No seriously I could make up a stripper story if you guys want but in reality there isn't much to tell of this one. Like I said last post a stripper lived on our floor in residence for a few months. She was from some small town and was the girlfriend of this biker looking guy who also living on my floor, she was performing at one of the local strip clubs, they fought a lot and at all hours of the night, she stole another floor mates money or something like that and she was drunk a lot and might have taken her clothes off once or twice from what I HEARD (nope didn't see anything and given what she looked like with clothes on I don't think I missed anything). Oh and dudes roommate was well upset about having to share his room with an extra body. There stripper story done!
Ok! On the other end of the spectrum from strippers lets talk about something a little more refined. Muslim women.
Now Toronto has seen quite a large influx of folks from South Asia and the middle east in the last few years and many of them are Muslim. In fact I'd say its safe to say that our whole demographic is changing rather rapidly with the influx of these immigrants. Take Scarborough for instance where a few years back it was mostly Asian, Blacks and Whites. Well now I think the dominant ethnicity is becoming South Asian (Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan etc).
This doesn't sit well with some folks but I think that happens whenever a new ethnic group starts to move into an area. Actually its rather interesting to me just from the standpoint that I wonder if the sort of comments I hear today are the types of things one heard when my Caribbean black folk were immigrating here in the 60s.
Anyway, I'm not here to do any serious social commentary on the face of Toronto, I'm just here too talk about hijabs. Yes hijabs, you know the head covering that some Muslim ladies wear. All do not wear it as I think it depends on how strictly you follow the religion and your personal beliefs etc.Its sort of reminds me of how when I was growing up it was the norm for all Christian ladies to wear hats to church in the Caribbean. Hats was serious serious business! Lace hats, cotton hats , flowered hats, big brim hats, small brim hats. Hats was style and class! Boy if a lady wasn't wearing a hat something was wrong with her! She would be the focus of gossip and people would think she backsliding. A lady's head could not be bare in church. No joke. That was like almost the ultimate sin. Ya could cuss people all week long and no one would say anything but don't show up in church bare head at all or ya name getting ridicule. It was almost like the person was walking around naked in company.
'hey hey looka she doah, looka how she come in the house a de lord wid all she head expose'
'but wait dat aint miss brown daughter?'
'yes dat is de said one doris, de said one'
'whapart she mudda?'
'oh she gone ova in away ta visit de son that live in Boston'
'so wait ya mean she wait till she mudda outta the country an come inside hayso looking so. wha happen de mudda hide all de hats before she leff home? chupse! wha she aint got no shame looking so this bright Sabbath morning? I know she mudda train she betta dan that. wha even if she couldn't find a hat home she cudda borrow one.'
Well just like the pious devout Christian ladies used to wear hats back in the day I guess its the same with the Muslim ladies and the hijab. And no I' not talking about the veil over the face or burkas or the other stuff. Just the hijabs and only the hijabs.
Now I'm not Muslim but I do admit to having had quite the fascination with the religion at various points in my life. Now from what I can tell and I aint no expert just someone who asked questions, the hijab is worn to cover the ladies heads and to add to the modest dress of the Muslim ladies. No titillating fashions to be worn in public for these ladies. What some who wear the burka wear under those long robes though is another topic for speculation but that is another blog and before y'all ask I don't know. Cheese on bread den! Wunnah real gypsy (nosey) though. lol.
Anyway I just found out that aside from referring to the actual head dress, the Arabic word hijab also just means the practice of dressing modestly. Cant stress this modest dressing thing too much here because that's what its all about.
Why? Well because from what I saw with a few young ladies in Toronto this summer they missed the memo which outlined what the hijab means. Either that or modest has taken on a new meaning.
One day this summer doing a little walk on the main road I passed some young ladies and one of them just shocked me. Beautiful young lady, Hijab on head, belly at de door (exposed), navel ring showing. Hmm not exactly modest dress now is it? I almost didn't believe my eyes. Had to do a double take but yep there it was Hijab, belly ring together in a strange unholy unity. Doesn't showing your belly defeat the purpose of wearing the hijab? Oh I'm Muslim and I'm wearing my hijab to show my piousness and cover my head but all my stomach is exposed. Ok then.
Then a few weeks back I was in a certain mall and I walked past another young lady wearing the hijab. She was a rather voluptuous woman and was also wearing a rather revealing top and tight tight sweat pants with writing across the butt. She was showing every curve of her sizable assets. Nuh lie! Not only that but the woman was walking and wining! Ya know wining? That is when the waist and the buttocks got rhythm and sway and bounce as you walk. I had to say to myself boy I hear bout nanny wine, ten cent wine, dollar wine and a whole heap of other wine but I never hear bout no hijab wine before. That must be the new calypso for next year lol.
Hijabs, revealing tops, tight pants, hmmm again not a combination I had imagined.
Anyway don't get me wrong. This type of thing isn't commonplace. These two ladies and another one I saw were anomalies to the whole hijab thing but I just found it really grabbed my attention because you really done expect to see that sort of thing when you see the hijab. No wonder those fundamentalist people always saying that the West duz corrupt. Lawd ave mercy!
21 comments:
LOL...I couldn't resist. I am an African- American muslim female who converted some time ago. To the average person I might be considered on the fundamentalist/traditionist end of the spectrum. You are correct in that hijab refers to the overall 'hiyah' or modesty/shyness of the muslimah. My friends and I always shake our heads at muslimahs who wear the head scarf but put on hip huggers or tight shirts/booty shorts...
You will see this more from muslim women born in non-western countries. Suprisingly, mulims who convert are usually more religious in practice than others b/c we know what it's like to be "free" (and I use this term lightly)and chose to be muslim as opposed to those born into it who may not have studied their religion or don't understand the hikmah...wisdom behind certain things.
For me, I was non muslim for most of my life and did the wild-child, dating, college, sorority thang so I know what's out there. Finally, as with anything, if you are taught something in a way that made you feel deprived, when you get grown..forget about it...you know the formula...strict church girl grows up and becomes stripper or mom of 4 w/3 different baby daddies.
My attitude was "if I believe, why half-step"? Check out my blog!
I remember a blog posting you put out a while back about a woman you saw on the bus dressed in a very revealing or tight something. So in a way, this was a revisit to that post and to acknowledge some new ones. I too have seen women, not alot, maybe one or two since I've been in Virginia that sport the hijabs and were conflicting the attire by having tight apple bottoms on or daisy duke shorts.
I was stunned, but I also had to hold back because I didn't know all of the conditions for wearing them with worldly clothing. Now a brotha knows. Thanks for the enlightenment man. And yeah, I know my wifey reads my blog so I too have to tread carefully! -lol
If they were raised that way I understand. I notice alot of girls who are raised muslim will start to want to break away from it as they get older. I have some stories about some women who were raised muslim, boy oh boy...
LOL!!! The folks at the church kill me -- you're too much! It must be a crash of cultures, 'cause those young women couldn't dress like that back in their parents' countries. But growing up in Western culture they are exposed to Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson and co. and they want to blend in with peers.
Lawd, Hijab wine, dat is definitely one for the records... now yuh see why de muslim extremist fighting fi dem countries and dem religious rights. All wunna westerners cross dey inna Nort America, just doing dem yutes wrong wid wunna bad influeces dem...bun fire pun wunna LOL
Yeah it looks like a real contradiction eh.Maybe its the start of a new trend:)
Damn....J, you could write. ~LOL~
Those young ladies have a lot of influence these days ya know!
Everyone is showing some kind of skin in the music, and movie industry!
Ok, you got my attention with the stripper story, and practically mid sentence, you switched up and went to muslim women...lol. My wife thinks blogging is stupid, her words not mine, so I could, should post something real tasty to read. But I probably wont.
And btw, my neighborhood has several muslim families. I too always wonder what those women are wearing under those sheets when they walk the neighborhood.
It takes all kinds to make up the world.
this story is real talk because i remember in high school, my muslim friends would fully have the hijab on and be juking dudes at the school dance in batty riders. hahahahahhaha. i was like, "where does allah fit in all this?" ahahaha
Interesting post :)
yeah I can see the hijab wine hitting the scene soon. the hijab seems to be a cultural rather than muslim thing (dont quote me). now the burka is another whole ball game. been told by a muslim chick that under it the women are made up to the nines, rocking g's and stuff. so much for modesty.
I really enjoy your blog. Cool Post.
What Sunshine said. And just this morning I had a chat with an older lady who was saying much the same as you, except the object of her consternation were fundamentalist christians.
She was having a great deal of difficulty wrapping her head around seeing a local Adventist pastor's daughter tricked out in hat, demure jacket, hoochie skirt and stillettos.
Apparently the young lady inadvertently (but then, who knows) flashed a busload of scandalised Lucians. :D
love the title of the post... i may be a non hijab wearing muslim but i decided i rather not disprespect my religion by wearing hijab and a tank top with it. Some of the new generation just seem torn between culture v/s religion. I visited several arab staes and the women are in full burkha but under that are sporting some serious scandalous clothing. Its quite over the top extreme
Hey dat ting yuh talking bout back in theydats about the church is true yow! I can't forget on Sunday morning you could tell all the ladies that were going to church by just looking at their heads. No lady used to go to church without a hat pon dem head.
The muslim thing is another thing. I understand that they have "high morals" and a woman must dress decent. But all dat covering, to me seem rediculous! How dem admire a woman, by the way here covering hangs, or how it sways when she moves? Crazy man.
@safa - thanks for stopping by. i agre with your philiosophy
@luke - and there may be another blog about revealing clothing coming soon as well lol
@amadeo - care to share those stories lol
@urban sis - yea i guess but if you want to blend i say just get rid of the headdress
@camp - lol,
@abeni - maybe it is so you going to wear a hijab?
@bajanqueen - thank you and true
@brotha buck - yea i wonder as well especially in summer when its hot outside lol
@madbull - indeed
@star - batty riders oh my lol
@livingsingle - thanks
@obi - yea i heard that as well and i may have some proof to that as well but all will be revealed later
@sunshine - yep
@ddot - thanks man
@dorna - ha ha ha,too funny
@nat - i agree with you
@dr d - thanks, oh dont get me going on the women from dubai lol
@stunner - no star ya have it all wrong, the fellas looking to admire ankles and eyes lol
Hey im a muslimah and white so i get stares enough in my very modest garb. but i have seen the ones with a triangle just loosely on their heads hair hangin out the back short tight tunics and jeans that show their bubble butt then this one womans daughter came up and she was fully covered save her hands and face. that was just so hypocriticle of her i could just scream. ive also seen a woman that looked nice in her hijab from the neck up but had on short sleeves and ankle reveling skirt from the back but it revealed her shins in the front go figure they thing hijab is fashion these days. anywho just adding my 2 bits hope yall like it. thats all she wrote. peace and feamanallah to all muslims readin this.
Hey dat ting yuh talking bout back in theydats about the church is true yow! I can't forget on Sunday morning you could tell all the ladies that were going to church by just looking at their heads. No lady used to go to church without a hat pon dem head.
The muslim thing is another thing. I understand that they have "high morals" and a woman must dress decent. But all dat covering, to me seem rediculous! How dem admire a woman, by the way here covering hangs, or how it sways when she moves? Crazy man.
to answer that they like us for our personality and dateing is against our religion so they amrry a woman they want to go out wit!!!
the previous posts first 2 paragraphs are quotes the third is my answer
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