Elegant

I've written about the hijjab (Muslim ladies' head scarves) on numerous occasions in the past (here, here and here). Its a topic i've given a lot of thought to, mostly because its the most obvious difference between how Islam considers men and women. Today, on the LRT, i revisited such thoughts as i was surrounded by young ladies, all of whom were wearing the tudung.

The hijjab can be either of two things on different women:

(1) on some they look like dirty rags wrapped around their heads -- carelessly tossed over their shoulders in supposed nonchalance (and failing), with the front bit all collapsed over their foreheads. There is no elegance or propriety in this.

(2) on others, they are not only religiously functional, but they are able to aesthetically enhance beauty -- in my opinion, a hijjab worn properly is arguably one of the most elegant pieces of a woman's clothing.

As i disembarked this morning, i took a moment to smile and nod at my elegant sisters in Islam (no, i wasn't flirting -- a smile is sadaqah (alms) in Islam); whoever said that Islam restricts (or, conversely, should restrict) a woman's beauty through the hijjab is sorely mistaken.