A nod and a wink to the veil
Reva KleinPublished: 01 September 2006
A study of Middle Eastern youth culture takes detours through history as it unpicks present-day contradictions, Reva Klein discovers
Muhajababes. By Allegra Stratton. Constable & Robinson. £7.99
The very term Middle East provokes a negative reaction in many of us, churning up images of a vast conflict-ridden region where widespread impoverishment, political mayhem and destruction sit cheek by jowl with the blinding garishness of gold palaces glinting in the desert sun.
A rather different view comes from young British journalist Allegra Stratton, who travelled to six Middle Eastern countries last year to unearth the realities of Arab youth culture, searching for insights into what young graduates thought about politics, religion, relationships, music. The result is Muhajababes, an idiosyncratic view of this diverse expanse of cultures and political sensibilities, where western culture and resurgent Islam collide and coalesce.
The name of the book comes from muhajaba, the Arabic word for girls and women who veil themselves. Muhajababes is a word coined by a Beiruti woman who Ms Stratton hung out with (the 25-year-old hangs out, she doesn't visit) as a way of describing one of many paradoxes seen throughout the Middle East: veiled young women wearing tight jeans, stilettos and make-up while carrying designer handbags. While their black veils may be a nod to Qur'anic devotion, their skin-tight clothes are a wink to the oglers they invariably attract.
The demographics that define the region are the inverse of western Europe: two-thirds are under 25, a high proportion of which are graduates with not enough jobs for people at their level of education.
Culturally, the Middle East is similarly complicated. It's best defined as a place where a vibrant, western-oriented popular culture collides, and sometimes melds with, a resurgent Islamism. So you have Dial A Fatwa, a satellite TV show that answers callers' queries on what is allowed and what is haram (forbidden). Is plucking eyebrows OK, for instance, if it enhances the look of the eyes? And for the younger children, there's Fulla dolls, Barbie look-alikes (albeit brunettes), with a difference: forget bikini'd beach Barbies - these dolls are veiled, giving little girls a chance to practise the art of arranging headscarves.
A study of Middle Eastern youth culture takes detours through history as it unpicks present-day contradictions, Reva Klein discovers
Muhajababes. By Allegra Stratton. Constable & Robinson. £7.99
The very term Middle East provokes a negative reaction in many of us, churning up images of a vast conflict-ridden region where widespread impoverishment, political mayhem and destruction sit cheek by jowl with the blinding garishness of gold palaces glinting in the desert sun.
A rather different view comes from young British journalist Allegra Stratton, who travelled to six Middle Eastern countries last year to unearth the realities of Arab youth culture, searching for insights into what young graduates thought about politics, religion, relationships, music. The result is Muhajababes, an idiosyncratic view of this diverse expanse of cultures and political sensibilities, where western culture and resurgent Islam collide and coalesce.
The name of the book comes from muhajaba, the Arabic word for girls and women who veil themselves. Muhajababes is a word coined by a Beiruti woman who Ms Stratton hung out with (the 25-year-old hangs out, she doesn't visit) as a way of describing one of many paradoxes seen throughout the Middle East: veiled young women wearing tight jeans, stilettos and make-up while carrying designer handbags. While their black veils may be a nod to Qur'anic devotion, their skin-tight clothes are a wink to the oglers they invariably attract.
The demographics that define the region are the inverse of western Europe: two-thirds are under 25, a high proportion of which are graduates with not enough jobs for people at their level of education.
Culturally, the Middle East is similarly complicated. It's best defined as a place where a vibrant, western-oriented popular culture collides, and sometimes melds with, a resurgent Islamism. So you have Dial A Fatwa, a satellite TV show that answers callers' queries on what is allowed and what is haram (forbidden). Is plucking eyebrows OK, for instance, if it enhances the look of the eyes? And for the younger children, there's Fulla dolls, Barbie look-alikes (albeit brunettes), with a difference: forget bikini'd beach Barbies - these dolls are veiled, giving little girls a chance to practise the art of arranging headscarves.
Let's read it and see what all the fuss is about binat!
4 comments:
Basically this review is talking about; girls that wear hi'jab but that dress like Britney Spears from the neck down..
Personally, I think it must be very difficult for young girls in this day and age. Living in the Middle East, I see how many western programmes/ahows these young girls watch and it is normal to want to dress the same as these young , 'attractive',female figures/icons.
I think if they remember in their hearts what is right and what is wrong and they keep having faith and belief in Islam, wearing western clothing should not be seen as them disrespecting their religion. Just my opinion.
Nice article though and I must take the time to read the book.
I didn't write the review folks! But I wouldn't mind reading the book. Is it available in Kuwait ?
That's ok Teeko, neither did I.LOL
Khaled Hosseini has written two books, Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns,I recommend bot books. Eventhough they are children's books I also recommend BreadWinne and Parvana's Journey by Debra Ellis.
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