January 26, 2014

0989 MOROCCO - Two women, two colours, the same hayek

The Qur'an instructs both Muslim men and women to be modest. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World, this modesty concerns to gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia. The consequence is the hijab (that literally means in Arabic “screen" or "curtain”), which not only refers to the physical body covering, but also embodies a metaphysical dimension, where al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God." As clothing, hijab is a veil that covers the head and chest of the Muslim women beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family. He may have a broader sense, refering to any head, face, or body covering worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty, privacy and morality. A traditional Muslim garment is the abaya, a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, traditionally black, a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long caftan. The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqāb, a face veil covering all but the eyes.

Maghreb communities have different kinds of hijab, reflecting their cultural diversity and richness, each region within the same community having its own dress. In Morocco, al-hayek, jelbab, izar, abaya, etc., cover women’s bodies according to the traditions of each region. In the eastern region, women cover their entire bodies except for a narrow space from which they sneak peeks with one eye, whereas women in the northern region wear jelbabs and put on a niqab to cover their entire faces except for the eyes (as in the postcard). Anyway, in Morocco the headscarf is not encouraged by governmental institutions, and generally frowned upon by urban middle and higher classes, and is even strongly and implicitly forbidden in army and police.

Said Elakhal, a Moroccan researcher in political Islam and a journalist in the daily Al-Ahdath Al-Maghribiya, believes that "the hijab of the Islamists does not reflect the cultural identity of the Maghreb societies", and distinction can be made between three categories of veiled women: 1. A category that considers the hijab to be primarily an expression of their partisan or doctrinal identity. 2. A category of women regarding the hijab as a new trend, so they combine covering their hair with revealing the beauty of their bodies through the excessive use of makeup, wearing jeans, picking the finest garments, and matching the colors and models of shirts. 3. A category that sees in the hijab a religious duty, and strives to hold on to wearing it. To sum up, the concept of hijab has multiple motives, meanings and styles.

About the stamp I know only that is part of a series issued on 2011, of which I have other stamps, that you can see here.

Islam and clothing - Wikipedia
Islamic Clothing Glossary - About.com
Hijab - Wikipedia
Abaya - Wikipedia
Political, doctrinal and social motives of the hijab, by Said Elakhal - Zawaya

sender: Hanane (direct swap)
sent from Taroudant (Morocco), on 31.12.2012

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