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A woman's status in Islam is close to sacral. Marrying her is the only possibility to comprehend the great experience of human being and understand his living destination by means of love. Muslim women are very devoted to the traditions of their culture.
Ancestors' habit and commandments of Koran play a leading role in
formation of a Muslim woman's individuality, her approach to life,
behavior, and style of dressing. For the right to wear a hijab - a
traditional headscarf, Muslim women fight independently and not due to
men`s will. It was prohibited to wear hijabs in educational and state
institutions in Turkey, but hundreds of Turkish women gathered in the
streets of Istanbul to declare their protest. They assert that a hijab
is not a part of racial or traditional identity, and it doesn’t have
any political or social meaning. It is just a sign of pertain to
religion.
Islamic culture presupposes that a woman's body should be
completely covered, i.e. absolutely everything should be hidden,
including a face, elbows, feet and hands. Clothes in their opinion
shouldn’t be a decoration, i.e. bright, ornamental, sheer, or skin
tight; it shouldn’t be similar to men`s clothes or clothes of
“unfaithful” and no perfume, of course. One would think that it is
nothing but suppression. Isn’t it terrible to wear a dense dark sack in
any weather? But it should be understood that such norms are made for
the orthodox Muslims willing to obey rules of their religion as Koran
bids. The orthodox Christian women also wear a headscarf, go to the
church regularly and keep their virginity till wedding time.
The
clothes of a Muslim woman has changed under the influence of a dynamic
way of life, but no tradition has been neglected. Having kept the
traditions, Muslim women, however, want to express their intellectual
and physical abilities. The modern Islamic women no more stay at home:
they work as doctors, economists, teachers, police, lifeguards and
start their own shops. By the way, a special swimming suit called
“burikini” was made for them in Sydney. The suit looks like a suit for
scuba-diving: it covers the whole body and is made of a light fabric.
It dries fast and doesn’t let ultraviolet inside. Muslim women think
that their appearance influences their inner state, thoughts, and
deeds. That’s why clothes of any woman should be chaste for thoughts to
be kept in modesty and purity.
Moreover, Muslim women are sure that
nude female clothes embarrass men. They start to consider a woman as a
“sexual object”, otherwise Muslim women want men to pay attention to
their intellect and purity of temper, but not to their appearance. It
is rather logic due to the fact that hot tempered Eastern men inflame
seeing not just bareness itself but even an inkling of it. Therefore,
they really do not understand why European men easily tolerate amount
of seminude females on streets. During a summer time European city
streets seem like a usual provocation, so perhaps our men soon will not
notice any of seminude women's bodies.
It’s a common knowledge that
Western women try to emphasize their sexuality. Otherwise, Eastern
women, especially Muslims, emphasize their femininity. It will be the
principal difference between European and Muslim fashion if not to take
into consideration Islamic and Muslim religious traditions. Notice that
this notorious hijab is worn in all-Muslim countries and even not by
every woman. What do they wear then? First of all, certainly trousers
suits. These suits can be of different colors and styles, which make
them very beautiful, but the most important thing about them is that
the trousers should be loose and never fit close. By the way, we have
taken some details of women's clothes mainly from Muslims: bloomers and
trousers, capuchins and different veils previously having a function to
protect a woman's face against sandy winds and the white-hot sun of the
desert.
But the principal part of Islamic woman's clothing is different
kinds of scarves and headscarves. Do not think about gloomy and dark
hijabs. Today there is a great variety of models created in accordance
with Eastern mentality and decorated with national ornaments and
ethnical accessories. Muslim women's suits are very womanlike: smooth
lines of a silhouette, mysterious veils, and elegant cutting. The
models popular amongst Muslim women are suitable both for rest and
work. Clothes do not look gloomy and dark, on contrary: high-necked
clothes thrill fantasy and brings romanticism. Islamic women confirm
that a term “fashion” doesn’t exist in their culture. They consider our
habit to wear clothes of a certain cut, shoes of a certain brand during
a certain season to be real enslavement.
Style of clothing of a Muslim
woman depends on a country she lives in, on circumstances and her
personal taste: one prefers long dresses, the other – tunics to knees
and loose trousers. Company “Tekbir”, a leader in the world's market,
is considered to be Islamic “Diors” and trendsetters of Muslim fashion,
declared as if it doesn’t exist. It was founded relatively not long
ago: in 1982. But ten years later after its foundation,“Tekbir” made a
splash in the world of fashion having presented a special line of
clothes for Muslim women. Their production is sold all over the world,
their models are popular among those women who even have no idea about
Islam but just want to dress beautiful and unusual. “Tekbir” has broken
stereotypes presenting a Muslim woman wrapped up in a loose black sack.
Slowly world civilization is getting tired of a total nudity. Today
“Muslim” style becomes a trend: skirts become longer and longer,
silhouettes get strait and loose mysteriously hiding a figure, band
collars cover a neck to a chin; scarves and headscarves also gain
popularity. Once Rudyard Kipling wrote: “East is East, and West is
West, and never the twain shall meet.” But who knows, may be women will
become a connecting link between our cultures which differ greatly.
Women and fashion existed together in all times. And a fashion is like
a light-minded lady, knowing neither limits nor cultural differences.
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