Types of Headscarves

sarahshu 4 Comments

We see it now and then. A woman wearing a hijab walking at the diag, in science classes and psychology lectures. There are Muslims on campus. We associate the word hijab with the headscarf Muslim women wear. Nonetheless, the word hijab itself does not mean headscarf. The original Arabic meaning is partition, curtain. The term is used commonly in Islamic guidelines for modesty in both men and women.

Headscarves are also adorned in other religions, such as the Judeo-Christian faiths. Orthodox Jewish women wore headscarfs to cover their hair and as a form of modesty. Prior to the 18th century, wearing a headscarf was considered customary for Christian women in Europe, African and the Mediterranean.  It still is considered common in some Christian traditions today. Sikh men and women also wear the headscarf before moving on to the turban.

However, here I will be describing the different types of headscarfs Muslims women wear around the world. Some are customary only to certain regions. In general, the Quran dictates that women should cover their hair including the neck and throat, leaving the face visible.

1. Hijab

This is the most common headscarf worn by most Muslim women. It covers the hair and neck, leaving the face visible. It comes in many different styles and colors.

2. Niqab

This head covering covers the face, hair and neck, leaving only the eyes visible. It is commonly worn by women in Arab countries, but more Muslim women in other countries are choosing to sport this.

3. Burqa

The term burqa and niqab are often used interchangeably but they are quite different. This headscarf covers everything including the eyes, leaving a mesh to see. This is common in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reportedly there were also some Jewish women sporting the head covering in Israel. There are currently 15 countries that ban this head covering, citing security reasons.

4. Chador

This is a body length garment. It is not secured by anything so the women holds it close with her hands. It is mainly worn in Iran.

Recently there has been a surge of international brands that have started to produce headscarves and modest clothing, realizing that there is a large market and demand for modest clothing, especially Muslim women. Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and Uniqlo are some of them.

       

(Image credits: Google Images)

 

Winter Break Beginnings

Elizabeth S Leave a comment

Today is December 20th. What is its significance? Last week, some lucky students already finished final exams, projects, and essays, so it seemed like winter break had already started. For many others, however,  the past few days were full of cram sessions, late nights, and more, leading up to the end of the semester. Today marks the last day of examinations, last day in the dorms, and last day of the 2019 fall semester. I hope everyone’s finals went well, but now that they’re over, I’m looking forward to winter break.

What are your plans for the next two-three weeks? I’m sure for many students, more sleep is one thing to look forward to. If you need more reasons to appreciate the time away from school, I’ve compiled a list of reasons why winter break is so great.

  1. You can take a break from studying and homework.
    • The relief that washed over my face after I finished my last final was only matched by the nervousness of viewing my final grades. Finals are awful, but they mark the end of the semester, which means no assignments over winter break! Take that much-needed studying hiatus to catch up on things you enjoy, like sleep.
  2. You get to spend time with family.
    • Okay, maybe you’re not the biggest fan of your somewhat annoying second cousin or your excruciatingly nosy aunt, but the holiday season is the perfect time to be with loved ones. I love my UM family here in Ann Arbor, but I appreciate the time to be at home with my parents. I also look forward to playing board games with my extended family, watching the new Star Wars film with my siblings, and simply enjoying the company of loved ones.
  3. There’s plenty of delicious food.
    • Yes, we all love those dining hall tendies – there’s even a student-made website for keeping track of when and where chicken tenders are being served. However, the home cooked meals and occasional restaurant excursions (courtesy of the parents, of course) have been missed. During winter break, there are plenty of cookies and specialty foods due to the holidays. That goes for beverages, as well. I can’t wait to look like Baby Yoda all cuddled up with a blanket and mug of hot chocolate. 🙂
  4. There’s time for hobbies you’ve missed.
    • College life is busy life. I used to LOVE reading in my free time, but when someone asks me what book I’ve read recently, nothing but textbooks come to mind. Winter break provides a bit of free time to catch up on all the hobbies you’ve missed while you’ve been busy studying, working, and doing all those extracurricular activities. Some of my friends have already lined up the shows to binge watch before returning to campus in January, while others are preparing to get down to business with arts and crafts.
  5. It’s the holiday season.
    1. The next two weeks feature numerous holidays, including Hanukkah, Kwanza, and more. As someone who celebrates Christmas, I always love this time of year. Colorful lights, Christmas music, and family gatherings are some of my favorites parts of the season. Whatever festivities you celebrate during break, I wish you happy holidays!

 

What’s your favorite winter break activity? Comment below!

she’s so hard (comic preview)

Amy Fieldmouse Leave a comment

TWO PAGES this time because I want to show you all what I’ve been working on! These are the first of 14 pages of a queer slice of life comic I’m working on called She’s So Hard, for my Narrative Forms class with Holly Hughes. I had fun working on it, but I’m not sure about the style so I’m thinking about reworking it over the break and pitching it to a local comics press. Feel free to share any feedback on how it looks!

How to reduce your carbon footprint (as students)

sarahshu Leave a comment

In light of taking an environment class this semester, I’m sharing simple tips we (as students!) can reduce our carbon footprint as well as some pertinent lessons I’ve learned from the class.

  • Food
    • Change the way you eat, by consuming food in line with the food pyramid: believe it or not eating less meat makes a bigger difference than driving around cars! Meat emits methane, a gas which traps a lot more heat than carbon dioxide. Fun fact: Meat production receives a lot more federal subsidies than vegetables yet federal nutrition recommendations suggests that we should eat more of vegetables and grains (major irony).
    • A fuzzy representation of federal subsidies meat production receives

      Eat enough food and avoid wasting. This means putting enough food on your plate that you know you can finish. When you can’t, keep the leftovers for another time (also a money saving tip instead of chucking it away).

    • Grocery shopping: bring your own bags and if you have extra money, purchase produce bags so you can load up fruits and vegetables without using single use plastic provided at the supermarket.
  • Clothing
    • Wash your clothes in cold water: this helps the clothes last longer and reduces energy from heating up water.
    • Avoid fast fashion: they don’t last long and some of the trendy pieces are only meant to last a season.
    • Think in the long term when buying new clothes, will I still like this piece? Can it withstand the test of time?
  • Shopping
    • If you’re shopping on Amazon and don’t need your things immediately, you can opt for Amazon Day Delivery. This groups your items together and delivers them all on the same day and reduces packaging waste.
    • Buy less stuff: buy what you really need and opt for used items when you need something. E.g. if you need a new winter coat, Patagonia now sells used and repaired winter gear at a reduced price (great way to save money).
    • Bring your own reusable bag everywhere.
    • Support environmentally responsible companies.
  • Donations (if you have cash to spare)
    • If you do have extra cash to spare, consider donating to environmental NGOs
    • Purchase carbon offsets to offset air travel or any sort of travel. (carbonfund.org) Money received is redirected to investing in renewable energy, reforestation and energy efficiency projects.

Echoes of Identity

Elizabeth S 1 Comment

A while back, one of my blog posts focused on the topic of race in drama. The inspiration for that discussion were my experiences in a class that—here’s a big surprise—examined race in drama. The class? RCHUMS 390: Contemporary Plays on Race in America.

When you think of plays by American playwrights, you might think of plays such as Tony Kushner’s Angels in America or Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. These works are often considered examples of America’s greatest plays—Arthur Miller was a U of M graduate, after all—so your thought process would be understandable. What I challenge you to do, however, is to consider reading or learning about American plays by playwrights of color.

As my professor, Kate Mendeloff, was exploring contemporary plays a few years ago, she discovered that some of the most poignant and interesting works she came across were written by playwrights of color surrounding topics such as race and disparity. Inspired by the discovery, she created the class to bring attention to talented playwrights of color and their works.

Just as the title suggests, my drama class had us study contemporary plays on race in America and other works by playwrights of color. The course included reading works representing a variety of identities, discussing them in class, and acting out scenes from several of the plays. It was interesting analyzing how the characters’ racial and ethnic identities impacted their stories and interactions with other characters. Immigration, drug addiction, and intercultural relationships were some of the topics addressed by the plays in class. They also tackled a variety of time periods and issues, such as the 1967 Detroit riots (Spirit of Detroit by Mercilee Jenkins, Detroit ’67 by Dominique Morisseau).

Facing Our Truth: Ten Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege was a collection of plays written by six diverse playwrights as a reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict, while Flint by SMTD faculty member and playwright José Casas explored the water crisis through narratives based on the people affected by the city’s tragedy.

As our final project, our class presented a public performance to feature what we learned and worked on throughout the semester. Some students presented original monologues that illustrated personal experiences on race and privilege, while others presented mashups of monologues from Lorraine Hansberry’s famous A Raisin in the Sun and Joshua Harmon’s plays titled Admissions and Bad Jews. There were also scenes excerpted from plays read in class, like Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World by Yussef El Guindi.

Overall, the class was both enjoyable and educational. I challenge you to give one of the mentioned plays a try and comment your reaction below!

 

Photo Credit: Robby Griswold

Check out the RC for more classes and awesome opportunities!