulates cool air.” 

Hebah has grown so used to her attire, she often forgets she has it on. “Sometimes I’ll pass a guy who’s looking at me, and I’m like ‘Is he checking me out?’” she said. “Then I’ll catch a glimpse of myself in a window and it’s like, ‘Uh, hello, Hebah — no.’ ” WHILE driving on Interstate 40, heading home, Ms. Ahmed wedged her cellphone between her khimar and ear, then joked, “Look, a hands-free device.” Sarah rolled her eyes.There are many types of niqabs, Hebah explained, pulling at least a half-dozen out of her closet. Pushing aside her worn copy of “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,” she made room for them on the bed. Her niqabs were made by a seamstress in Egypt whom she met while visiting extended family, but many American niqabis buy their garments online. “You can’t get them here,” Hebah said. “I mean, the ones at the back of our local halal store — hideous.”

As she rummaged through her scarves, Khadijah tied one around her waist and twirled like a ballerina. Muslim women who cover usually wait until puberty to conceal their hair and bodies in public, but Khadijah likes to wear a hijab for dress-up — especially the pink one with sparkles.

Hebah said she wanted Khadijah “to be a confident female who is not victimized or abused.” She explained: “For me, the best way to do that is to do what I’m doing, and not just because Mama told her to, but because of her conviction. At the end of the day, she has to stand in front of God alone.” When reminded that hers is a rocky path, and it would likely be the same for her daughter, Ms. Ahmed paused, then began to cry.“People don’t understand,” she said, wiping a tear with the edge of her sleeve. “We’re really strong, but it takes a toll on you. Sometimes you think, ‘I just want to rest.’ ”Sarah, helping her sister out, said: “We think of paradise at that point. Heaven is where we’re supposed to rest. That’s what gets us through.” 

Sources:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/fashion/13veil.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 By LORRAINE ALI Published: June 11, 2010

The niqab in Islam

Niqab

The niqab is a combination of a head covering and scarf that covers all of a woman's face except for her eyes. It usually flows down to the mid-back to cover a woman's hair, and may flow down to the mid-chest in the front. It is most often worn in Arab countries, but an increasing number of Muslim women in the west are choosing to wear it. Although the majority of scholars agree that hijab is obligatory, only a minority of them say that the niqab is.

Sources:  http://www.channel4.com/news/from-hijab-to-burqa-a-guide-to-muslim-headwear

From hijab to burqa - a guide to Muslim headwear

Within Islam, dress codes are known as hijab, a term which refers to the principle of modesty and which includes behaviour as well as dress, writes Channel 4 News Home Affairs Correspondent Darshna Soni.

Although recent controversies have focused on what Muslim women wear, there are also rules for men. These rules are open to a wide range of interpretations. Some Muslim women believe in covering every part of the body, others do not observe any special dress rules. Here is our quick guide.

Hijab

This is the most common type of headscarf worn by Muslim women here in the UK. It is a headscarf that covers the head and neck, but leaves the face clear. The scarves come in many different shades and shapes and are often colour co-ordinated with women's outfits.

Niqab

The niqab is a combination of a head covering and scarf that covers all of a woman's face except for her eyes. It usually flows down to the mid-back to cover a woman's hair, and may flow down to the mid-chest in the front. It is most often worn in Arab countries, but an increasing number of Muslim women in the west are choosing to wear it.
Although the majority of scholars agree that hijab is obligatory, only a minority of them say that the niqab is.

Burqa

The terms niqab and burqa are often incorrectly used interchangeably; a niqab covers the face while a burqa covers the whole body from the top of the head to the ground. It is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It covers the entire face, including the eyes (with a mesh cloth to see through) and the body.

Chador

The chador is a body-length outer garment, usually black in colour, worn mainly by women in Iran. It is not secured at the front by buttons or clasps, so the woman holds it closed

Jilbab/Abaya

These are long, loosely fitted garments worn by Muslim women to cover the shape of their bodies. They are often worn in combination with the hijab or niqab.

Excerpt/Sources:  http://www.channel4.com/news/from-hijab-to-burqa-a-guide-to-muslim-headwear

Muslim Fashion - Dubai

The fashion-conscious women don the hijab or head scarf in creative and stylish ways, in a bid to prove Muslim women can be trendsetters while staying true to their faith. The Fashion Forward Festival brings together style aficionados from around the world to sample the latest catwalk creations designed for Arab women.

Video Courtesy of Youtube:  http://youtu.be/NRhNJsYVD-o

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Hijab Online Store - Introduction

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Muslim Designers Have Their Ways Too

Muslim Designers Have Their Ways Too

Indonesian fashion designer, Fenny Mustafa, took Muslimah fashion designs a few steps further in her suite designed with hoofed shoes and stockings, and outrageous outfits and hair coverings that looked literally over the top. While, perhaps fashion enthusiasts may appreciate Mustafa’s work, many would probably not slip into the outfit and walk around balancing the head gear – the fact that it may attract so much more attention and defy the purpose of hijab, would be a secondary reason.

Taking it closer to home, and to the heart of Islam, Malaysian Muslimah revert, Noorshin Ng, writes about modesty in the “Beauty of Covering Up.” As someone who is active in da’wah work, Ng found that when she embraced Islam many years back, she was surrounded by tight tops and short shorts or skirts. New Muslims then only had the choice of more “traditional” Muslim clothes that were very cultural in nature and not very versatile. As a revert, Ng was open to blurring the cultural lines of what it means to be a Muslim woman and how the apparel of a Muslimah can take on different forms. Through her book, she shares ideas on how to be flexible when dressing up as a Muslimah to suit the time and palace.

“It is good to blur cultural lines as I believe it will create better acceptance of our gradual change to complete cover up. And it is good da’wah to our not yet Muslim family. Surely we also want them to enter Jannah.”

She adds,“My book is to help make our sisters understand the beauty of covering up. To know it is an honour and a protection from Allah SWT. Being consciously covered by choice brings us very much closer to Allah SWT. It makes us want to please Him and do everything possible to obtain His good pleasure and rewards.”

In Malaysia, Muslims mostly comprise of Malays, while there are a handful of Chinese and Indians who revert to Islam on an annual basis. Being a Chinese revert herself, Ng acknowledges that a change in a revert’s dress code can come across as a drastic shock for her non-Muslim family. She goes on to encourage finding a middle path in dressing, without compromising the basic principles to cover according to Islamic law.

“They (reverts) can wear loose trousers, tops and lovely light capes and shawls, jackets. The choice is endless; we should emphasize on beauty and modesty in Islam and we should let others know we have not changed except we have learnt to appreciate and respect modesty. In the past, women of different nations dressed modestly too. Islam protects us and gives us a road map to follow.” she advises.

Ng even tailors Islamic clothing for Muslim women, under the brand name, Mariamah, and is in the midst of working on a full fashion line. While the Qur’an and Sunnah place a great deal of emphasis on modesty for both men and women, and honor women to the point that they laid out the requirement of the female dress code, details such as intrinsic design, fabric, color and allusions to cultures, remain open and flexible (as long as they do not contradict the requirements already set forth in the Qur’an and Hadith). With the booming fashion industry in this region, there are various pros and cons for the Muslimah shopper.

Sources: http://www.onislam.net/english/culture-and-entertainment/fine-arts/466915-redesigning-muslimah-apparel-the-muslimah-way.html

Redesigning Muslimah Apparel – The Muslimah Way

Redesigning Muslimah Apparel – The Muslimah Way

The hijab and the Muslim women dress code in general often pave their routes into the media, be it tabloids, mainstream newspapers, comics even. So many people have their own opinion of what the Muslim women dress code looks like, how it’s supposed to look like, what it represents, and its effect upon Muslim women and society in general.

Most of the time, those who write about it, prod fun at it, describe it and allude to it, rarely ever know much about Islam in general, let alone Muslim women and why they choose to wear hijab.

In a nutshell, the Muslimah attire is a grand topic for debate and discussion. In Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia, Muslim women are active participants in society, donning their hijab and all. While there are some stereotypes as to how they dress, there is still a variation of their hijabs and outfits.

As their fashion industry rolls out and expands, new hijab and abaya designs are seen on a seasonal basis. While some embrace the fashion sense wholeheartedly, others prefer to stick to traditional ways – keeping to safe designs and colors. Hijabs have made their presence in their strangest of shapes, including a recent “hijab-wig” – whereby the hijab – literally known as a head covering or veil that is supposed to cover a Muslim woman’s head and hair, including her ears and neck, takes the form of a clothed wig.

Sources: http://www.onislam.net/english/culture-and-entertainment/fine-arts/466915-redesigning-muslimah-apparel-the-muslimah-way.html 
By Maria Zain

Freelance writer,UK

Why Some Muslim Women Don't Wear Hijab

Why Some Muslim Women Don't Wear Hijab

First of all, I’m a believer: I’m a practicing Muslim. Second, I don’t wear hijab. And from here my story starts.One day, a male friend tagged me on a note in Facebook; it’s about a conversation between a non-Muslim man and an Islamic cleric. The man asks: “Why does Islam oblige Muslim women to wear hijab?” 

In answering the question, the cleric takes out two candies; unwraps one of them and throws them both onto the floor. He asks: “If you have to choose, which candy will you pick?” The man answers: “Of course I’ll take the wrapped one, because it’s the clean one.” The cleric goes, “Indeed. In Islam, we protect our women through hijab.”

Feeling disturbed with that degrading analogy, I sent him a message. “Do you suggest that non-hijabi Muslim women are dirty? And how come you compare women with candies?” This guy replied, “Don’t take it to your heart. Just understand that wearing hijab is an obligation in Islam, and shouldn’t be compromised.” It wasn’t the first time I engaged in that kind of conversation with Muslim men like him —  those with the “I’m more Muslim than you”syndrome. They thought they knew Islam better just because my appearance doesn’t “represent” Islam.

In between our debates over Qur’anic verses and hadiths (saying ofthe Prophet Muhammad), they always slapped me a hadith telling that non-hijabi women would be burned in hell. “Remember that,” one of them warned as if he has secured himself a place in heaven.

They even called me a follower of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL),just because I refused to be forced into wearing hijab. Never in my life I’ve joined JIL nor attended its events — I don’t even agree with manyof JIL’s ideas. Yet one guy easily condemned: “You can deny you’re a JIL follower, but you act just like them, so you’re one of them.” At least I’m not the only one to receive such a condemnation. Respected ulema and former Indonesia’s religious affairs minister Quraish Shihab was once called an agent of liberal Islam and was slew with harsh words when he released his book on hijab, which argues that Islam never strictly determines the limits of women’s awrah (body parts to be covered).

Many accused him of writing the book in favor of his non-hijabidaughter, TV presenter Najwa Shihab. In his book, “Jilbab: Pakaian Wanita Muslimah” (“Jilbab: Muslim Women Attire”), Shihab  presents different views of ulemas in the past and the present on hijab,encouraging readers to analyze this issue from many perspectives instead of following something blindly. He says Muslims should realize that there are other “menus” offered in Islam, and it’s important to note that Islam never intends to complicate its followers.

In fact, it’s Muslims themselves who complicate things by opting for the strictest views. On hijab, Shihab quotes Imam al-Syafi’i, one of the founders of Islamic jurisprudence, who said: “I cannot say — and even others with great knowledge will never say — that this (the hijab law) has been mujma’ ‘alaihi (universally agreed).” Many Indonesian Islamic figures in the past, Shihab says, were very relaxed toward hijab. Although he didn’t precisely identify them, I can name famous figures like Buya Hamka, Mohammad Natsir and Agus Salim.Today, however, it seems like hijab is everything that counts in an Indonesian Muslim woman. 

In 2007, I went undercover and lived for few days among prostitutes in a famous red light district in Jakarta for my investigative report. Several prostitutes there — mostly the senior ones — wore hijab. When Itold this to those same friends, they said I shouldn’t link hijab with one’s piety and profession. Muslim women must wear hijab; their professions would be another case. So I asked, “In which part then hijab can protect women when they work as prostitutes?” 

I’m not against hijab — who knows that someday I might wear it? Butit’s the harsh judgments on one’s personal choices of religious practices that have made me swallow aspirins now and then. I can’t agree if some Muslims force something into others, like it’s God’ sun questionable truth. Even Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) couldn’t force his beloved uncle to embrace Islam. 

Remember, something that’s forced will create nothing but hatred and antipathy. Do you realize that your silly hijab campaigns might be counter-productive and make non-hijabi women view hijab negatively? You, Mr. “I’m more Muslim than you,” are angry if someone calls you a terrorist because you wear Arabic attire. And you say, “Don’t judge mefrom my clothes.” Now dear brothers, please apply your words as well to your non-hijabi sisters — don’t hold double standards.

Sources:  By Dian Kuswandini on 11:16 am Aug 15, 2012 - http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/archive/why-some-muslim-women-dont-wear-hijab/

Sports hijabs help Muslim women to Olympic success

New sportswear designed for women who want to cover up, and some important changes to the rules, are inspiring Muslim girls to take up sport – and compete internationally

Amid the furore over the state of undress of one of the UK's most successful female cyclists, the increasing aceptance of sportswear that allows Muslim women to compete has garnered little attention. Earlier this month Fifa finally overturned its ban, brought in in 2007, on women playing football with their heads covered. The decision came too late for the Iranian football team. It had already prevented them from playing in their 2012 Olympic qualifying match last year and disappointed their female fans in the football-mad Islamic Republic, where women are not allowed to watch men's matches and headscarves are mandatory for women. But the overturning of the ban was cheered by footballers around the world, some of whom, such as Australian Assmaah Helal, wear the hijab through choice.

London 2012 is the first Olympics where women will compete in all 26 sports on offer (although still in 30 fewer events in total), and Fifa is just one of several international bodies to relax clothing rules and so allow more Muslim women to compete in the Games. It's impossible to know how many women will be competing with their head covered this year, but they include judo player Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim and Saudi Arabian runner Sarah Attar, as well as footballers. Last year the International Weightlifting Federation also began to allow female weightlifters to cover their arms and legs, which led to the UAE female team being the first to compete in hijab, represented by 17-year-old Khadija Mohammed. Reports suggest that the ruling has opened up the sport for /muslim women.

What female athletes wear should get less attention than it does, but for many women who want to cover up, sports clothing can be a barrier to competition. Egyptian pentathlete Aya Medany, who already had to deal with the disruptions caused by the Arab Spring, considered not competing at all in the Olympics because female swimmers in her event have to wear suits that leave their necks, arms and half their legs uncovered.

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, who will become the first person to represent the US at the Olympics wearing a hijab, says she chose her sport because it allowed her to cover her body without altering the uniform. Dr Emma Tarlo, a reader in anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and author of Visibly Muslim: Fashion, Politics, Faith, says such barriers to participation should not be underestimated. "I have done research that shows that women have been put off sport because of clothing – that's part of the problem with swimming for instance. Others have been excluded from sport because of what they wear."

"Sports clothing has lagged behind school uniforms and street style in terms of diversity." Which is why, she says, the new type of "sports hijab" has been so helpful. She cites the capster, a hood-style hijab that was created by Dutch designer Cindy van den Bremen, who started working on the design back in 1999 after cases of girls being excluded from PE lessons for wearing the hijab. It is designs such as this, she says, that have addressed health-and-safety concerns and allowed bans to be overturned.

It's not just the practicality of the design, but the image it portrays that helps. "Traditional scarves stick out in sport and are not made from appropriate materials. Because the new styles look sporty, the wearer is not highlighted as different in the same way." Tarlo says the importance of hijab-wearing athletes as role models should inspire many Muslim women and girls. "If you are sporty it's good to see people you can relate to, especially if sport has not been emphasised in your community. If you see sports people who share your values it can be a positive message. Especially as the Olympics is in east London, because this is a multicultural area with many Muslims, to have sportswomen the girls can relate to as role models is a positive thing." 

Rimla Akhtar from the Muslim Women in Sport Foundation said there were other barriers than dress holding women back, but it was important for women to have a choice: "A way has been found of combining women's passion for sport with their passion for their faith and the sports hijab will certainly aid women's participation in sport at all levels."

Sources:  http://www.theguardian.com/sport/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/jul/23/sports-hijabs-muslim-women-olympics

Hijab

Hijab

Hijab is an Arabic word meaning barrier or partition. In Islam, however, it has a broader meaning. It is the principle of modesty and includes behaviour as well as dress for both males and females. The most visible form of hijab is the head covering that many Muslim women wear. Hijab however goes beyond the head scarf. In one popular school of Islamic thought, hijab refers to the complete covering of everything except the hands, face and feet in long, loose and non see-through garments. A woman who wears hijab is called Muhaajaba. Muslim women are required to observe the hijab in front of any man they could theoretically marry. This means that hijab is not obligatory in front of the father, brothers, grandfathers, uncles or young children.

Hijab does not need to be worn in front of other Muslim women, but there is debate about what can be revealed to non-Muslim women. Modesty rules are open to a wide range of interpretations. Some Muslim women wear full-body garments that only expose their eyes. Some cover every part of the body except their face and hands. Some believe only their hair or their cleavage is compulsory to hide, and others do not observe any special dress rules.

In the English speaking world, use of the word hijab has become limited to mean the covering on the head of Muslim woman. However, this is more accurately called a khimaar. The khimaar is a convenient solution comprising usually one, but sometimes two pieces of cloth, enabling Muslim women to cover their hair, ears and neck while outside the home. Hijab, in the sense of veiling, can also be achieved by hanging a curtain or placing a screen between women and men to allow them to speak to each other without changing dress. This was more common in the early days of Islam, for the wives of the Prophet Muhammad.

Sources:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/hijab_1.shtml

Muslim Culture & the Style of Hijab

It is quite probable that these so-called experts of Islam and of the Middle East have confused the basic order of the Qur’an with the style of hijab worn by Muslim women of various ethnic backgrounds. The requirement of hijab is a Qur’anic command. The basic requirement is that a Muslim woman should cover her head and bosom with a khimar (a head covering), and her body with a jilbab (a loose over-garment). Of course, she can leave her face and hands open**.

When it comes to the style, colour, and material of the khimar and jilbab, each Muslim ethnic group can follow the Qur’anic injunction according to their own cultural background. The variety in styles of implementing the same Qur’anic law is so because Islam is a world religion, it is cannot be confined to one region or tribe or culture.

Therefore you see that the Muslim women in Arabia use ‘abaya; the Persian Muslim women use chador; the Afghani Muslim women use burqa; the Indo-Pakistani Muslim women use niqab or purdah; the Malaysian/Indonesian Muslim women use kerudung; the East African Muslim women use buibui; and now in the West, the Canadian Muslim women use mainstream clothes worn with a bigger scarf over the head and a loose outfit.

Islam is not concerned with the style as long as it fulfills the basic requirement of khimar and jilbab. This is where the religion and culture interact with one another, and therein lies the dynamic aspect of the Islamic shari‘a; and this interaction might have confused some of the so-called experts of Islam who erroneously believe that hijab is a cultural tradition and not a religious requirement.

 

** Putting a veil to cover the face is not the initial requirement of the rules of hijab. The Shi‘i as well as majority of Sunni jurists say that the face should be covered only if there is a danger of fitna, a situation that could lead to committing a sin.

Asian Games: Qatar hijab stand may open door to rule change says OCA chief

Asian Games: Qatar hijab stand may open door to rule change says OCA chief

Hijab – Satu Sistem Sosial yang Lengkap

Hijab – Satu Sistem Sosial yang Lengkap

Perintah untuk kita mengamalkan Islam secara keseluruhannya mempunyai makna yang mendalam sebab Islam merupakan satu cara hidup yang lengkap yang akan menjamin kesejahteraan hidup umat manusia sekiranya dilaksanakan dengan sempurna. Salah satu daripada peraturan hidup Islam adalah sistem hijab iaitu satu peraturan sosial yang mengatur kehidupan manusia terutamanya dalam hal-hal yang membabitkan perhubungan dan pergaulan antara lelaki dan wanita. Perintah ini tidak hanya untuk wanita, malah mesti dilaksanakan dan dipatuhi oleh kaun lelaki sebagaimana penegasan Allah dalam sebelumnya iaitu ayat 30 surah An Nur di mana arahan ini diperintahkan terlebih dahulu kepada kaum lelaki yang beriman.

Katakanlah kepada lelaki beriman, agar mereka menjaga pandangannya dan memelihara kemaluannya…

Panduan yang merangkumi perintah untuk lelaki dan wanita termasuklah:

Menjaga dan menundukkan pandangan.
Menjaga kemaluan.
Memakai pakaian menutup aurat.
Sementara perkara berikut dikhususkan untuk wanita sahaja di atas hikmah tertentu:

Melabuhkan tudung ke dada.
Tidak mempamerkan perhiasan kecuali yang biasa nampak.
Tidak menghentakkan kaki untuk menunjukkan perhiasan yang tersembunyi.
Tidak bertabarruj atau bersolek termasuk memakai wangian di luar rumah.
Jelas di sini tiada diskriminasi gender dalam Islam. Yang ada hanyalah peraturan tertentu sesuai dengan perbezaan kejadian lelaki dan wanita. dasar kesamarataan antara insan lelaki dan wanita dalam Islam termaktub jelas dalam Al Quran, antaranya dalam surah Al Hujurat ayat 13 yang bermaksud:

Wahai Manusia! Sungguh Kami telah menciptakan kamu dari seorang lelaki dan seorang perempuan, kemudian Kami jadikan kamu berbangsa-bangsa dan bersuku-suku agar kamu kenal-mengenal. Sesungguhnya orang yang paling mulia di antara kamu di sisi Allah ialah yang paling bertaqwa.

Sementara hakikat perbezaan kejadian dan tindakan lelaki dan wanita dinyatakan Allah di dalam Al Quran dalam surah Al Lail ayat 3 dan 4 yang bermaksud:

Dan demi makhluk ciptaanNya lelaki dan perempuan. Sesungguhnya amal usaha kamu itu berbeza-beza.