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How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
Anonymous
08/14/04 at 16:00:42
assalamalaikum all, hope everyone is in their best of health and imaan. ok ladies, i have been having kinda this dilemma. you know during those family get-togethers(not necesaarily all your mahrams) especially during summer where everyone has dinner together and joke around and they all sleep in the same house. And sometimes, there isn't enough space, and you end up in the living room. so.. the hijabis..what do you guys do? do u sleep with the hijab on? it gets kinda HOT! or do u take off the hijab? but if you do, then when u wake up...what if u see your, say bro-in-law or male cousin, right there??( and you are without your hijab!ackk!) i have come up with only one very lame solution=( i get myself under the covers and cover my head.(trust me, it gets suffocating). The only advantage is that when i wake up i can wear my hijab under the covers. i know its pretty lame but hey, thats all i can think of! please help your little sister in Islam with this. Jazakallah Khair.

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
Aadhil
08/14/04 at 17:01:34
[slm] If the room is big enough then make a tent :) (Maybe even put a sign saying ladies only) :P [slm]

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
jannah
08/14/04 at 18:44:03
wlm, hmm try wearing a loose cotton hijab dupatta style (without any pins) and make sure you get some a/c!!

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
ltcorpest2
08/14/04 at 19:32:16
I guess we will never see a hijabi wearing muslimah doing the 100 meter freestyle at the olympics?

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
jannah
08/14/04 at 20:55:06
u'd be surprised.. i knew a few track running muslimahs in my day... also remember that woman from france/algeria? a few years ago? there used to be sisters from saudi doing archery and stuff last olympics too i didn't like how bob costas and katie went into politically disparaging remarks every time a muslim country came up... jeez

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
ltcorpest2
08/14/04 at 21:53:29
100 meter freestyle is swimming,  also,  sorry about not remembering the woman from algeria/france.  Did she do well amd did she wear a full hijab?

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
bhaloo
08/15/04 at 20:29:57
[slm] Someone was telling me that Pakistan sent a female swimmer as part of the olympics, appearantly she wore some sort of swimsuit that covered her whole body (from what I heard), but even if that was the case, i don't get how that would do any good, as the swim suit would be tight.

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
al-ajnabia
08/16/04 at 00:12:11
[wlm] even non muslim swimmers wear full body suits sometimes, they are said to make them faster somehow, reducing drag or something.

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
lala
08/16/04 at 00:52:58
salaam, the full body suits are not loose, and can't be or it would hold them back. sorry to be playing 'devils advocate'. But heck, if you want to swim for your own fun, I found this: http://www.sajeda.com/catalog.asp?id=SWS I have a story. My sister and friends had gone to splish splash one year and she said that some 'indian' type women were trying to go into the water with their entire salwar outfits on and stuff and the authorities wouldnt let them go in those rides etc. Now I think the reasoning is , that all that material can suffocate a person if they were to get caught underwater etc.  Some things just dont work. Unless the head covering is like a divers outfit (underwater deep sea diver type). But again, its tight. SO i dont know. and for the sister with the question: sleep with a hoodie on ( a thin cotton one) and tie the hood:) It may work. salaams

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
bismilla
08/16/04 at 01:39:22
[slm] Sister Anon I found sleeping with a soft cotton undercaps...or even that inner piece (tube?  goes over your ears and not under your chin) from the two-piece hijab sets help in such situations.  Those tube ones have better staying power and if the fabric is that soft cotton kint type they are more comfortable than the undercaps. Insha Allah i hope that helps.

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
nida
08/19/04 at 13:01:22
[quote author=jannah link=board=sis;num=1092510043;start=0#2 date=08/14/04 at 18:44:03] hmm try wearing a loose cotton hijab dupatta style (without any pins) and make sure you get some a/c!! [/quote] [wlm] ..oh yeahh those dupattas- I like them cuz they are nice and long. I tried one about a month ago, man was it a hassle! how do u wear those? I know you wrap it around your head and then tuck them in and *somehow* they stay...but for me they don't!  ::) any suggestions?

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
Muchacha
08/24/04 at 15:42:03
[quote author=mike link=board=sis;num=1092510043;start=0#3 date=08/14/04 at 19:32:16]I guess we will never see a hijabi wearing muslimah doing the 100 meter freestyle at the olympics?  [/quote] http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/track_field/photo?slug=olyrun11508200834.olympic_games_athletics_olyrun115&prov=ap
http://www.jannah.org/board/attachments/capt.olyrun11508200834.olympic_games_athletics_olyrun115.jpg
capt.olyrun11508200834.olympic_games_athletics_olyrun115.jpg

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
Muchacha
08/24/04 at 15:45:10
Not the freestyle but hmm we never know!!

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
A_Stranger
08/25/04 at 11:36:36
[slm] I'd say make all the girls sleep in the same room and lock the door so ya dnt get male members of the family walkin in. If thats not possible, try wearing the long dupatta thing...make sure ya dnt tie around yer head or anything cuz you'll probably strangle yerself durin yer sleep that way :P About that lady from Bahrain doin the olympic run up there...dude, what kinda hijaab is that?! Deary me...unfortunately, alotta people seem to think 'hijaab' means to cover the hair. Fullstop. Nothing else. But, in fact, 'hijaab' means to cover the entire body - so that the *shape* of the body, aswell as the body itself, doesn't show...plus the hair. In the pic up there the lady might aswell be bare-legged... Allaahul Musta'aan. (disclaimer: this aint directed to anyone in particular..)

Re: How to handle Hijab dilemmas?
hussaia
09/01/04 at 12:45:26
[slm] http://www.alharamain.org/EN/Contents.aspx?AID=272 ARE YOU READY TO MEET THE WOMAN WHO CAN GET BY WITHOUT HER LOOKS? It is late in the afternoon at the University of British Columbia and I have been cooped up in this library for hours, trying to compose a thesis for my American Literature term paper. Deciding that a break would help clear my thoughts, I leave the confines of the library to sit outside, only to hear a female voice come up from behind me to ask: "Just how is it that you can live with yourself from day to day wearing that THING on your head and letting THEM control your life?" Granted, it is an original line, a creative way to break the ice, yet why the code words? Only because I've been yelled at in public before for reasons connected to my appearance do I know what this woman means. Code word # 1: "head thing"= 30inch X 30inch yellow and maroon flower patterned polyester blend, a piece of cloth I happen to be wearing to cover my head and neck; Code word #2: "them"= all Muslim men who, sinister-like with their dark beards, heavy accents, and hidden Uzi's get a rush out of making women their life-long slaves. Having deciphered all this quickly, I turn to face the stranger- a cross looking thing - I smile politely and signal to the empty chair beside me: "Would you like to have a seat?" HIJAB, the head to ankle covering that leaves only the face, hands and feet visible in public, has made me a very patient Muslim woman. The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to verbally express their opinions about my scarf haven't been the most trying. There are many who can't formulate words coherent enough to communicate their disapproval, and so, rely on simple gestures and sign language. Walking through downtown Vancouver, I've been fingered, spat on, scowled and cursed at. Stepping into an elevator, I once traumatized a man who could do nothing but shuffle into the corner of the empty lift and mutter "What the ----? WHAT THE ----?!?!?!?!" I have to take the agitation, the horror, and even the hatred in a stride. But never will I be silent about it. I can ignore the flagrant distortions no more than I can deny the fact that I am a Muslim living in Canada. Who I am and what popular culture thinks I am, has become a tug-of-war-competition of who can explain the status of the Muslim hijab-wearer convincingly. The media tells the public that I am a weak freak of nature who has been forced to subject herself to the tyranny of Muslim fundamentalists. Catherine Meckes assesses that wearing hijab is "some kind of twisted logic" because it entraps women like animals in a cage. The Muslim dress code, she argues, is a form of hiding from society so that I don't have to deal with the realities of my "natural habitat." Ms. Meckes seems to be familiar enough with the Western culture to know that women are constantly objectified, used as commodities, tools to sell beer and boost sales for the next football season. Sadly enough, though, she views women who wish to distance themselves from this commercial degradation with fear. She finds women who cover "disturbing" and wished that she didn't have to confront them on their "home turf." Pardon my feeble-mindedness, I've pinned my scarf on too tight and squeezed reason out of my brain....just WHO is running away from the truth? I have chosen to set myself apart from millions of Canadians, placed myself in the way of ridicule by a society that demands women to conform to certain ideals, I have refused to hide in the crowded university hallways and malls by looking the way Cindy, Cosmo, or Calvin Klein think I should - all because I'm a spineless caged rodent?!?! I have rejected the hip-hugging jeans, the breast-enhancing halter tops, the poofy hair and made-up face, and accepted hijab so that I can be appreciated for my intellect and personality rather than my figure or fashion sense. When I face a classmate or colleague I can be confident that my body is not being scrutinized, my bra-strap or pantyline visible. I have repudiated the perverted values of our society by choosing to assert myself only through my mind. I understand my "natural habitat" ! very well thank you. I fully comprehend the distorted image of the "ideal woman," but the difference between me and the Catherine Meckes's of the world is that I am NOT afraid to defy those standards. Islam liberated me from THAT prison. Perhaps hijab is so misunderstood because it is prescribed by a religion that makes a bold and shocking statement: Women are precious creatures who have the right to be valued for who they are, and not what they can juggle. When I decided to start wearing hijab, my mother pulled me aside and posed this question: "If you found a diamond that was exquisite in every way, would you show it to all your friends, let them gawk at its dazzle, caress it, or would you covet the stone and protect it by preserving its natural splendor?" Once you bear something for all to see, the second you display something for its beauty, you objectify it and diminish its value. Because its worth is built on its ability to attract, when it no longer elicits awe from onlookers it becomes worthless. Is it a wonder that neck lines keep plunging every year?- more cleavage means women won't bore oglers, the commercial industries, and the rest of society for awhile. But when will those skirts quit shortening?? For how long will women remain sex objects?? Islam tells us that every woman is a jewel and when she respects herself enough to preserve her beauty for herself and her loved ones, she rejects being objectified by a society which does NOT value her. Only the dearest people in my life know me without hijab because they love me enough to value ALL of me. John and Jane Doe don't love me or care for me, so why must I meet their notions of an "ideal woman" if they are meaningless to me? It is the desire to please popular culture that makes 15 year old girls want to fit into Kate Moss's jeans by sticking their fingers down their throats and wretching (throwing up) three times a day. It is the unattainable Perfect-Body society has conjured, that make "fat", "ugly" girls splatter themselves on sidewalks because they just are "not thin and pretty enough". AND THEY TELL ME ISLAM OPPRESSES WOMEN?? I am thankful that I am not suicidal or psychologically unbalanced because I can't meet the demands of my culture. I am fortunate that my concerns and goals in life lie on a higher plane than the dictates of a pretty fashion industry. I am quite content with my religion, for it values my power to achieve great things through my mind, not through my body. Whether I am physically beautiful or not, you have no clue. Perhaps this fact is disturbing for Catherine Meckes and the library stranger because they are not ready to meet a woman who can get by without her looks. Then again, perhaps it is because they are just ignorant of the (WHAT IS IT?) facts. Either way, I don't need anyone's sympathy, I am not really that scary, and your anger does me no harm. I am not under duress, or a male-worshipping female captive from the barbarous Arabian deserts. I'VE BEEN LIBERATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-)
09/02/04 at 02:40:10
hussaia
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