Arabic Clothes and Costumes - Research Paper Example

What makes Arabic clothes different from the westerns? Men and women dress differently across nations, but there are reasons why they choose to dress that way. Certain to this are the ways Arabs dress differently from all other nationalities. Purpose of the study is to look at the rationale why they are different in order to understand their diversity. Various research studies showed reasons why Arabs dress differently. Clothing can express many things such as emotions, influences of media, personality status, religion and tradition. Clothing can be an expression of emotions, like colors. Black is a symbol of mourning to some, but today, black is a symbol of formal fashion. To those who are superstitious, black is satanic but there are also ministers who wear black.(“History of the20th century fashion’. ) To some degree, fashion is dictated by media, personality and status in the society. For instance, “History of the 20th fashion “stated that before 1840, Queen Victoria influenced the color and style of wedding dress when she chose to wear white lace gown, and from then on white color is associated with wedding gowns. As to wedding dress, rich Arab girls started sewing their wedding dresses when they were young enough or were still children. It took them years to finish their wedding dress which became a source of pride and status symbol. Poorer children worked on their dresses made from any available local materials, and after the wedding, wear it as an ordinary dress (ADC 2007). Hair arrangement also has history, as History of the 20th fashion recalls that models and actresses in the 20th century had blond hair, while male preferred to have dark hair as gray colored hair is an indication of aging. Men at those times, at particular ages and status wear the same kind of hair, while women’s style changes often. There was no indication if these have influenced Arabs. But Westerns have covered their hairs with scarves, handkerchiefs or hats. In 1920, women had short hair to show their rebellion against their gender roles. (History of the20th century fashion’). Clothing became a status symbol in mid-19th century so that when one wears black or grey suits, one would think they belong to the middle class society. The way one dresses is a speculation of cultural differences as it is prescribes the differing cultural standards of everyone. For instance, Arabs clothing project their culture of modesty, in contrast with the westerns that is concerned with their own look. Arab’s clothing is also an expression of its religious concerns and traditions. There are certain requirements for the Islamic dressing which is based upon the Qur’an, the revealed words of Allah, and the traditions set forth by the prophet Muhammad who serves as a human role model and guide. Huda, in about.com. tells that the Qur’an calls for women” to draw their coverings over their chests,” so that Prophet Muhammad, following this call, instructed Muslim women to cover their bodies except the hands and faces. For the men, the requirement is to cover their bodies from the navel to the knees. They are also required to keep their clothing loose and thick so that the shape of their body could not be revealed. Religion also requires Muslims to be decent in appearance, modest and dignified. Shiny clothes are not allowed, and that they should be dressed not for the purpose of gaining admiration or sympathy by people around them. Historically, the perspectives on Islamic dress begins with the belief that the honor of the family resides in the chastity of women, so that in order to obey this, women must be respected by men, and should be conservative in her looks.(“Historical Perspectives…..”). Islam’s ruling s suggests that the Muslims should be proud of their own identity, and should not imitate other cultures and tradition. One of their religious requirements is that women should not dress like men and should be proud of their feminity while men should not wear gold or silk as these are considered feminine accessories. Culture creates diversity. And in this regard, let us have an understanding of the Arab culture. Let us start with a definition of what is an Arab? Tradoc DCSINt Handbook No. 2T (2006) gave a description of an Arab which states: “To be an Arab, is not to come from a particular race or lineage…it is a cultural trait, rather than racial” This handbook reports there are 200 million Arabs found in 22 countries around the world that includes Muslims, Christians and Jews. One could easily discern if one belongs to the Arab community because of their clothes. Their Islam traditions set that women should be veiled. However, today, this is not strictly followed because in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, wearing veils are the personal choice of women. However, this rule is strictly imposed in other places because they fear of mistreatment of guardians of Islam.(Tradoc) Arab clothing for men has also some distinctions in their headdress that could identify his origin (Tradoc). One could easily recognize an Arab man because he wears the traditional flowing robes. Today, their clothes are a mix of tradition and western styles of blue jeans, -shirts and business suits. But they always wear a head dress. The headdress asserts from which tribe, clan or family the wearer belongs. A checkered headdress show that the wearer belongs to a certain type of government and their participation in the Hajj. For instance, a red and white checkered headdress shows that the wearer comes from a country with a Monarch, and generally from Jordanian origin and has competed Hajj. Black and white pattern symbolizes that one comes from a Palestinian origin, completion of Hajj, and of a presidential rule. A Hajj is once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Makkah, and is one of the central duties of Muslims all over the world (Ni'mah Isma'il Nawwab,1992). Black turbans are associated with the Prophet Mohammed and Shia’s clergy, and white turban shows wearer belong to the lower echelons of Shia’s hierarchy. (Tradoc) Arab women wear the traditional dress which is full length that covers the body, and wears a veil. However, observance of traditional dress is not the same with societies; as Saudi Arabia is more traditional wile Egypt are now less traditional. (Tradoc) Arab women are conscious of modesty and this as the reason why they dress this way so that you can see devoted Arab women cover their faces and their bodies with robes and veils. However, rural women are allowed to wear lighter color and weight of garments when working in the fields In order to understand the Arab’s diversity in clothes, we should know that they follow certain dress requirements. The first rule in Arabs clothing is an expression of its religious concerns and traditions that follows certain requirements for the Islamic dressing which is based upon the Qu’ran, calling for Muslims to be decent in appearance, modest and dignified. Shiny clothes are not allowed, and that they should be dressed not for the purpose of gaining admiration or sympathy by people around them. Islam’s rulings suggest that the Muslims should be proud of their own identity, and should not imitate other cultures and tradition. Other religious requirements is that women should not dress like men and should be proud of their feminity while men should not wear gold or silk as these are considered feminine accessories. (Huda, About.com) Wearing of veil by Arabs has its own history. Studies from the “Historical perspectives…’ relate the history of the veil that corresponds to the practices of the region from where they came from and their social position. Accordingly, wearing of veil, is a practice that dates back many centuries ago. It is said that the Assyrian Kings in the near East set up the seclusion of women in the royal harem and ordered them to wear the veil. However, not all women were told to obey this rule as prostitutes and slaves, were told not to veil, and were punished if they found disobeying the law. This, I believe, is a form of early discrimination. According to history, it was only in the second Islamic century that wearing of veil became common as Islam reached other lands, and the practice of wearing veils was spread by Muslim women. It was first adopted as a symbol of power and of social status. During this time, the rural folks and nomads were not required to use veils. Non-wearing of veils developed in the ensuing times of history, but was restored during the Middle Ages wherein strict decrees and rules brought back the tradition of wearing veils as well as putting restrictions on women’s participation on activities outside her home. It is a common observation that there are really cultural changes brought about by higher education, globalization and western influences. These are shown in the attitudes of the young Gulf Arab women who talked about the western influences in their lives. Those interviewed by Morte, Michelle (9 May, 2011) were all attending universities at Education City in Doha, Qatar. Among the topics discussed were their perceptions on the cultural shift in Qatar and the Gulf Region. What was gathered from the responses of the respondents who were all students was the popularity of the malls, fashion trends, internet accessibility, and technological devices as iPod and DVDs. They do not believe that the Arab culture is dying because of these influences, like wearing the “abaye”, but rather they take good things from the West and leave things that are not in agreement with their culture. The way the Gulf male teenagers clothe themselves now is a reflection of Western culture of wearing jeans and T-Shirts and no longer the men’s robe. The respondents said that they are now enjoying freedom in Qatar which was not common in their tradition before. These teenagers asked that the Westerns should not look at them as crazy because they cover themselves and should not be judged with the way they look. One of the respondents said that even if the west is different from Qatar, the air they breathe and the earth they share are the same. Changes in Arabian women today include freedom to work. But they feel certain pressures in employment and find that traditional clothes, more particularly, the veil is often being questioned by foreign employers. In an article “Hijab in the workplace”, the Hijab became the point of controversy in hiring of Muslim workers, such as wearing it can pose dangers; their hijab should match the color of the company’s uniform or someone wearing hijab intimidates customers.(Hijab in the workplace, 1998) Women were also prejudiced in employment by wearing their traditional clothing. Greerer, Launa . (Feb. 2011), reporting about the emergence of feminist movement, in a workshop sponsored by Princeton University , said that in Turkey, women who wear head scarves in public were excluded from the parliament and run the risk of unemployment. Wearing traditional clothing in Egypt and Tunisia is often considered as part of Muslim brotherhood, the largest opposition group in Egypt. As feminists movement is taking place , the younger generation chose to be conservative as a response to the secular societies that oppressed their form of dressing. On the other hand, older feminists’ favored Western dress since this is more practical. A veil also becomes a political symbol for Arabian women who press on their rights and identity. In “Historical perspectives…”, Muslim women felt threatened in areas like Indonesia and the Philippines where Islam was not welcomed, so they began to dress more conservatively to assert their identity Other incidences are quoted herein: During militant struggles for independence, such as that against the French in Algeria or the British in Egypt, some women purposely kept the veil in defiance of western styles. By wearing hijab they also could take part in veiled and silent demonstrations, or could hide weapons under long robes.(“Historical perspectives…”) Still on veils, during the commemoration of International Women’s Day, the Institution for Secularization of Islamic Society, issued a declaration of protest against the mandatory veiling of women in Iran because such an act constitutes a notion that women belongs to an inferior sex. Veiling to them, limits women’s movements and free behavior and a way of implementing sexual apartheid. Further, the veil symbolizes subjection of women to Islamic teachings. Foremost, the ISSS declared that there should be dress freedom in Iran as this is a basic right of people.(Kamguian, Azam 2011) In other places, like Morrocco, a new wave of fashion has been created for Muslim women. The new style shows Western influence but has preserved the modesty required by traditions. There are numerous clothing websites that caters to the new designs of fashions, trendy, but still adheres to covering of the body. The veil is still retained but its patterns and colors matches with the dress (see photos at left). The stark difference of designs between modern and traditional designs of the clothes is noted to be influenced by western styles. The traditional design shows only the eyes, covering almost everything while the new design is more forward looking and smart. As shown, the Moroccan women still preserve the modesty in dressing as prescribed by the Qu’ran, trendy, but still adhering to tradition. In an article written about Morocco, Vagabond Journey. Com reports revival of the traditional women’s wear wherein headscarves are fashionably designed made of colorful fabrics adorned with pretty clips at the back. Furthermore, Moroccan women combine hijabs with everyday modern suits, skirts and coats, and tight jeans, sexy tops, and make-ups. Because it is a mix, I could not judge whether there are violated religious restrictions on this fashion. The traditional clothing and veiling of Arab women has been the hub of many controversies for quite some time now. To unveil or not, is such a ticklish issue, because it is just a piece of cloth meant to cover the head. But there is so much symbolism of culture and tradition attached to it, that Muslim women cannot just get away with it. It has also become a political issue that shows diverseness in the society. This was shown in the article of Treister, Negar, Rachel (25 June 2006) wherein she reported that women of the Middle East used fashion to make a political statement. By this, women challenged the state by wearing fashionable coats with matching head coverings. This was done amid the announcement of the government for a national dress legislation and boycott of western fashion in Iran. In the same way, women in Saudi Arabia had succumbed to the high end fashion in clothing and make up and wear them indoors mostly in female settings. Unlike Iran, western fashions are not banned in Saudi but they are adjusted to meet the Saudi Arabian standards. Saudi Arabia is known for following traditional Islamic dress, but I still see some reservations with the way Saudi women wear western fashion because they dress up this way only when they are among the women circle and they still keep the tradition of female chastity. One thing that is assured in this piece of research, is Muslims have high regard to their ancestry, race, culture and tradition and takes pride in it wherever they are. To them, it is a source of identity, a cultural trait that one should not be ashamed of. Change cannot come in a day or two or overnight, it will come in due time, and cannot be rushed. Surely, the change in the way Arabs clothe themselves cannot be imposed on them because of their basic human rights and beliefs, but we see small changes in their styles. Western designs have crept in their styles because of technological influence and modernization. Let us just understand their diversity and accept their identities. Works cited Greerer, Launa. Hatem addresses emergence of feminists’ movement. News. Daily Princetonia 16 Feb. 2011. 02 December 2011 < http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/02/16/27614/> ADC – American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. 2011. Lesson Plan: Arab Culture & November 2011 < http://www.adc.org/education/lesson-plan-arab-culture-and-society/, > Ni'mah Isma'il Nawwab. Hajj: The Journey of a Lifetime. 1998. Islamic City.com. 30 November 2011 Read More