jeans and fatwas

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

I live and work in the Islamic world where sartorial propriety is defined by

strict religious prescription. The Arab menfolk are proud of their

"dish-dAshA" or "thobe" and the women of their "abaaya". Both these modes of

dress give the Arab a sense of his own cultural distinction, of his or her

being a proud Arab. Even the most Westernized Arab in this part of the world

will be loath to be seen in polite society in "jeans" or "shorts". As for

entering a mosque in anything but the traditional attire... it is simply

unthinkable for any Muslim here!

 

I have seen personally that the willingness of the average Arab Muslim to

abide by the religious dress code is spontaneous. It is not induced by any

fear of "fatwa" or some severe mullah's ire. Only the Western media (who

consider themselves "experts" on all aspects of Islamic culture)project it

as such. The average Egyptian or Kuwaiti or Bahraini here wears his dress

with great pride.

 

If we Indians ... whether we are Ayyangars, Iyers, Advaitins,

VisishtAdvaitins or whatever... if we too had that "pride" in our sartorial

traditions we would never have to enter into a debate at all on "jeans" Vs.

"panchakaccham". M.K.Gandhi switched from Bond Street suiting he wore in

England and South Africa, as a lawyer, to wearing loin-cloth as a

freedom-fighter and going about as a "half-naked fakir" to meet the King of

England even! It did not all happen suddenly. It happened to him over many

years as his awareness of his innate India roots and of his traditional

legacies expanded.

 

It is impossible however for many of us to take pride in a tradition if, in

the first place, we are for some reason or other unable to "live" it. And

how can we "live" a tradition unless we are intimately acquainted with it?

That I should think is the real cause of "married women wearing jeans to

temples".

 

Our brave young friend on the list (a new member, I guess)who wrote to

express his anguish about our jean-clad "padithAndA-pathini-s" has NOT got

his priorities wrong. I would say he has made a very perceptive comment on

our community. Except that he seems to have mistaken the symptom for the

disease, the tree for the woods.

 

The young member deserves our encouragement ... not "pooh-pooh-s".

 

My hearty congratulations to him for speaking his mind boldly.

Good show my good friend, keep it coming!

 

Regards,

sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

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