Hijab, a traditional piece of cloth or a veil like garment which is worn by women in various cultures as a reverence to their institution of faith and belief. 

It is referred to by various names, some call it Khimar, or Niqab, or some simply call it a headscarf. Hijab, basically,  is an Arabic word meaning “cover.” The most common type of Type of hijab that is universally worn by modern-traditional women all over the world is a square scarf that covers the head and neck, but leaves the face clear. This form of Hijab is becoming a rage and women wearing it look strikingly beautiful, and quite astonishingly, glamourous too!

In cultures around the world, one can see a beautiful array of Hijab forms today. Travelling through countries, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, the Malay Archipelago and South Eastern Europe, a stunning diversity of colour, patterns, prints and materials of Hijab greet the eyes.

This traditional Muslim clothing, in its brand new avatar,  not only reflects the culture of the people and creativity of the clothiers, but it comes from a time honoured tradition of using locally grown materials, organic dyes and is especially suited to the climatic conditions of each region. Within this huge range of fashion, yet lies a simple unifying principle ; modesty and strong faith in customs. And that’s what is the most striking feature of Hijab Fashion.

Slowly and gradually, the monotonous looking attire has taken up a stance where we see it in varied pleasant looking pastel colours, monochrome prints and street-style textures. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Hijab has taken a prominent place in current eCommerce fashion market world over.  And it’s increasingly big business: The 2014–15 State of the Global Islamic Economy report by research firm DinarStandard found that Muslims spent $266 billion in 2013 on fashion, compared with $242 billion in 2012, and projects global spending of $484 billion by 2019. And Hijab, definitely is a part of global fashion research and development.

Way to go!

Numerous startups, keen to cash in on the demand, are now catering to the craving for stylish headgear, especially Hijab. Like Indonesian startup HijUp. Its marketing manager, Nenden Alifa, says that the company launched its eCommerce site in 2011 to bring a positive image of Muslim women. She’s emphatic that wearing a Hijab doesn’t leave you “trapped” anymore,  it’s a choice now, and she wants their fashion to reflect that.

I simply love this bearing of thought process. We are indeed evolving as communities and global society as a whole.

The most exciting part is that Hijab fashion trends and development also involves designers, and their collections are being showcased in many countries, including Indonesia, UAE and many other Muslim dominated countries.

So to say, World Hijab Fashion has evolved into a “street-style look,” and women are enjoying the simple styling, in various shades, hues and forms. Hijab is not just a tradition anymore, it has become a huge fashion statement.

I really wish to see such evolution in many other domains across the world.

Do share your thoughts with me.

The post Hijab Is Not Only A Tradition Anymore! It’s Becoming A Cool Fashion Statement! appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

World Hijab Day 2015.

All women in hijab cannot be subjected to prejudice and amongst all the controversies marked in the history; February 1 is celebrated as the World Hijab Day all across the globe in recognition of all the Muslim women.

The Hijab for women has been always a controversial topic among the people, one who are against it and the one who support the idea. Hijab being one of the sensitive issues, there have been all kinds of opinions coming out from all types of people.

So, the World Hijab Day was first celebrated in 2013 by Nazma Khan. The main objective behind this was to support the religious and traditional aspect of hijab by different people and at the same time to make the non-hijabi women also experience it once. It is observed in almost 116 countries all over the world.

Just like the recent case of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Hijab also became a topic of heated discussion among the people and it resulted in the ban of the Hijab in France in 2009, as according to them it reflected the traditional and stringent religious practices. On the contrary, it has been made a compulsory practise in the Middle-East Asia. Many countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. have made the hijab compulsory for women. Although in many countries it might be accepted but still they do not support it.

World Hijab Day 2015

Post 9/11 there has been a major debate on a woman wearing a hijab. Many people were actually being teased and abused on the basis of the Muslim religion. The biggest problem with a woman wearing the hijab is that she is immediately type casted as an orthodox Muslim woman and the topic just ends right there. There is a sudden block in our minds regarding them. They also are being judged as less skilled and dependent. However a hijab cannot be the deciding factor of a woman’s abilities.

World Hijab Day 2015

When we talk about different countries, in Morocco there is a certain prejudice seen with the women in hijab and at the same time in Afghanistan during the Taliban reign, a women being behind the veil was a compulsion and very cruel steps were taken to punish the lady who did not abide by the rule.

It is high time that we realize that a piece of cloth which some people consider as a religious pride or an obligation and on the other hand some find it as an orthodox and an imposing factor should be actually depending on people’s choice. While it cannot be even imposed on small children, it can be highly respected as a choice of someone’s life.

The post World Hijab Day 2015 : Understanding The Chaos Behind The Religious Garment appeared first on Youngisthan.in.