Yesterday I attended one of the many “Islamic” fashion shows hosted by the Saverah Fashion Weekend at the Global Peace and Unity event in London. Not being a particularly Islamic event in general, my expectations of what would be shown on the catwalks were not positive. Unfortunately it was worse than I imagined. The show was introduced by Attika Choudhary, a presenter on BBC radio and B4U music television. She proceeded to tell the audience “our hijabs and abayahs are fashion”, and whilst she doesn’t wear the hijab herself, said she hoped it would “suit her one day. This very much echoes the theme of the event: “Modesty can be a Stylish Virtue As to the actual collections being shown, each was described vividly, with terms such as “cultural fusion”, “glamourous”, “vintage decor”, “oriental combination” all revealed to mean the same thing - impractical. And for those individual pieces that did seem more wearable and in keeping with Islam, they were always paired with various hijab accessories, of which turbans were the least ostentatious. What seemed like straw nests on top of the hijab were particularly popular. And in keeping with the Western beauty image, all outfits were portrayed with stiletto heels and extensive make up. Many sisters do not see the problem with shows such as these. They point to the fact that only women are present, and many of the outfits modelled can be worn at weddings or female only parties. To these sisters, I would first ask why these collections are continually labelled as modest and sharia compliant if they are intended for women only gatherings? Every model covered her hair in some way or another, when really, the outfit did not fulfil the criteria of hijab. Why is the public dress code of the Muslim women associated with these clothes if they are to be worn in private? I would secondly point out that under Islam, fashion is not a part of the dress code of a Muslim woman. Allah (swt) has defined our dress code specifically, so we are not subdued to the demands of designers, men or society. It is not for anyone to take it upon themselves to decide what women should wear and not wear for each differing season. Allah (swt) in his mercy has liberated us from this. Am I saying that Muslim women cannot dress beautifully? Of course they can, but in public Allah (swt) has specifically set out how we must dress as part of the wider Islamic social system. Fashion shows such as these only reinforce the Western construct of the ideal image of beauty, something non-existent in Islam. The continual connection made between this fashion and the Muslim womans dress code, has devalued the concept of modesty to merely just covering your body, in whatever way you do it. In reality, Allah (swt) has specified what modesty means and to truly abide by the Islam, we must adhere to His (swt) specifications alone. - Women against oppression - liberation through Islam
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:46:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015