Iranian photographer Sara Shamsavari took a bunch of photos of the varying, eclectic styles of hijab that London women sport to cover their hair. The photos are part of an exhibit to celebrate International Women's Day.
Now, the whole purpose of donning the Islamic veil is supposedly for reasons of modesty, and to ensure that a woman does not attract undue attention to herself, even though the verses that are referred to in the Quran don't really mention anything about covering the hair, neck and ears:
And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss. (Quran 24:31).
O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. (Quran 33:59)
No actual mention of covering the head, which is probably why there are some Muslim clerics who have concluded that it is not an Islamic duty to wear a hijab. But there are some Muslimahs (like the women Shamsavari photographed below) who insist on wearing such outrageously wild veils, the whole purpose of not attracting attention is rendered totally moot.
Okay, the first one looks like a Muslim version of a graduation cap and gown, but the other two are kind of pretty in a bizarre way. But all three would definitely prompt stares, which is what I assumed they were trying to avoid. They definitely call more attention to themselves than if they were to remove the veil and just dress modestly.
They're not the only ones dressing Islamic trendy, they actually have hijab high-fashion shows, with even more elaborate hijabs ready for all those fashion-conscious, hypocritical hijabis.
What's the point?
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