In hindsight, the backlash against Muslim fashion was inevitable. All those Muslim women, deciding for themselves how they should dress. Not allowed.
It was triggered by a swimming costume, a burkini being sold in the United Kingdom by quintessentially English retail brand Marks & Spencer. The women’s rights minister in France, Laurence Rossignol, declared the all-over-body suit a form of “social control” and demanded that Muslim woman capitulate to her demands not to wear it. Irony doesn’t appear to translate into French.
To make matters worse, she compared Muslim women who cover up to “negroes who support slavery”. And thus was unleashed the imperialist mindset that lays claim to women’s bodies, and in particular to the bodies of women of colour and Muslim women.
This row is about more than just about a swimsuit. It’s about definitions of fashion, of beauty, of womanhood, and who gets to define them. It’s about who gets to express themselves on their own terms, and how every attempt at self-expression is shut down if it does not conform.
In the thick of the French row, Pierre Berge, a fashion designer and partner of Yves Saint Laurent, implied that only his kind of fashion is beautiful, to be covered is not beautiful.
The fashion industry is up in arms that Muslim women are creating a look for themselves and wish to buy it in designer and high street outlets. How dare ordinary women choose their own version of fashion and beauty. And what, wait, how much is it worth? A total of $474 billion (Dh1.7tn) by 2019. Young Muslim women, increasingly educated, employed and affluent, and – here’s the crux of it – increasingly proud to assert their identity as Muslims are creating a new fashion look and have money to spend.
If Muslim women can quite clearly be seen to be the mistresses of their own identity and destiny through something as straightforward as how they choose to dress, who then will be left to be “saved” by the politicians and their wars on the one hand, and by stern hardline Muslim traditionalists on the other?
For all of them, Muslim fashion is dangerous, because it normalises and humanises Muslim women. It gives Muslim women their own means to express their own identity on their own terms.
White, non-Muslim middle-class feminists also seem to be outraged by Muslim women determining their own identity. They believe that only one kind of womanhood, and one kind of feminism is allowed – their own. It makes them feel nervous or immodest to be around Muslim women they whine. Since when should a woman’s self-esteem be tied up in what someone else wears? And isn’t the point of feminism to support women’s choices? Itis racism dressed up as feminism.
And politicians couldn’t be happier to put down Muslim women’s legitimate choices of self-determination to win a few votes and make themselves look tough by interfering in fashion choices.
As always, no one is listening to what Muslim women themselves are saying. Berge said he wanted to “teach Muslim women to revolt”. Being told our choices are not beautiful, and that we don’t have the right to make them, now that’s what I find revolting.
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and blogs at www. spirit21.co.uk
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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
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2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo
Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 28
Sector: Financial services
Investment: $9.5m
Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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