Category Archive

I have nothing of substance to say.   It’s Friday, so it’s jummah (huzzah), but why can’t it just be the weekend already?

It’s raining, which makes me not want to stand out at the bus stop to go to jummah.   I drove today, but I parked a mile away from work, as it’s $13 to park downtown and only $1.50 to park out there.  So I could conceivably walk to get the car and drive to jummah, but that would be just as silly as standing out in the rain.  Alhamdluilah my parents gave me a nice umbrella that I haven’t yet managed to lose.  I usually buy the cheap ones, as I have an unfortunate habit of leaving them on the bus every few months.  Cheap ones don’t hold up well in the wind, and we usually get a lot of wind with the rain.  This one is quite pretty as well as being particularly sturdy.  I love impressionist and post impressionaist paintings.

My new shukr clothes are excellent as always.  The white scarf is a bit see through, but the purple one is absolutely fabulous.  I’m wearing my new gray tunic with the purple scarf and purple socks.  Am I the only one who matches my socks with my scarves?

I purchased the black and gray kitty wallet, although I almost changed my mind when I saw this lime green one.  Now I looove lime green, but the red bow doesn’t quite go well with the green.  I hadn’t every heard of espe before, but their stuff is uber cute.

As much as I adore Shukr, I’m a bit miffed with them right now.

So I have packages shipped to me at work.  When they’re shipped to my apartment, they arrive while I’m at work and sit outside in the hallway, just begging to be stolen.  So I enter my contact info as such:

First name, last name/a b & c LLP

I need to put my name and the company name on the same line, as the rest of the address takes up the 2 lines they give for addresses.

For some reason, the package was addressed to:

c LLP

I can see how they might leave out my name, but to cut off most of the company name too?  It’s a blessing from Allah (swt) that it even made it here! 

So the mail room had to open my package to see who it was for.  And my name wasn’t in there either!  Thank God my cell number was on it so they could figure out who it went to.

Placed my yearly shukr order yesterday:

1.  MashaAllah, great khutbah on the importance of preparing for Ramadan in Shaban.   Less rambling and disjointed than usual, and it clocked in at a mere 35 minutes.

2.  Again, Female Body Inspector?  I just can’t get over how someone could possibly think that this is an appropriate shirt for a muslim to wear when it blatently contradicts explicit quranic instructions.  And to the masjid?

3.  Dear brother in Islam:  While I appreciate the fact that you untucked your shirt to cover your obviously sagging pants and that you are bringing your sons with you to jummah, next time please make sure your 10 year old son’s pants are not hanging down to his knees, displaying his cartoon boxers for the entire jamaat to see.  Thank you.

I think I’ve settled on the abaya I’m going to get for eid inshaAllah.   I like this abaya, but alas, it’s for children:

So I emailed and asked if they could make it in an adult size.  Alas again, they don’t do custom order.  But, they will inshaAllah have an adult version of this with purple trim in time for Ramadan inshaAllah!  Wo0t!

From Terry* via Racialicious:

Talking to Someone Wearing a Headscarf: An Etiquette Guide

From Zahras Boutique

I think I’d ask for it without the fringes and with this red:

Wouldn’t it be spiffy to have the underabaya and embroidery on this one in pink or purple?

So I got AbuS’ tentative agreement that I need to get a new abaya or 2 (or 3 or 4 or 5 IMHO).  I won’t push my luck and ask for all of these, but here’s what I’m thinking.  Which do you like best?  They’re all from EastEssence, which is uber cheap.  I’m a bit worried about the quality, but I figure I can buy one or 2 and see.  If you visit their site, they have much larger pictures, so you can see the details better.

I really love A, but I’m afraid that the white will make me look fat(ter than I already am).  I love love love the double abaya – a mock under abaya with a coat over, so I’m leaning towards C and D.  Plus, a tasteful amount of bright fabric (says the girl currently wearing a lime green hijab)?  Awesome.  I’m also a huge purple person, so B is up there too, but with the empire waist, I may look pregnant.   

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

There needs to be a site where sisters can post their experiences shopping for islamic attire online.  Is there something like this out there?

mashaAllah, I’ve come across a ton of new shops, but I’m wary to purchase.  Why?  Because I’ve heard from too many people who have had bad experiences with poorly sewn products made out of cheap material, not to mention a certain seller who keeps reincarnating themselves to continue their rip off scams.

I’m totally not computer savy enough to design and run a site, but I’d totally collaborate with a sister who would be willing to get this going.

Just the other day I was saying alhamdulilah that I live in Minnesota.  Here, we have no problem with hijab on our driver’s license, while sisters in other states like Oklahoma have faced discrimination.

Or should I say we HAD no problem.  Apparently, Steve Gottwelt, a republican state representative, has introduced a bill to bad headgear on drivers licenses.  He claims it’s to deter gang bangers from using their clothing to obscure their identity, but there’s no exception for people who cover their heads due to a religious belief.  There is an exception for people with medical conditions and ”deformities,” so why none for hijabs, turbans, kufis, kippahs and the like? 

I can’t imagine for a second that this would pass, but it does hint at an underlying anti muslim sentiment is creeping into the open.

…hijab.

I don’t write about hijab very often.  Look, I don’t even have a hijab category.  But 2 posts recently in the blogosphere have gotten me thinking.   The first is by Organica, On Taking off the Hijab, and the second is a post on a private blog where a sister has taken off her hijab after a divorce.

First and foremost, I believe hijab is fard.  It’s required.  Wearing it is submission to Allah (swt).

But I also think that it’s overemphasized.  When newbies convert, it’s often the first thing people tell them to do, even before offering to teach them how to pray.  A person’s piety is tied into how they dress, even if it isn’t a good indicator of their inner state with Allah (swt).   I also think we talk about hijab too much, which is why I don’t post much on the subject aside from fluff.

So what can you say to someone who takes off their scarf?  Nothing?  Offer your support unconditionally?  Offer your support, but with reservation?   Tell them that they’re wrong, but in a nice way?  Condemn them?

Now switch taking off hijab with something else that’s fard.  Salat.  Fasting.  Abstaining from pork or alcohol.  Not backbiting.

I doubt we’d offer positive support to someone who announces they’re not going to pray anymore.  Or who decides that they’re going to have ham sandwiches for lunch.  So why should one offer complete unconditional support without telling that person that taking the hijab off is wrong?  Sure, they know it’s wrong, but are we doing right by not saying anything?

The Qur’an tells us over and over again to enjoin what is right.  If we see a wrong and we say nothing, are we acting according to the will of Allah (swt)?

They believe in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie with one another in doing good works:  and these are among the righteous (3:114)

…And that there might grow out of you a community who invite unto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong: and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state (3:104)

Now see, here’s why I don’t write on hijab often.  I have nothing profound to say, no great insights to offer, no conclusions reached.  This is just something that has been playing in the back of my head, and I felt I needed to write something to get it out.  I haven’t commented on the sister’s blog, because I don’t comment often, and I’m loathe to seem like one of those people for whom hijab is the be all and end all of islam.

From almiskeenah:

It’s…so…orange!  Must have for fluorescent hijab collection!

Oh goodness, a girl after my own heart!

Muslim Women Remove Barriers to Exercise

love to run. Albeit, I run much slower than I used to, but I still find a morning run the quickest, most effective way for me to burn calories. I often run after Fajr before my husband leaves for work and can watch our children. It seems so trivial now, but one of the reasons that I delayed covering after converting was my concern that I would have to give up running.

The problem was not with finding modest shirts and pants. A few companies offer Islamic sportswear, but I prefer to wear loose pants and extra-large, long-sleeved shirts for men, both specifically designed for running and made out of fabrics such as Coolmax or Nike Dri-FIT. This material wicks perspiration away from the skin, keeping you cool and dry. It is far superior to cotton, which absorbs water and can become heavy when wet.

My problem was that I could not find a comfortable hijab. The Hijood is not yet available to non-Olympians (although the website states that it is coming soon!) And whereas the two-piece, tighter fitting, Al-Amira-style hijab seemed to be the best design option, they are made of cotton, polyester, or a blend — materials that make you hot and wet when you sweat.

In my search for the perfect hijab to run in, I discovered that necessity is truly the mother of all invention. When I could not find something suitable, I decided to make my own, even though I do not know how to sew.

My favorite “SportsJab” is the pink one in the picture. I bought a baseball cap made of this perspiration-wicking fabric and added extra cloth. I could not purchase small quantities of this fabric so I bought running shirts and cut them to a very simple pattern that I designed.

I then sewed the cut fabric to the hat rim. Although my hijab is not as aerodynamic as the one Al-Gassra wears, it is comfortable and cool and I dare say attractive. Many Muslim women I know have complimented it and want to know where they can buy one.

The point here is that clothing need not stop you from exercising whether you are an Olympian or just interested in shedding a few pounds and keeping healthy.

SubhanAllah, a sister after my own heart.  I attempted to make something similar, but apparently I am less talented than here.  I tried to cut up one of my old sports shirts to sew to a hat I bought at Target, but alas, halfway through hacking around with a pair of scissors, I gave up.

Ah, what I’m dreaming of wearing for eid.  I’ve done “american” clothes the last few eids, but there is just something about putting on a long, flowing swooshy abaya that makes everything fall into place for eid.

bwahaha, I must have this abaya, in green. I can’t snag a picture to post here, but select green. Must…have…Green Bay Packers colored abaya! Top it off with a white scarf and a cheesehead, and I’d be set…well almost set. Just need to get to the head of the 20 year waiting list for season tickets.  Oh, and convince the husband that american football is exciting.

*goes off in search of a red and white abaya to wear to wisconsin games cuz they’re easier to get into*

Mabrook to Sr. Ruqaya. 

In Round 1 of the 200m, she ran 22.81.  3 women ran faster than her.

 In Round 2, she ran 22.76.  5 women ran faster than her.

The semi finals are scheduled for Wednesday.

I can’t seem to find anything solid.  about her best time in the 200.  According to her website it’s 23.19.  According to this french website, she ran 22.65 in Rome in July.  inshaAllah she can continue to push it, since the fastest time in Round 2 was 22.60.  She was the fastest in both her heats, so maybe if she’s running against faster women, it will push her faster.

Just a few bones I’ve got to pick with the caption people here.

 Hello?  Um, no she’s makin sajdah. 

Roqaya Al-Gassra of Bahrain kisses the track as she celebrates winning her women’s 200m heat of the athletics competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium August 19, 2008.REUTERS/Gary Hershorn (CHINA)

And this?  This is called dua.

Roqaya Al-gassra of Bahrain celebrates winning her women’s 200m heat of the athletics competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium August 19, 2008.REUTERS/Gary Hershorn (CHINA)

Her hijab looks different this time around.  I believe it’s ahiida’s hijood, which is confirmed via good ol Sheikh Google – Bahrain athlete to run in Aussie-designed hijab.  I hope this is a sign that ahiida is going to launch their athletic line soon.  It’s been on the website for years, but I think with the success of the burqini, it’s been pushed to the back burner.  I emailed the sister about it a few years ago, and she sent me a really spiffy little marketing picture with the sports clothes, but I haven’t heard anything since.
 

Yaay!  From CAIR:

Minn. Muslim’s Workplace Bias Complaint Resolved

CAIR-MN welcomes company’s ‘prompt and professional’ response to incident

(ST. PAUL, MN, 8/14/08) – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today said a Muslim teenager who was initially denied a job at an Old Country Buffet restaurant in that state will be offered a second interview.

CAIR-MN welcomed what it called the “prompt and professional” response to the bias complaint by Buffets Inc, the company that operates the restaurant. Buffets Inc also communicated that it has a long-standing commitment to diversity and it has a number of team members both locally and nationally that wear Islamic head scarves, or hijabs.

The Muslim job applicant told CAIR-MN she was denied employment at the Fridley, Minn., restaurant because of her religious head scarf. She said a restaurant manager told her that her religiously-mandated scarf violated the company’s uniform regulations. The manager allegedly told her to reschedule the interview if she decided to take off the scarf.

SEE: Old Country Buffet’s Hiring Under Fire (Pioneer Press)

http://www.twincities.com/ci_10144154

SEE ALSO: Old Country Buffet Accused of Discrimination (KSTP-TV)

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S537400.shtml

CAIR-MN called on Buffets Inc to investigate the incident. After completion of the investigation, the company has agreed to do the following:

1. Offer the teen an apology and invite her to finish her interview with the company while wearing her scarf.

2. Ensure that employees are complying with the law by allowing for religious accommodation to the company’s uniform policy.

3. Offer CAIR’s workplace sensitivity and diversity training.

“We thank Buffets Inc for its prompt and professional handling of this incident,” said

CAIR-MN Civil Rights Coordinator Taneeza Islam. “Our goal is to educate employers to ensure that such incidents can be avoided in the future.”

She said CAIR encourages employers who have questions about how to accommodate Muslim employees to contact the Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization.

CAIR offers a booklet called “An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices” to help corporate managers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.

SEE: An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices

http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/employment_guide.pdf

CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END –

Boo! to some in the local community who were getting their undies in a bundle about the fact that Sr. Taneeza doesn’t wear hijab.  Heaven forbid someone offer a muslim FREE legal help without wearing a hijab.  Further boo! to the insinuations that those who disagree with the undy bundlers do not understand islam. 

If I have one problem with my splashgear suit (which I love dearly), it is that chlorine is a bit hard on it.  Of course, I’m ultimately to blame, since I left it sitting wet in a bag for days after swimming once, which caused the chlorine to eat away at the right arm.  But, other than that, it’s been absolutely fabulous.

Now I can rejoice!  The next generation of splashgear suits are out, and the fabric this time around is advertised as chlorine resistant. 

Please note that Splashgear is in the process of switching from nylon/spandex to the chlorine-resistant polyester knit fabric for all of its stretch products. The Island shirt is the first product in our line to be made using the chlorine-resistant fabric. The Resort shirt, swim cap, and swim hood are still currently being made using the nylon/spandex fabric and will switch over in the near future. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transition.

Time to start saving up for a new suit.

The picture doesn’t quite capture the shocking neon quality of the green scarf, but trust me, it’s bright.

To cheer myself up, I went online window shopping over lunch.

Style Islam - US website apparently coming soon

It’s been a stressful few weeks in my world.  My grandfather went into the hospital a few weeks back with internal bleeding.  He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and has been on a wild roller coaster of wanting to struggle and just giving up.  Every day, there’s a call that he migh not make it.  I visited him yesterday and he’s a skeleton.   All he ate was half a little dish of ice cream.  *sigh*

My sister was in the hospital recently as well with severe anemia.  The [sarcasm] wonderful [/sarcasm] doctors she had did not communicate with her at all, and faxed her on Friday the test results that showed the possibility of a very serious illness.  Dude, you tell someone something horrible via fax?!?!????  *dur*

And my father just found out he was pre diabetic.  Although he got on a health kick 8 years ago and lost a ton of weight, all those years of crappy eating have still damaged his body.  Again, another wake up call (sign from Allah?) that I need to get serious about getting healthy.  I did not get my usual egg and cheese biscuit from McDonalds this morning.  Instead, I’m eating instant oatmeal filled with sugar.  Ok, it’s not great, but it’s a start.  *blah*

Granted, not everything is horrible.  I met Dara of Modest Clothes on Saturday and helped her vend at a bazaar.  If I ever have a midlife crisis, I think I’m going to quit my job and sell scarves.  While I have no fashion sense for the rest of my outfits, hijab I’m all over. 

I got another kuwaiti wrap scarf, which was a gamble.  I have 2 others that are a tight under my chin and are just uncomfortable.  Alhamdulilah, this one isn’t so bad.  It’s a bit tight, and the wrap bunches a bit under my chin, but not as bad as my others.  Plus, it was bright orange, so I couldn’t resist.  I also got a lime green sqare scarf *weeee*  I’m all about the bright scarves, and I didn’t have a green one yet.  Now, all I need is a late 80s party and I’m all set.

I finally got new long hijab pins as well.  I bought a dozen a few years back, and I’ve either lost or managed to mangle all but like one of them.  I was looking for the long ones with just a few simple beads on the end, but it looks like dangly is the style now.  I broke down and got a few dangly ones that are cute.  They’re excellent quality and I’d definately recommend them to people looking for hijab pins (and bling).

I also got the husband a muslimgear shirt as a present (short sleeved).  However, I do plan on stealing it come jummah and rocking it with a white long sleeved shirt underneath and my new lime green scarf.

So in conclusion, when life sucks, shop.  Ah no wait.  When life sucks, turn to Allah (swt)…and shop.

…now I gotta get married again, just so I can wear one of these.

This is what I got married in

But we never had much of a party.  inshaAllah I can get one of these for an anniversary party here or in egypt.

Greetings from backhomelandia aka cheesecurd central aka the land of 10,000 Prius. As has become a tradition, I trek across the border to spend the extended memorial day weekend with family.

First up was a visit with my grandma in the land of 10,000 Prius aka Madison, Wisconsin. Seriously people, I should have counted. 3 minutes didn’t pass while we were driving about town when I didn’t see one of these little hybrids zipping around.  Ah, my people, my hippy dippy tree hugging people, how I love you.

And now, we shall digress, but I promise this will come back to my grandma and my weekend…

…growing up, I never wanted to rock the boat.  I was terrified of upsetting people, so I always laid low and tried to avoid conflict.  I ordered always ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, so as not to be a burden on my parents.  I never asked to go out, because I didn’t want to bother my parents for a ride.  I only hosted parties on my birthday and later when my mom saw that I was a hermit and insisted that I invite friends over.  I played oboe in junior high, which requires reeds that needed to be purchased every so often.  However, I hated to ask my parents for money, so I went away to band camp with one old reed.  It broke 2 days in and I had to beg the oboe teacher to make me one.  I came away looking like a fool, all because I didn’t want to upset my parents by asking for money to buy new reeds.

It is with this background that I’ve approached my conversion vis a vi my family.  Not wanting to rock the boat, I didn’t tell anyone I had converted.  I was waiting, waiting, waiting for the right time.

I transfered schools a few months after I converted, and there I wanted a fresh start.  Part of that fresh start was being known as a muslim on campus.  And part of that was donning the hijab.  One small problem – my sister went to the same university.   Granted, there were tens of thousands of students, so the chances that I would run into her were small.  I worked my way into the traditional hijab, and switched to a bun style when I had lunch with my sister.  One evening, we went to see a lecture by Ben Stein.  I wore my undercover bun style hijab, and when we went up to get our books signed, Ben Stein asked me if I wore a scarf for religious reasons.  I said yes without even thinking.  Crap, I was caught.  He asked me what my religion was, and I meekly said Islam.  He must have thought that I was nervous, as he is jewish, so he smiled warmly and told me that his best friend as a child had been muslim.  Ah, but it wasn’t him I was worried about.  No, I was worried about disappointing my sister.  She turned out to be cool with it, except for the occasional digression into “OMG, what happened to you?  You used to be such a feminist, blah blah blah.”

My parents suspected something obviously, as I started to cover my hair with bandanas when I was at home.  Eventually, they snooped in my email over christmas break, found the evidence and confronted me.  I sat on the couch, crushed through the confrontation, feeling like crap that I had disappointed them.  For years, I was ashamed to show my Islam around them.  They pretended it didn’t happen, and I didn’t do anything obviously Islamic in front of them.  Gradually, I started to be obviously “muslim” in front of them, even to the point where my mom gave me a beautiful scarf for christmas (ah, how to confront them about the fact that I no longer want to celebrate christmas.  but that’s another story).

Circling back now to my grandma – how to tell her that I converted to this religion that she knows nothing about, beyond what she has seen on television from terrorists?  My solution – don’t tell her.  Sound familiar?  She knew something was up when I started covering my hair when I visited during college, but she didn’t say much aside from commenting on my change in wardrobe.  She didn’t even say anything when she came to visit last October during Ramadan and we took her to an iftar at the local masjid and I went to pray.

No, it wasn’t until this weekend when she actually outright asked me if I had “converted to the muslim religion.”  SubhanAllah, here I am more than 6 years beyond my conversion, and when asked outright, I hang my head and meekly say yes.   Suprisingly, she doesn’t say anything about terrorists, or muslim men treating women like shit.  No, she continues to focus on my dress.  I’ve taken to wearing skirts instead of pants, and will now cover my hair in a more conventional muslim-ish fashion when I go to visit.  That’s what bothers her – not the fact that I don’t celebrate christmas or easter, nor that I no longer believe Jesus (as) is the son of God – no, she wonders why I don’t wear pants and why I cover my hair.   It could be worse.  God bless her.

But even then, confronted with such a mundane little triffle, I can’t express myself well in this regard.  When I speak with people I’ve met after my conversion, it’s very easy for me to explain my choice in dress.  Covering my hair is an act of worship, and it identifies me as a proud, strong, intelligent muslim woman.  I humble myself in front of my Lord every time I put it on, and I shatter stereotypes in my interaction with Joe Schmoe at the office.

But with my family, it’s different.  We never talked about God…never EVER.  We went to church on Sunday, and that was it.  Oh, we went to sunday school, got confirmed, but as a family, we never discussed the Almighty.   That child who was afraid to ask for $3 for a reed lest she upset her mom is still very much in control when it comes to interacting with my family.  Even with my dear sweet grandmother, I cannot work up the nerve to challenge the status quo, to bring God into our discussions, and to express my devotion to Him in my choice of dress.

SubhanAllah, I’m so ashamed.  I’m 26 years old, and I’m more afraid of my family than I am of Allah (swt).  That scared little child inside of me won’t go away overnight, but inshaAllah, she needs to start heading out of town.   I shouldn’t be ashamed of my deen and it’s requirements.  If I cover my head, so what?  If I stop and pray 5 time a day, so what?  If God is a real and important part of my life, and I want to talk about Him, so what?  inshaAllah inshaAllah inshaAllah I am going to quash this shame, and be proud of my faith, with everyone.

Whew, that was more than I’ve talked about hijab in a long time.  I wear it, but I don’t obsess about it.  Heck, I’m even pulling back on my online window shopping sprees.  No more hijab talk for awhile inshaAllah.

Still to come in my backhomelandia series:

• my sister and (no) God
• couldn’t the husband convert to be lutheran?
• on a (salat) roll, and I feel fine
• and perhap more, seeing as how I have 2 days left before I head back home

There are times when I’m not happy that I’m an assistant.  Such a bright future, squandered by not going to law school.

 However, today is not one of those times.  It’s Administrative Assistant week, and the firm is going all out.  $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, breakfast, popcorn, chocolate, raffles, the works.  Our vendors are also trying to suck up as well, and what do you know…one of the vendors gave everyone pashmina scarves.  I got a pretty lilac one.  I’m thinking about offering to buy unwanted scarves from people with no use for them for $5.   I could get a whole rainbow of colors

Meh for this blog server.  Yes, it’s nice ya’ll are moving to a new server.  Yes, it’s nice that you’re getting more bloggers.  But what about those of us who have been around here for awhile?  Wouldn’t it be nice to give us dedicated bandwith, rather than let our blogs be down 9 times out of 10, and when they are up, everything is all messed up? I’m contemplating a move to wordpress.  *sigh*

Yay for women only gyms!  Turns out, lots of women like to work out in a single sex environment, not just muslims.  inshaAllah I’m going to be joining one tomorrow.  It’s not some Curves circuit only place.  No, it’s got cardio and weight lifting machines up the wazo.  I’m still on my runner’s high from this morning’s workout.  And I’ve reached a conclusion – I sweat a ton if I run while wearing hijab and long sleeves, and I sweat a ton if I run in short sleeves sans hijab.  Heck, I could probably run naked (not a pretty picture), and still sweat buckets.  Still, it is nice to work out wearing “normal” workout clothes.  I already have cute stuff picked out at Target to bribe myself as I lose weight.   My days of wearing bulky, oversized men’s clothes to cover the behind and hips are numbered.   Once I get within my normal weight range, I’m going to pair a running skirt with regular pants to cover the behind and hips area, and then top it off with a cute women’s cut long sleeve shirt.  Then I’ll look absolutely fabulous as I train for a marathon, rather than this fat chick drowning in clothes that are way too big as she waddles her way around the lake.  Ok, I’ll probably still waddle, but at least I’ll look awesome in the process.

+  + appropriate scarf = hijabi running diva

I rarely blog about hijab, unless it’s to document my internet window shopping, but this Reuter’s blog piece caught my eye:

Turkey’s covered women fed up with politics over their headscarves

Yup.  That just about sums it up for me.

Now, on to more important things…is it a fashion faux pas to wear the same scarf two days in a row?  I set out my outfits the night before, so as to not disturb the husband who gets to sleep in a wee bit later than me.  Alas, I neglected to set out a new scarf, so the only one available was the one I wore yesterday, lying crumpled on the coffee table.  And it’s not even a neutral scarf I could perhaps sneak under the radar.  Nope, it’s my splashy, eye catching orange splot scarf.  No comments on it yet, but it just feels wrong.  Ah well.

In honor of the quasi lifting of the hijab ban in Turkey, I present my favorite online window shopping destination:  Tekbir.  I’m not liking their site redesign, especially now that I can’t right click and save the large pictures, but the clothes are still beauuutiful. 

You can view some of their past lines if you google “tekbir.”  This site in particular has a ton of turkish fashions all in one place.

 

I’ve always had this fantasy of going on a wild shopping spree in Turkey, but alas, that was dashed recently.  A sister on a hijab email list informed me that stuff in Turkey was quite expensive, unlike my shopping experiences in Egypt, where everything tended to be cheaper than buying over the internet or from stores in the US.  *sigh*

Does this jelbab remind anyone else of a Jacqueline Kennedy dress or jacket?  I’d so get it, except jelbab usually look horrendously boxy on me, and the shipping from egypt from IB is too high.  It would look nice in a law firm setting though, wouldn’t it?

 

I’m torn.  On one hand, I love the fact that Shukr is producing new styles more often.  On the other hand, I can’t keep up with all the stuff I love.  Seriously, aren’t those sleeves gorgeous?

 

All outfits today from jelbab.com.  There are some gorgeous embroidered thobes, but I didn’t include them, as they only sell size 1.  Um, yeah, it will be a long time before I loose enough weight to fit into a size 1 again *side tracks to enter calories eaten at lunch on sparkpeople.com and to kick self for surfing the web at lunch rather than going for a walk*

Got my Thanksgiving outfit from Target, and if I do say so myself, it’s quite cute.

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Still nothing of substance?  Bad bad blogger.

 Looking forward to seeing Anja’s sports collection.

I’ve been wanting a big long khimar for salat for quite some time, so today, I set out to find one.  Idealy, it would cover my ankles, so when it’s time to pray, all I would need to do is throw it on, rather than struggle into an abaya and wrap a scarf.  I have one of those prayer outfits that are quite common, but alas, it’s a bit see through, so if I’m wearing a tshirt and/or shorts, it doesn’t do the job.

I’ve always admired the somali sisters’ long khimar and skirt combos, which float elegantly around them as they traverse the streets of the twin cities.  I live in the metro area with the largest somali population in the US, and yet, I have never been to a somali mall.  So, today I went in search of my prayer khimar. 

Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out as planned.  I entered, gave my salaams to the women sitting in their booth, and asked to look at their khimars.  The women gave me a puzzled look.  I’m like, umm, khimar, and pointed at the khimars that they were wearing.  Ahhh, hijab, they said, their faces lighting up with recognition.  Ummm, ok.  I tried to explain in Misr (what’s somali for egypt?  I figured misr would probably be closer than the european word for the country), long round over the head scarves were called khimar, but the shop keepers’ lack of english quickly became apparently.  I gave up, smiled and said, yes, hijab please.

Then I switched to sign language.  I pointed to various colors, and tried to mime that I wanted a khimar, um, hijab, that when all the way down to my ankles for salat.  Alas, my miming must be lacking, because I ended up with a khimar that goes down to about my knees.  Now, it’s a gorgeous mauve color that I *heart*, and the material is not too heavy, but still, dur, now I’ll have to throw on a pair of pants when salat comes round, which kinda defeats the purpose of having the khimar as single prayer garment in the first place.

But, I’m not detered.  inshaAllah I’ll venture out to a different somali mall with some friends, and we will suceed.  Plus, I have to look at their skirt selections.  There was a totally funky orange tie dyed one that I saw today, but I only brought $20 with me, specifically to limit my spending.

I know I look like a big purple blob, but it’s so darn spiffy.  It’s too bad that in the husband’s culture, if you put on khimar, that’s that, you wear it forever.  No switching between hijab and khimar.  And, there are just enough egyptian women at the local masjid who would notice (and comment) if I wore khimar on occasion.  So, for now it’s just my house khimar, but I’m hoping that if/when I go to a suhba or an out of town islamic convention, I’ll get a chance to rock the khimar.

On a related note, I came across this article while searching for pictures of somali khimar.  I am going to have to keep an eye out for the book Fashioning Africa: Power and the Politics of Dress , which has her article Nationalism Without a Nation: Understanding the Dress of Somali Women in Minnesota in it.

Two new shops – one for buying, one just for looking

 Nashid and Kayra.

 Spendy but so pretty.  If I ever become a lawyer, I’m going to Turkey (and this online shop) to do all my shopping.

 

I received this from one of my yahoo groups.  The survey has some very thought provoking questions.  Please foward it on to others who may be interested.  It’s aimed towards american muslims, although there is a question later on where you can answer that you’re canadian, european, etc etc etc.

 Asalaam wa Alaikum!

I hope everyone is having a blessed Ramadan.

I have received a lot of interest in the hijab study. To accommodate the interest, I have developed four surveys on Survey Monkey. One for born Muslim women, one for born Muslim men, one for convert women and one for convert men.  Please distribute this message broadly so that I may get a good sample for the study. To participate one will need to have use of a computer. The survey is completely confidential. It will extend internationally, so all may participate.  I plan to be able to share the results by January 2008. If you have any questions, please contact me at hlairdjackson@… .

If you are a born Muslim women click here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=R4V9QsbGeDh7Njz_2b2KYsAQ_3d_3d

If you are a born Muslim man click here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RiSPVIAh_2fUZ1vT_2fgY2kMfg_3d_3d

If you are a female convert click here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zwielyCEHXOyrOzcyJulAw_3d_3d

If you are a male convert click here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2fHAxzv_2byXRe83sR3tZfL1w_3d_3d

Thank you for all your efforts.

Wa salaam,

Sr. Heather Laird-Jackson

…my eid outfit!  In the end, practicality won out, and I purchased things that would fit right in at work.

This scarf in pink

 

This skirt in the first color and

 

This skirt in “black tulip.”  Everything from Shukr, so inshaAllah it will be good quality that I can wear for years to come (literally, I still wear the skirts and shirts from the first shukr order from almost 4 years ago).

So the shop in Australia hasn’t responded to my email, dur.  I guess that means no hippy dippy hot pink abaya for eid for me

Now I’m leaning towards getting a shirt from muslim gear and a new skirt from shukr.  Skirts are more versatile than abayas, since I can wear them to work, and I love tshirts with pithy quotes.  One of these days I’m going to have to buckle down, stop window shopping and actually buy something before it’s too late.

So I’m thinking this shirt paired with this skirt in oceana or this shirt with this skirt in black tulip.

…I’m in hijabi paradise.  Let’s take a look at three relatively new, excellent sites for the modest minded:

 Haya Hijab Styles – I’m rockin wrap style A today.  My scarf can cover all the way down to the bottom of my ear lobes, but I can still wear dangly earrings. 

Precious Modesty – I believe this sister is a personal shopper, and she puts together some spiffy outfits from mainstream stores, as well as links to interesting modest clothes internet finds.

Modest Flair – Just happened on this today.  It’s a muslimah online fashion mag, wooh!

..with an abaya. Seriously here, I’m practically panting at my desk over this. I emailed the website to see if they ship to the US.

Please please please let my parents give me money for my birthday. Pleaaaaase!

SubhanAllah, in the middle of writing this post, I talked to my mom on the phone and she asked what I wanted for my birthday. She seemed less than enamored with the idea of giving me money for online shopping, but we’ll see

 

I should probably just create a seperate blog for my window shopping, lol. Muslimgear – uber cool.

Ah, more online window shopping. Click the picture to get to the store. I really wish I could wear abayas to work.

Last night in my internet surfage, I happened upon a new online store that was geared towards the active muslimah. It didn’t have much yet – 2 shirts and a swimsuit – but it was only a few weeks old, and will probably put more up later. It looks like the stuff is from Indonesia, which is uber cool. The hijabi fashions there are awesome, but up until now, I hadn’t found any place online that sold them.

Only problem? I didn’t save the link, and my googling isn’t turning anything up. Dang!

However, in related news, it looks like the hijabi swimwear industry is taking off. I still *heart* my splashgear, and will most likely buy from them again once I loose enough weight (inshaAllah) to get need a smaller size. 10 pounds down, 25 to go!

Eastern Vogue abayas are sooo cute, but alas, one must order 5 abayas at a time. Would that be ok honey ? It would be one thing if I could wear these to work, but I’m thinking that they wouldn’t quite fit in in a large law firm. My 5 choices:

Ooooo, me likey this store. Look at the sleeves on this caftan *faints*

and this one

Fluffy post alert!

Dang, this is so pretty and it’s on sale! My very first, and near all time favorite abaya is black, with a faux jacket and white embroidery down the front. It’s well worn and loved, as I wear it often, paired with an obscenely bright scarf. Unfortunately, the love is beginning to show, as it’s all pilled up almost everywhere. But, I still wear it, despite it’s flaws, because it’s so darn cool looking.

Now this new abaya almost has it all – It’s black, and it’s already got bight shiney stuff on it. If only it had a faux coat, but nothing is perfect.

Which will now lead me down memory lane – ahhh, fond memories of my trusty black faux coat abaya. I remember the first time I wore it, for eid in 02 I think. It was my take on saying “screw you society, I’m going to dress how I like, and if it shocks you, so be it!” Kinda like goths, except no freaky makeup. I loved how it was like a cloak and floated around me as I walked. Which now of course leads me to fondly remember college, where I could flip between abayas and a wisconsin shirt and jeans day to day. Haven’t worked up the courage to wear abayas to work yet. It just doesn’t seem like it would fit in a law office setting.

I haven’t gotten a new abaya in like 2 years. I’m strongly leaning towards getting this for eid, cuz dude, it’s black and shiney!

Ok, continuing to browse through their gulf abaya section. This one looks like it’s faux coat, and it’s got shiney stuff too!

I also like this one, although it’s not shiney. It’s very drapy, which I like, and has a funky circle thing on the back.

Their thobes are very pretty, although I feel like I should invest in one that’s handmade my a little old Palestinian woman instead of getting one that’s machine made.

Also, kaftans are excellent, but waaay too expensive. But, they have hoods, and hoods are just uber cool. I guess that’s my inner Lord of the Rings dork talking. Maybe I should just invest in a good cloak instead.

Ok, enough fluffiness for the day, back to work I go.

…and everything in Australia seems to be a wee bit on the expensive side, but dang, this site has some great hijab ideas!

This underscarf/shirt would make clothes shopping so much easier! Unfortunately it seems that most cute shirts have a wide/deep neck, and my scarves never seem to stay when I try to cover up the gaping maw. The scarves are also cute (but waaay too expensive), and the styling going on with the undershirts and scarves looks fabulous.

Umm Yasmin purchased some and has a review.

*daydreams* Maybe someone will sell these in the US someday.

Fluffy post for the day, cuz work has taxed my poor mental skills to their limited.

So, I had a doctors appointment on Friday to check on my high blood pressure (which is not improving, booo). However, I’m down 9 pounds from where I was in December, and inshaAllah if I keep it up, I’ll be a wee bit thinner for Eid (yaay). As such, I’m not going to do any eid shopping now, but Artizara just emailed out about their new clothes, many of which look eid worthy. Maybe I should make a deal with myself if I hit x pounds by September, I’ll buy something new.

I would still love to get my hands on a silk route jelbab, especially with new designs coming out soon, but a friend had horrible luck with the hijab shop, so I’m wary.

And in other sad news to report, my sporty orange faux track suit abaya has bit the dust. It served me well over the years, so rest in peace my friend. *sniffles* I don’t have a picture, but it is similar to the pinkish colored one in the lower left hand corner of this photo essay, minus the side slits. There was an online shop selling more of these, but I can’t seem to find it now, and I fear that they’re horribly out of style in Cairo, so I won’t be able to get one when I go (a few years from now).

Ok, I’m trying hard not to get tooooo excited here. As I’ve blogged about in the past, it’s a constant struggle to find modest clothes to run in. Finding a scarf that doesn’t overheat my head has been the hardest. I’m currently using a light cotton scarf that breathes, but it keeps all the sweat in, rather than wicking it away like specialty fabrics do. So at the end of a run, my head is soaking, yuck!

I even tried to make my own al amirah out of an old running shirt, but alas, after I cut the fabric, I remember I couldn’t sew.

But, those days of worrying may be behind me. I came across a website from Canada this morning called Queendom Hijabs. According to their website:

We cater to the active woman, the one who runs the marathons, hits the gym, goes to school, holds her job, all while still looking modest and stylish. The focus is on function. We want each hijab to move with you without having to re-adjust and restyle.

Oooo, it’s almost too good to be true! The only thing I’m worried about is that they look kinda short, and I need a scarf that provides funner coverage in the collar bone area. Since I wear larger men’s shirts for modesty reasons, the neck hole is usually larger, and I have a hard time finding scarves that stay put and cover. But, I suppose I could always sew the neck hole smaller. Even someone who can’t sew couldn’t screw that up right?

*updated* I ordered this one:

Runner’s fit

Fits all
Modern crisp and clean
Light
Absorbant layer undeneath crown
Complements your sports clothing

Well, I’m not sure about the last once, since my pants are gray and my shirt is black, but it will definately lighten things up a bit.

I may also get this one that’s advertised as highly breathable later on.

I asked the site owner about the length of the scarves, and she said that they’re longer than they appear in the picture. It should be long enough to cover the top of the chest down to the top of the boosoms area, so inshaAllah that will be good enough to cover the large neck holes of my running shirts.

*happy dance*

Browsing advice columns daily is a guilty pleasure of mine. I quasi store the information in some recess of my mind, in the future event that I may one day be put in one of the situations discussed. Ask Amy has become one of my favorites, and now she’s even more my fav:

Dear Amy: I live in a retirement community where all residents are provided one served meal each day. This meal is served by high school students in a dining area accommodating about 200 residents. These servers are both male and female, and wear white shirts/blouses and black pants/skirts. It is a uniform of sorts. Two of the female servers wear black scarves over their heads and around their necks, consistent with, I presume, their Muslim tradition. It offends my sense of propriety and decorum to have these two servers display their religious symbols in a private dining area, such that they cannot be ignored. I would like to complain to management, but I don’t want to stir up a hornet’s nest. Am I wrong?– Kilroy

Dear Kilroy: I’m not sure what you find offensive. Are you offended by evidence of any religion in the dining room? Or do you mind the fact that these girls are Muslim and it is impossible for you to ignore that fact? The ideal function of the hijab is to project an air of modesty to avoid attention — not draw it to themselves. And it seems that a black head scarf fits in with the black-and-white uniform for servers.
I wonder if you would be similarly offended if these girls wore Amish caps or if some of the young male waiters wore yarmulkes? Perhaps you would be. If so, and if any evidence of religion in your dining room offends you, then complain to management. But you will be stirring up a hornet’s nest if you do.Unless these scarves somehow impair these young people’s ability to serve you dinner, I don’t think you have a leg to stand on. We live in a pluralistic society, and while it might be changing a bit fast for your taste, the freedom to practice and express one’s religion is a pretty important aspect of what it means to be an American, right?

Via Rolled up Trousers by way of Sunni Sister

Yet that’s not how the journalist at the local newspaper in Oxford, the Oxford Mail, decided to approach the issue. Her article was titled “Row over fully dressed woman in sauna”. The main interview in the article was with Ian Caldwell, the man who verbally attacked me in the lobby. There was no attempt to find out the full story. A so-called “Muslim community leader” called Taj Hargey called it “political correctness gone crazy”.

At no point had the journalist contacted me. She seemed to have decided to take a similar approach to the man in the swimming pool – talking about me, not to me. As did David Lloyd’s, which had backed up his story without consulting me. At no point did they bother to inform me, a paying member, that such an article was being written. I contacted the Oxford Mail, offering them my side of the story. I never heard back.

Of course, that would have destroyed the theme of the article. Nobody in Oxford would be interested in new swimming suits with hi-tech material, but a crazy Muslim woman jumping into a pool fully clothed and potentially suffocating in the sauna was much more interesting. Since when have facts been important to journalists covering stories involving Muslims?

Alhamdulilah, I haven’t had any international sensation news stories written about me when I go swimming at the local Y. Maybe someone will write one when I finish a marathon (currently training for a half, planning on a full in 2009), but I would hope they would have the decency to interview me. Heck, I hope they interview me.

I think I”m going to use the sauna this weekend at the gym…

It’s never too early to find your eid outfit lol. Should I go “arab” or “western?” I really really really don’t want to wear something from my closet again. The more western style outfits could be worn to work, where as the arab style outfits would add some pizzaz to my poor abaya wardrobe that has been neglected as of late.

Top-Stitched Wrap Abaya

Machine & Hand crafted Traditional Thoub

The Aliya Long Button-down shirt, skirt and scarf

Samaa Lace Shirtdress and Iridescent Skirt

Arwa Belted Long Tunic and Crochet Diamond Skirt

The Crystal Wave Belted Tunic

Anything from Silk Route.

Dur. At Kabobfest:

The Kaffiya Kraze: Revisited

With a great deal of discomfort and a tad bit of pissed-off-ness, I regret to (re)inform the KABOB-o-sphere that Palestine has officially become a trend…That’s right folks, for a mere $20.00 (or 75.0127 Saudi Riyal) you too can jump on the socially stupid hipster-doofus bandwagon by rocking your very own “Anti-War Woven Scarf!” (available only at Urban Outfitters… or..err..uh… the Middle East)

…

Besides – what the hell is so “anti-war” about a kaffiya anyway? Are people wearing it in solidarity with the Iraqis? If so, which Iraqis? And what do they propose the US’ role should be in the country after the war is over? I wonder how many of these “anti-war” Iraqi solidarity fashion moguls voted to reinstate G.W. Bush for second term in 2004 – or didn’t show their solidarity with the millions of Iraqi children who suffered and/or died during 10 brutal years of American endorsed UN sanctions… oi vey!

I don’t know about you – but I, for one, don’t appreciate being tokenized! What next – a FUBU yarmulka? Puh-leez! If you’re sincere in your display of solidarity, buy your kaffiyas from here.

More of the kafiyya in another Kabobfest post