In
1999 the controversial verdict and the discussions still raging around
the headscarf in general caught the attention of Cindy van den Bremen,
then a graduate student in the Design Academy of Eindhoven. Seeking
inspiration for her graduation project, the socially conscious student
was struck by the discriminating character of the Commission’s
decision and resolved to design a line of sport headscarves that would
conform to safety requirements as well to the Islamic dress code.
Another
important motivation was to refute the persistent prejudice that the
headscarf is “forced upon” Muslim women by their male relatives.
Cindy’s idealistic intentions did not go unchallenged; her
supervisors, not unaffected by the common prejudices about the
oppressive nature of the headscarf, initially did not see any benefit
in such a project. To convince them Cindy compiled a large number of
quotes by Muslim girls, confirming the headscarf to be their personal
choice.
Under
the name of “Capsters,” a collection of four unique and trendy
sport headscarves followed, each adapted in shape and material to its
particular purpose: tennis, skating, aerobics, and outdoor. To make
sure the Capsters would conform to the needs of its target group and
Islamic regulations, Cindy spoke to many Muslim girls wearing the
headscarf and sought counsel with an imam.
Cindy
is acutely aware of the social and political implications, which form
an integral part of the concept for her designs, and has tirelessly
explained this to the puzzled media, who were fascinated by this Dutch
non-Muslim designer taking on the cause of the hijab with such
unprecedented creativity. Cindy has since become a familiar face in
the Dutch media as a dedicated advocate for the freedom for women to
cover or not.
Capsters:
A Unique Potential
For
Cindy, design is very much a socially involved process and potentially
conflict resolving in its ability to approach a social problem from a
radically unconventional angle in order to seek a compromise. This
methodology is beautifully exemplified by the Capsters, which present
a compromise between religious requirements and life in a modern
Western society. This is achieved, argues Cindy, by emphasizing the
accessorial function of her designs rather than their purely religious
function. Thus, her Capsters retain the religious aura of the Islamic
hijab and conform to its physical requirements while at the same time
having an own unique character and look that could potentially be worn
by non-Muslims as well.
From
an orthodox Islamic perspective, the accessory approach may defy part
of the headscarf’s function to distinguish. However, Cindy argues,
the ultimate important outcome of this strategy will be to liberate
the hijab of its political, ideological, and religious stigmas and
thus make it more socially acceptable in a non-Muslim society. In this
way the negative image of the headscarf will be neutralized and
eventually reversed as the headscarf itself becomes a means of
integration.
Sharing
Motives
Since
the launch of the Capsters and the media attention generated by it,
Cindy has embarked on several important projects focusing on
intercultural dialogue and elaborating on the theme of the hijab. In
2002 she published a book titled Sharing Motives together with
female photographer Giti Entezami, presenting 25 portraits of Muslim
women with a great variety of Islamic head coverings accompanied by 25
quotes illustrating their reasons to cover their hair. The
presentation of this publication traveled across the Netherlands
accompanied by an extensive program of debates and lectures around the
theme of the headscarf. The exposition aimed at creating more
understanding for Muslim women wearing the hijab and making the Dutch
public more familiar with their lives and motivations. This project
constituted a unique and important endeavor at a time when ignorance
of the hijab and its meaning was regularly displayed by the media in
the most unsubtle and disheartening way.
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A
headscarf for tennis
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Recently
Cindy has been employed to design a safe headscarf for Muslim women
working for the Service Judicial Institutions (for example, as
security personnel in prisons and other penitential institutions).
However, the scarves are still shelved, awaiting a reluctant minister
of justice to approve their actual use.
In
the meantime Cindy is back in her studio working on a new line of
fashionable Capsters to conquer the wardrobes of modern,
fashion-conscious Muslim women. Her ultimate goal is to update the
collection twice every six months.
Capster
On or In the Head?
In
spite of the avid national and international media attention and many
supportive reactions from Muslims as well as non-Muslims, the Capsters
have not yet reached the practical status of a basic in the young
Muslim woman’s wardrobe.
There
are a few possible factors that may clarify the moderate practical
success of the Capsters:
Obviously,
social and political pressures are not the primary factors forming
Muslim girls’ choice of dress. Although they creatively adapt
current European trends to Islamic requirements, the main
trend-setters of hijabi fashion are self-evidently located within the
Muslim community itself, and just as much subject to globalization as
Western fashion trends; that is, Egyptian hijab styles tend to be
popular with the Muslim communities in the West because of Egypt’s
central cultural position in the Muslim world and satellite TV.
Likewise, Muslim women in the Netherlands tend to wear headscarves
produced in Turkey, and to a lesser extent Morocco, because of the
background of the respective Muslim minorities there.
The
manner of pinning or wrapping the hijab has, nevertheless, remained
relatively constant and uniform because of both the specific nature of
the Islamic dress requirements as well as the general conservatism of
the Muslim community.
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A
headscarf for open skate
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The
gap between the radically individualist designs of Cindy van den
Bremen’s Capsters and the generally traditional and uniform tastes
of the community-oriented Muslim minorities may at present be just a
bit too wide to bridge. Young Muslim women are generally no less
fashion-conscious than their non-Muslim counterparts, and for them to
massively adopt a hijab that shows no close resemblance to either
traditional Islamic hijab styles or any item already worn by
non-Muslims is very unlikely without a major advertisement campaign
that is uniquely tailored to the particularities of the Muslim
community.
In
spite of these considerations, there is no doubt that the concept of
the Capsters and its underlying intention to de-emphasize the heavy
ideological load of the hijab and reclaim the image of the Muslim
woman as an independent and involved citizen, has opened up a very
important space in the Dutch hijab discourse-a space that, if
stretched wide enough by eloquent and socially active Muslim women,
may one day define the entire debate.
**
Rahma
Bavelaar is
assistant editor and recently staff writer for islamonline.net. She
holds MA in Oriental and African Studies, School of Oriental and
African Studies (SOAS), UK. You can reach her at shabeel02@yahoo.co.uk
