…And the keffiyeh makes headlines once again. After last summer, when conservative freakshow Michelle Malkin threw a hissy fit over a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial featuring Rachael Ray in a keffiyeh-ish scarf and Dunkin’ Donuts pulled the commercial, I thought it was over. As the winds of autumn began, I noticed more keffiyehs wrapped around the necks of American fashionistas and thought “well, at least mainstream means I won’t get dirty looks.” But now, it seems that the ignorant bigots of America are at it again.
Earlier this week, two Pittsburgh high school students were forced to meet with administrators after it was determined that the red and white keffiyehs they were wearing around their necks were “disruptive to class.”
Ah yes, the disruptive keffiyeh. I know mine’s always talking and passing notes…I can hardly get any work done!
The students, both Arab-American, say they’ve worn the keffiyeh for years as a sign of their heritage, rather than of politics. And although one of the students was sent home the week prior for wearing an “RIP Israel” t-shirt to school, he admits he was aware that violated school rules…but that this doesn’t.
The students also defend themselves in this video by CAIR:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUPr_27nUJY]
As Pierre Tristam explains in this piece, the keffiyeh is “as old as the sands of Sudan and Saudi Arabia.” It only gained political significance in the past century. As Tristam also notes (and I agree):
“Terrorism” and Palestinian militancy are a convenient excuse for a more unseemly, unspoken objection—the much more ordinary objection to Arabs and Arab culture as acceptably desirable by American consumers. Making symbols of Arab culture desirable and acceptable to mainstream consumers makes it immediately more difficult to vilify Arabs and, by obvious extension, Palestinians, Shiites, Sunnis (or whatever fills the blanks of reigning American prejudice). And vilifying Arabs is one of the last overtly permissible prejudices in American culture these days, because it more easily justifies the country’s immense and mounting investment in blood, guts, steel and dollars at Arabs’ expense (in Iraq primarily, in the greater Arab and south Asian region where the American military is deployed generally).
The way I see it, school administrators have two choices: ban scarves in school entirely, just as they did with bandannas in my youth (as they risked “gang affiliation”), or let it go. Forbidding the keffiyeh alone is discrimination.
Related posts:
- Reason #12,033,343,343,01 why capitalism sucks
- OLBERMANN: Boycott Dunkin’ Donuts for giving into fascists like Michelle Malkin
- Kuffiyah-Spotting: Dunkin’ Zionuts
- The Deutschbag Keffiyeh
- America Does Away With Algebra and the Numeral System
And although one of the students was sent home the week prior for wearing an “RIP Israel” t-shirt to school, he admits he was aware that violated school rules…but that this doesn’t.
lol. So you admit the students are trying to find a way to be offensive, without breaking school rules?
The way I see it, school administrators have two choices: ban scarves in school entirely, just as they did with bandannas in my youth (as they risked “gang affiliation”), or let it go. Forbidding the keffiyeh alone is discrimination.
No it isn’t. You admitted elsewhere in this post that the Keffiyeh has a particular political association. Therefore, its not discrimination to ban it while not banning other types of scarves that do not have political affiliations. And, you know it. Nice try though. Especially the “bigot” accusation
Posted by programmer craig | February 20, 2009, 8:58 amYeah. Okay. Whether you like it or not, the keffiyeh does not have a political association everywhere and to every Arab. It is not a political piece of clothing at its core.
Look, I believe in free expression, even in schools. If I made the rules, the t-shirt would have been allowed too…I was stating the facts; that the t-shirt was against school rules but that the keffiyeh is not. I did not, as you say, state that the student is “trying to be offensive.”
Nice try, asshole. When are you going to get a life?
Posted by Jillian | February 20, 2009, 9:27 amJillian, this is what you said:
It only gained political significance in the past century.
Who cares about “at its core”? These students are wearing Kefiyyah’s to make a political statement that other students find offensive. It certainly isn’t “discrimination” to ban it. And, you know it.
Look, I believe in free expression, even in schools.
No, you don’t, Jillian. You are a propagandist. Propagandists are enemies of freedom of expression. They use it an ideological weapon.
If I made the rules, the t-shirt would have been allowed too…
Good thing you don’t make the rules
I was stating the facts; that the t-shirt was against school rules but that the keffiyeh is not.
Why shouldn’t the kefiyyah also be against school rules?
I did not, as you say, state that the student is “trying to be offensive.”
I didn’t claim you “stated” it. I claimed you admitted it. When a student who wears an obviously and intentionally offensive tee shirt gets in trouble for it, and then immediately switches to another tactic to cause offense, his intent is clear. There is no mistaking it.
If I went to school wearing a tee shirt with a giant swastika on it and got sent home to change clothes, and then came back wearing an SS hat, what would happen? They’d say “Oh, Craig did what we asked and now he’s just wearing that hat because he thinks it looks cool!” right? bleh.
Nice try, asshole. When are you going to get a life?
I have a life, thank you very much. Seems like an odd question for a young woman who dedicates so much of her time to advocating hatred to ask, though. Just saying. It isn’t normal for people your age to hate so much. I was in the Marines when I was your age, and had lost close friends in terror attacks, and even *I* didn’t hate so much. I don’t know what your problem is, but for your own peace of mind I suggest you try to get yourself right with the world.
Posted by programmer craig | February 20, 2009, 9:56 amI am from this area, but have since moved out to more opening pastures…western PA is one of the most “racist”, closed-minded areas in the U.S. The Pittsburgh nightly news butchered this story, not knowing what keffiyeh was, what it symbolized, or even how to SPELL IT anywhere close to the standard transliteration.
Posted by Anonymous | February 20, 2009, 11:01 amI am from this area, but have since moved out to more opening pastures…western PA is one of the most “racist”, closed-minded areas in the U.S.
Even more than Los Angeles?
Posted by programmer craig | February 20, 2009, 11:11 amProgrammer Craig,
Wow, a Marine making judgements against MY hatred? And thankyouverymuch, I’m quite happy doing what I do.
So, my responses:
These students are wearing Kefiyyah’s to make a political statement that other students find offensive.
You do not know and cannot judge why these two students are wearing keffiyehs. And I don’t care if other students find it offensive! If another student finds a yarmulke or hijab offensive, the student wearing it is still permitted to do so at that school…why should the keffiyeh be any different?
As for your comment about the student switching to a keffiyeh, read the article again – the students both state that they’d been wearing keffiyeh for years – therefore the two are seemingly not connected. A swastika or “RIP Israel” t-shirt might be wrong, but it has nothing to do with the keffiyeh.
So basically, you’ve proven to me that you don’t believe in the right to free expression?
I’m not a propagandist, but thank you. I fight for free speech and free expression; any other cause of mine is tertiary.
Posted by Jillian | February 20, 2009, 11:32 amWow, a Marine making judgements against MY hatred?
Yes, how does it make you feel, to know that your level of hatred is higher than people who are expected to be willing to kill?
You do not know and cannot judge why these two students are wearing keffiyehs.
But of course, I can. I can make determinations about their intent. It’s completely obvious, based on their past and present behavior. And I say again, you KNOW IT. It’s intellectually dishonest for you to pretend you don’t know what these students are up to, while at the same time you support their efforts. As intellectually dishonest as you pretending to be a champion of freedom of expression, when all you are really interested in is using your freedom of expression as a weapon to deprive other people of THEIR rights.
And I don’t care if other students find it offensive!
You DO care. You WANT them to be offended.
If another student finds a yarmulke or hijab offensive, the student wearing it is still permitted to do so at that school…
Those are religious traditions.
why should the keffiyeh be any different?
Maybe, because it is different?
As for your comment about the student switching to a keffiyeh, read the article again
Sorry to break it to you, but I didn’t read it the first time.
– the students both state that they’d been wearing keffiyeh for years – therefore the two are seemingly not connected.
They are still connected, because they are the same students. The hostility is there now and that is what the school is concerned with. If somebody beat the hell out of those kefiyyeh wearing students, would you be complaining about racism then? Even though you know the students in question were trying to provoke a hostile response?
A swastika or “RIP Israel” t-shirt might be wrong, but it has nothing to do with the keffiyeh.
If you say so.
So basically, you’ve proven to me that you don’t believe in the right to free expression?
Students do not have “freedom of expression”, Jillian.
I’m not a propagandist, but thank you. I fight for free speech and free expression; any other cause of mine is tertiary.
That’s what all the propagandists say, Jillian.
Posted by programmer craig | February 20, 2009, 12:01 pmAlright Programmer Craig, I’m done. There’s no point, because you’re not going to get it no matter what I say.
Go back to whatever nasty part of rural America you’re from.
Posted by Jillian | February 21, 2009, 6:33 amMaybe the keffiyehs were disruptive because the students didn’t like sitting in class with people wearing terrorist attire.
Gang attire shouldn’t be allowed either.
Forbidding the keffiyeh is not discrimination.
Trying to defend wearing a terrorist symbol by saying that the keffiyeh is something that only gained political significance in the past century is a weak argument. Would wearing a Swastika be OK because it only gained political significance in the last century?
Trying to make problems with the keffiyeh synonymous with prejudice against Arabs is silly.
Posted by Eagle | February 21, 2009, 8:04 amJillian:
“Wow, a Marine making judgments against MY hatred?”
“Go back to whatever nasty part of rural America you’re from.”
Those two statements of yours say a lot more about you than programmer craig.
Posted by zenobia | February 21, 2009, 11:49 amEagle,
the keffiyeh is not a terrorist symbol.
everyone wears chuck taylors. so if a terrorist wears chuck taylors too, does that make the shoe a terrorist symbol?
maybe you and the rest of the world should start reading more.
-c
Posted by Anonymous | February 21, 2009, 6:36 pmThese people have every right to wear the Keffiyeh, comparing it to the Swastika is ridiculous. I suppose we should never wear boots because Nazi soldiers wore boots as well.
The Swastika is a symbol that was invented to represent an idealogy, the Keffiyeh is a scarf made to be worn… cmon you guys, anyone that feels offended by the Keffiyeh is a moron.
Posted by Arayus | February 21, 2009, 7:33 pmWe’ll see how much the Muslims care about free speech when someone starts printing FUCK MOHAMMED t-shirts with a picture of a guy in a kefiyah getting it in the back from a donkey. They’ll burn embassies for that.
Keffiyeh is a political symbol. Everyone knows it.
Comparing it to swastika. Wow. So tempting. What a frame of the issue. I don’t think even I could go that far. But damn. That’s very very good.
Posted by Anonymous | February 22, 2009, 2:56 amThe best way to neutralize the keffiyeh as a political symbol is to start printing them with looney toons characters and stars of david. Don’t try to suppress the idiots. Just subvert them.
Posted by Anonymous | February 22, 2009, 2:58 amHey Craig, I’m ready to kill, and I’m not even full of hatred. I have only a smidge and it’s ready for self defense any time. Any time.
The political statement they were making that you find so offensive is… “I am an Arab!”
How about an Israeli or Palestinian flag T shirt son: one, both, or none? I would like to hear your answer, but I’m guessing it will be boring. So please try to make it good. Thanks.
Posted by Not Ashley | February 22, 2009, 5:31 amzenobia,
Well, the rural America statement was perhaps a bit much, but I don’t take back any bad words against the United States military.
Posted by Jillian | February 22, 2009, 10:02 am“Keffiyeh is a political symbol. Everyone knows it.”
A Keffiyeh is a piece of clothing you wear around your head. Thats all it is. To say its “political symbol” or as David Horowitz calls it “terrorist headgear” is unfounded.
Based on your logic, Yamika wearing settlers who machine gun Palestinian school girls should have their Yamika’s considered to be “offensive political statements” as well, since many people wearing Yamikas have committed disgusting crimes as well.
Posted by Arayus | February 22, 2009, 2:59 pmArayus, you are WAY out of your depth. The Kefiyeh is a political symbol. It was THE political symbol of the First Intifada, a way to demonstrate support for the boycott of Israeli products in the West Bank, and for Palestinian men to cover their faces during clashes with the IDF, so that they could not be identified.
For you to say it’s just a head covering does not take into account the different colors of kefiyeh. A black Kefiyeh is a political Palestinian symbol, versus a red Kefiyeh, which is more Jordanian/Iraqi/Gulf and is more in tune with Arab nationalism.
Posted by Anonymous | February 22, 2009, 4:42 pm“Arayus, you are WAY out of your depth.”
I don’t even know what your trying to say here =P
“It was THE political symbol of the First Intifada, a way to demonstrate support for the boycott of Israeli products in the West Bank, and for Palestinian men to cover their faces during clashes with the IDF, so that they could not be identified.”
No… rather it became synonymous with the first Intifada because the Keffiyeh is an expression of the indigenous Palestinian culture; something the Israeli’s are trying to destroy.
“For you to say it’s just a head covering does not take into account the different colors of kefiyeh.”
Thank you for pointing that out. The Palestinians have a distinct black and white checkered Keffiyeh which represents “THEIR” unique culture that Israel has been unsuccessful in destroying through ethnic cleansing, or by spreading the lie that the Palestinians are just like all the other Arabs and are thus undeserving of living in Palestine.
Once again the Keffiyeh is a part of the Palestinian cultural expression. For you to feel offended by a piece of clothing that goes back hundreds of years is pathetic, rather it is an expression of racism on your part.
Posted by Arayus | February 24, 2009, 5:26 pmThe Palestinians have a distinct black and white checkered Keffiyeh which represents “THEIR” unique culture
Arayus, that’s not true. The black keffiyeh is not a cultural symbol. Old Palestinians and secular Arab nationalist/communists will still wear a red keffiyeh. It’s not a cultural issue, it’s political.
This is what I meant by “out of your depth”. You are just not educated about these issues, and you’ve adopted uneducated perspectives. You are obviously not Palestinian, or we wouldn’t be having this convo.
Posted by Anonymous | February 24, 2009, 11:42 pmKabob isn’t reporting videos like this. I wonder why. Remember when we heard about Hamas breaking legs of Fatah collaborators in Gaza? It’s all so neat and clean in black and white letters. Behind each pair of those broken legs is a human being.
Watch for yourself how acts the Palestinian government of Gaza.
Posted by Anonymous | February 25, 2009, 11:08 pmCraig why the hell didn’t you answer my question? Are you intimidated by the request to not be boring? I gave you, like, plenty of days.
Posted by American Muslim Girl | February 26, 2009, 3:42 amAnonymous said…
Eagle,
the keffiyeh is not a terrorist symbol.
everyone wears chuck taylors. so if a terrorist wears chuck taylors too, does that make the shoe a terrorist symbol?
maybe you and the rest of the world should start reading more.
-c
February 21, 2009 6:36:00 PM PST
Red and blue bandanas have been around for a long time, cowboys wore them, hippies wore them… but when gangs took them as a symbol, red and blue bandanas had to be forbidden in many school districts.
The Swastika has been around for centuries. The design appears on many ancient articles. Hitler chose that symbol for his Nazi party, and now it is a Nazi symbol.
In some of the beheading videos (the worst things I have ever seen) some of the terrorists cover their faces with those keffiyeh rags while they scream “Allahu Akbar” and do the unthinkable.
Terrorist fighters from Afghanistan to Iraq and many other places wear those keffiyeh rags. Mulitudes of pictures exist showing them. It is no secret.
Yes, some non-terrorists wear those rags too. But what is the purpose of wearing something so obviously associated with terrorists in an American school, in a country that was attacked by terrorists and is currently at war with them?
Now the real question is why do you feel the need to defend and encourage the wearing of such a thing, while insinuating insults of peoples intelligence, saying, “maybe you and the rest of the world should start reading more”
Maybe you should examine your motivations, and become more informed yourself.
Posted by Eagle | February 27, 2009, 1:48 pmThere is much discussion about whether or not the keffiyeh is a political symbol. But it’s a debate when pushed gets pretty muddled.
Consider this:
To advocate for the banning of the keffiyeh is political.
In the context where some people demonize the keffiyeh and push for it to be banned, wearing the keffiyeh is political.
In a context where the decision to wear a keffiyeh is a political, the decision not to wear a keffiyeh is also political.
Everyone in that school is making a political statement with their dress. and everyone on this blog arguing about whether or not the school policy is o.k. is political.
The question is if wearing a keffiyeh is a discriminatory or hateful statement. The boys statements in the article did not imply so. I don’t see how a reasonable person could argue that the keffiyeh is intrinsically a hateful symbol.
For people into the gang analogy, will banning the keffiyehs reduce violence in schools? Videos from half-way across the country are irrelevant. If gangs use blue in LA, should blue be banned in Cleveland? If this the argument for banning keffiyehs, consider the following questions:
Is there a problem of violence in a particular school?
Is there evidence that banning keffiyehs will reduce violence in said school?
If the keffiyeh was banned, how would one measure if this was a successful program?
Posted by Michael | March 20, 2009, 12:14 pmJ2QIXN comment5 ,
Posted by Gvvvcphy | June 26, 2009, 12:19 am