news
“Allah’s Tailors” gaining profile in Turkey
Reuters, Nov 13, 2010
Along Istanbul’s busy Eminonu waterfront, women swathed in dark coats and scarves knotted once under the chin jostle past others clad in vivid colors and head coverings carefully sculpted around the face. Two decades ago such a polished, pious look scarcely existed in Turkey, but today it has the highest profile exponents in Turkish First Lady Hayrunnisa Gul and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s wife Emine, and the brands behind it plan ambitious expansion. Read more →
"In Old Societies, New Fashions Convey Power"
New York Times, Sept 9, 2010
NEW DELHI — Women in corporate India are opting for form-fitting business suits. In Sudan, a woman who dares to wear trousers is sent to jail. In the capitals of Europe, a Muslim head scarf becomes a political lightning rod. And across the Islamic world, a new crop of designers is nudging women to step out of fashion purdah with clothes that meld global catwalk trends with Muslim mores. Read more →
"City’s Muslim women go for fancy burkhas this Ramzan"
Daily News & Analysis, Aug 24, 2010
Given the fact that most burkha-wearing women flaunt their best burkhas for iftar parties and especially on Eid, the rise in sales of this religious robe is not astonishing. But what is surprising is how the plain-Jane burkha has today gone all glam. So, while a decade ago, burkhas were usually black loose robes with casual lacing or modest embroidery at best; today, the city’s Muslim women have a whole range of designer burkhas to choose from. Read more →
"Prepping for a Chic Idul Fitri"
Jakarta Globe, Aug 22, 2010
Muslims around the world are looking forward to Idul Fitri, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month. On top of being a joyous family celebration, the day has a bit of an extra meaning to many women throughout Indonesia. It’s one of the few days a year they get to wear their finest Muslim fashions. Read more →
"Unveiling the Haute Hijab"
Illume, Aug 13, 2010
Melanie Elturk has always dreamt of becoming a fashion designer. At the age of 25, she is not only a fashion designer and an attorney, but she's preparing to launch her online store, Haute Hijab, this fall."Our entire philosophy is to provide clothing to Muslim women who live in America and wear western clothing,” Elturk said. “I want to provide a real resource for women who are fashion conscious or think about what they’re wearing, but modest at the same time.” Read more →
"Jakarta’s chance to lead fashion for faithful"
Financial Times, Aug 12, 2010
The fashion models lounged in the public hallway of a Jakarta retail mall in hot pants, batting false eyelashes and adjusting their hairdos. Minutes later, they hit the catwalk wearing headscarves and covered by full-length prayer gowns in an auditorium closed to men. The swift transformation was an expression of the many faces of Islam in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which has started to assert itself as a leader in fashion for the faithful. The international market is estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year and is growing. Read more →
"What the Headscarf Means, When Everyone Wears One"
New York Times, Aug 10, 2010
As far as wardrobes go, the head scarf worn by a Muslim woman to cover her hair has become the most loaded political and religious symbol today. And while the West wrestles to accept it, Muslim societies where the majority of women now wear the veil are wrestling to understand what it means beyond its standard function. Read more →
"Combining fashion and modest dress codes in Iran"
Associated Press, Aug 5, 2010
Islamic fashion need not be dreary, that's the message of this collection of Islamic fashions in Tehran. And it's images like this that the government hopes will show young people that clothing doesn't have to be revealing to be chic. Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic regime has required all women to wear the Hijab (Islamic dress codes) in public. However the lack of inspiring domestic clothing designs has made women, especially young girls, turn to western styles of clothing. Read more →
"Turning East, Turkey Asserts Economic Power"
New York Times, July 5, 2010
For decades, Turkey has been told it was not ready to join the European Union — that it was too backward economically to qualify for membership in the now 27-nation club. That argument may no longer hold. Today, Turkey is a fast-rising economic power, with a core of internationally competitive companies turning the youthful nation into an entrepreneurial hub, tapping cash-rich export markets in Russia and the Middle East while attracting billions of investment dollars in return. Read more →
Essay: Bordering on What?"
PBS "Turkey's Tigers", Aug 22, 2006
The Turkish state has always tried to imitate the ways of Western democracies, but without giving the country’s Muslim middle and lower-middle classes much voice in the matter... Yet whenever society has reclaimed a bit of power or freedom from the Turkish state, it has done so in the name of Islam or, at the very least, of traditional Turkish values. In a Turkish context, more democracy generally means more Islam.
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