I took this photograph of colorful hijabs for sale at a store on Jalan Asia Afrika (Asia Africa Street), near Bandung Grand Mosque.
Hijab is an Arabic word which originally means cover, veil, screen, or shelter. Now the word is used throughout the Moslem world to refer to the attire that Moslem women wear. By religious rule, Moslem women are required to dress modestly, i.e. cover most of their body parts and head, in public to keep/protect them from being harrassed.
In Indonesia, the more common word for hijab is jilbab, which refers to head cover.
Although Indonesia has the largest Moslem population in the world, it is not an Islamic state. Therefore, unlike in some Middle Eastern states where women are required by the state law to wear hijab in public, Indonesian Moslem women are free to choose whether or not they want to wear hijab.
Hijab began to gain popularity in Indonesia in the mid 1980s, following what is now considered as the re-emergence of Islamic consciousness throughout the Moslem world in the 1970s, of which hijab was one of the symbols that affirmed the Islamic identity and morality in opposition to Western materialism, commercialism, and values.
This is my first participating post for Photo Scavenger Hunters.
13 comments:
What wonderful colors..This is a great example of religious items..Thanks for participating in the Scavenger Hunt.. I love seeing others perspective on the subjects each week.. Either a link or the label work.. Thanks again for the information on your posts I share it with my children so they can see what differences there are in other cultures.
This is a very interesting post. I have three women friends here who are Muslim. One is Lebonese and she only wears the head scarf during family gatherings or religious holidays. Another is an Iranian friend who recently came to the US. She is covered whenever she goes out in public, but her interpretation of hijab includes tailored Ralph Lauren jackets and Chanel scarves. (In fact, she is so beautifully stylish I often feel kind of dowdy in my jeans and T-shirts!) My other muslim friend doesn't wear any sort of covering, but her dress is decidedly more modest than most of our peers here in California.
I've never seen such colorful hijab before. They remind me of Indian saris in a way.
Thanks for a great post, as always Eki!
Very colourful...I wasn't aware there were so many different varieties & styles.
Those look so beautiful and colorful. Thank you for the explanation,,,
A very nice photo indeed!!
I find it also very interesting to read your comments. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you for the explanations, as always. Photos like this pull me into a shopping frame of mind. Which color would I choose? Probably light blue.
Very very interesting post on the hijab. I like the colours, I agree with Laurie that they remind me of saris in a way.
What proportion of Indonesian women do wear the hijab, do you think?
Very colorful photo! Thanks for providing the information Eki. It's wonderful learning something new through this medium.
I allways thought all hijabs were made of a 'common' piece of fabric, but i can see some have the 'head shape'. Very interesting.
I have been gone from your blog for awhile, and I am very sorry! I am catching up your posts, which are beautiful, as always. You capture your city so well, and always something interesting!
This post today was very well written. Thank you.
I find Indonesian ladies ( by viewing Indosiar,TPI, SCTV,Metro TV etc) are always forward with their hijab desigh. Just show how modern and fashionable they can be.
Ah the colours. They are stunning. I am always drawn to bright colours. Pity more moslem women don't dress in vibrant colours here. Most are in black.
Very educational again. ne should always find out before we assume. These colours are simply gorgeous and so striking. Definitley an image that would be lost in mono.
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