The Kaffiyeh Has Become a Bit of a Joke, Hasn’t It!
June 13, 2008 | Brian of London | Comments 3
At first I, too, was horrified by the spread of the Kaffiyeh for fashion. It always reminded me of Arafat, therefore it was evil. But I have to admit, now, maybe it’s been devalued a little by this.
And, when I see something like the sight I saw in Barcelona today, it is looking just a little bit like yet another throw away fashion item. Remember $200 pashminas anyone? $5 on any street corner today.
So perhaps the cult of Palestinianism (as Bat Ye’or calls it) might go the same way one day. We can but hope.
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I know people who have worn them and it really means nothing.
It’s the leg warmer of the 21st century, it will be resigned to history as a ridiculous trend.
The Kaffiyeh as a symbol of the Palestinians in particular and Arabs in general is rather ironic. I know there’s a passage in Deuteronomy commanding the wearing of a garment with fringes and tassels in the corner, but I am unaware of any similar requirement in the New Testament or the Qu’ran or other Muslim texts. As likely as not, the Kaffiyeh is a vestige of cultural appropriation from the Jews of the Hejaz.
let me know when the taqiyah becomes a trend, then i’ll tell you fashion’s going Islama,,,