Zawaya

The hijab in the Maghreb: a symbol of fashion and identity

By: Jemal Mohamed Oumar

To answer this question, we ought to take into account the various motives that incite women to wear hijab within the different social environments in each Maghreb country. We must also consider the reasons that vary based on the distinctive community habits of each country.

First off, it is commonly known that the hijab is associated with the Islamic culture that emerged with the spread of Islam 14 centuries ago. Islamic teachings emphasized on the importance of having women cover up outside their houses, i.e. in the street and public places, out of fear of provoking fitna, or drawing attention to their beauty that should not be exposed to non-mahrams. However, this Islamic phenomenon blended with the social customs of Muslim peoples.

This made women in some Islamic societies wear hijab lightly, or get rid of it at once most of the times; but they still wear it when performing certain religious rituals, such as prayers. Some people even measure the level of civilization of a given society by the extent to which its women are allowed to drop hijab, since they consider hijab a reactionary symbol and a restriction on women’s freedom.

If we look closely at this phenomenon, we’ll see that wearing the hijab in contemporary Maghreb communities has taken many forms. It is sometimes a mere fashion trend among Maghreb girls, as part of the adornments and beauty standards of oriental women. This idea is emphasized by the diversion of hijab, in this case, from being a cover for the awrah, which is its main purpose at the first place. The general appearance of many girls who wear this kind of hijab indicates a lot of freedom, especially when it comes to the rest of the body, by wearing the trendiest jeans that show the curves of their bodies, and wearing skirts and some shirts that clearly draw attention to their bosoms. This prompts many people to mock the phenomenon of modern hijab by saying that girls in the Maghreb countries are “Afghan in their upper halves, and American in their bottom halves”, to describe the mixture between the symbol of conservatism and tradition, i.e. the headscarf, and the symbols of modernity and openness, i.e. jeans and skirts.

Other people think that the modern hijab combines preserving one’s identity and keeping pace with fashion trends. The hijab might also be dictated by economic necessities, especially in large cities that require women in general – and girls in particular – to maintain the beauty and elegance of their hair; and since not everyone can afford that, girls resort to headscarves as a way out of this dilemma.

We should not forget that wearing hijab can also have a religious motivation for some girls, though to lesser degrees in Maghreb societies. This is especially true for girls who come from conservative and religious families, or those who belong to religious currents that follow practical Islam as way of life – like the party of Justice and Development in Morocco, for example, and the Tawasol party in Mauritania -, as well as girls who belong to the families of Sufi Sheikhs.

In Maghreb societies themselves, we see that the perception of the hijab varies from one country to another. In the Arab society of Mauritania, for example, known locally as the “Beydan” (Whites) society, women wear a traditional loose dress known locally as “melehfa”, which combines the characteristics of the hijab and modern fashion. However, its role in covering the awrah and hiding the beauty of the body has become marginal compared to its role as a traditional dress that primarily reflects identity, because the melehfa – women’s dress in Sudan and some Southeastern Asian countries – can be very transparent to the extent of revealing the body’s beauty. Consequently, some Gulf outfits, known as abayas, started to spread lately especially among girls who want to wear the real hijab.

As a conclusion, the phenomenon of wearing the hijab in the majority of Maghreb communities is a symbol of identity and keeping up with fashion, rather than committing to piety and preserving one’s religiosity.