Just Wear It: Because a Baseball Hat Covers As Much As a Kufi

By Katelin Mason

In the post-9/11 era, some Muslims in America might be inclined to ask, “Is it really necessary to dress in a manner that most Americans (not to mention a lot of Muslims) identify with terrorism?”

As a convert, I experienced some confusion when week after week at the Friday congregational prayer, men in Kashmiri and Pashtun dress gave the sermon. There is nothing wrong with traditional, South Asian clothing like the shalwar kameez for instance. This is a modest, comfortable, and elegant outfit for any Muslim. Yet when combined with a beard long enough to win a marathon without breaking a sweat, a kufi and a vest, one might just wonder if such attire is modest or ostentatious.

I do not believe that the Prophet wore shalwar kameez, although some Pakistani nationalists may disagree. Nor do I think that if I wore the traditional dress of my ancestors, the Celts, I would be a more devout Muslim. Islam is supposed to be a universal message, but that can be confusing when Muslim men who conform to the stereotypical image of terrorists and call everyone else al-kafiroon (unbelievers) run the mainstream Muslim-American organizations.

We should not compromise on the traditions of our beloved Prophet to placate the ever-changing, fickle Western culture, yet it seems that the exoteric elements such as wearing hijab, a kufi, and having a beard have taken priority so that Muslims and non-Muslims alike are increasingly identifying Islam with its outer form. This is a distortion cloaked behind claims that this exteriorization is a return to the time of the Prophet when in fact it is slow-poisoning to Islam that is weakening it from the inside. As this exteriorizing force, namely Wahabbism, permeates into the mainstream of Muslim thought, there is a two-fold result: terrorist acts born out of ignorance and humiliation by the West, expressing faith with violence rather than communion with God, and people turning away from the religion all together, calling the mullahs, sheikhs, and imams hypocrites; and all too often they are right. When the focus is on appearance, actions and intent become less important. When appearance loses importance, piety emerges. This is the nature of all people.

Some enlightened brothers have discovered that a baseball cap covers their head just as well as a kufi, and a baggy Adidas shirt with matching track-pants is as modest as a shalwar kameez (not to mention a whole lot better for your game). They realize, perhaps, that were the Prophet to have dressed in the clothing of the French royal court rather than in traditional, Arabian attire, he would have been unlikely to persuade anyone in Arabia to embrace Islam. Similarly, if you go on the metro standing 7ft. tall with a belly-button-length beard, white shalwar kameez, and a matching brown kufi and vest set, don’t be disappointed if men and women in Western-style suits and teenagers in “Mecca Brand” t-shirts and velour Jay-Z sweat-suits don’t ask you to discuss the din (faith). It isn’t personal; it’s just that no one is likely to be inspired to open their mind to your religion if you are dressing as what looks to them like a religious extremist. No, they are not right to judge you for your clothing, but when was the last time you left your car unattended around a bunch of rap music listening, gangsta clothes wearing teenagers in the Bronx? Then don’t be surprised if people get uneasy when your adhan clock goes-off from inside your unattended bag on the metro.

Is not modesty the whole point of Islamic dress? We may need to reevaluate what modesty means for Muslims in America today. You will get a lot more stares, looks, and comments wearing jalabiyyas, shalwar kameez, and other cultural attire. I know that modern, American clothing is not very beautiful and does not make people say “masha’Allah” in jum’a prayer as much, but the positive impression you give is dawah that just wouldn’t be as effective if you were wearing the dress of your Pashtun great-grandfather.

Most people in Egypt, Palestine and Pakistan would be put-off by the idea of their traditional dress as everyday-wear. Why then do Muslims in the West insist on wearing it? Please don’t stop wearing shalwar kameez and jilbabs; these are a source of beauty in a culture where everyday life is devoid of art. It is just my opinion that once in a while wearing American clothes might open the minds of your co-workers or classmates to Islam if they are not too distracted by your culture to think to inquire about your religion.