03-06-2005, 06:07 AM
<b>Do Not Trivialise Hijab! </b>
It has been my personal observation that some Muslim girls and women do not realise the significance of hijab. Hijab is Arabic for protection and cover. Some people put a lot of effort into their hijab, yet it serves no purpose. I am referring to the pointless hijab that some girls wear.
The first pointless hijab is the headband hijab. It is a band of fabric approximately 4 inches wide. It covers the back of the head and allows all the hair to be exposed. It does not serve much in terms of modesty, but at least it comes in handy in case of an unexpected tennis match.
The second pointless hijab is the dupetta, also known as the Saran wrap hijab. It covers all the hair, but it is totally transparent. Again it does not serve much in terms of modesty, but it keeps the hair nice and fresh.
The third type of hijab is known as the Mickey Mouse hijab. It is when a girl wears a black scarf and tucks it behind her ear, so that her ears stick out.
We now move to my favourites; the yo-yo hijabs. The first yo-yo hijab, also known as the Benazir Bhutto hijab, is the scarf that keeps falling down and needs to be constantly pulled back up... up, down, up, down, just like a yo-yo.
The second yo-yo hijab is also known to as the convertible hijab. This type of hijab is predominant at any type of social event, i.e. an Aqeeqah, Bismillah party, wedding etc., This is when an Imam or Qari comes up to the microphone and starts to recite Qur’an. At this point, all the convertible hijabs come up.. until he says “Sadaqallahul atheem”. I am not sure, but apparently in some cultures that translates to “ok sisters, you may now take off your scarves”. I am sure this may seem odd, but what is even funnier is when people do not anticipate the recitation of Qur’an at a social event and are forced to be creative and use accessories such as a purse to cover one’s hair. I was surprised to see a woman hold her purse over her head as “hijab”... as if the multitudes of men surrounding her are not a good enough reason to wear hijab, but some guy reciting du’a compels her to hold a purse over her head. Her friends were more creative.. one friend used her dinner napkin.
I was also laughing when I saw the communal hijab.. two or more girls draped under one dinner napkin during the recitation of Qur’an. Her other friend was still more creative. She used her coffee saucer on the back of her head. I was not sure if it was hijab or a yamka. I did not know if she was a Muslim or a Jew. I felt like going up to her and saying “Salam alaikum, sister”.
People should remember that hijab is not just protection from guys, but from a girl’s ‘nafs’ (ego) as well. It should prevent a girl from having to spend hours in front of the mirror doing her hair. But, unfortunately, you see girls in front of the mirror for hours doing their hijab as they would do their hair, with all sorts of elaborate braids and the like. I wanted to go up to a sister and say “Is your hijab naturally curly?” I also felt compelled to go up to another girl and say “Pardon me, but is your hijab naturally that colour, or did you dye it?” Well, the point to remember is that some people make an effort to wear hijab, but it is futile, because it is not fulfilling its purpose. It’s like using an umbrella with holes in it. Hijab is used for protection from guys as well as from the girl herself, and should not be used as an accessory or for beautifying oneself.