Is it finally kool to associate the kuffiyah with palis and other Arabs? To buy a shirt described as an "Armed and Dangerous" look and one that portrays Palestinians as "Victimized"???? I wonder what Stand With US will have to say about this, especially since the shirt is being sold on Urban Outfitters' website.
This is a bold move for Urban Outfitters, which last year, under pressure from the Israel advocacy organization Stand With Us, temporarily halted nation-wide sale and distribution of their "anti-war woven scarf," ahem kuffiyah. However, this time, if the Zionist coming attacking once again, what will they say? It's not like they can hide the shirt's prominently displayed Pali-ness-I mean the shirt does stamp the Palestinian flag right on the front of it. Well, it could always euphesmatically re-name the flag like it did the scarf, perhaps calling it "art deco design African nationalist" flag shirt.
The shirt is also being sold on French site Ma Garde Robe for $56.19-that's 39 euro if you were concerned.
However, more interesting than UO's sale of the shirt, is the clothing company that manufactured the shirt: Los Angeles-based Men and Women's Freshjive clothing line.
A good chunk of their collection is sold on Karma Loop. After looking through Karmaloop's full collection of Freshjive tees, other even more interesting and controversial images materialized. Going for $22.00 is a tee with an image of a young Yasser Arafat (with dark-lens glasses and a kuffiyah as well-go fig!) with the phrase "The Good Ole Days" running under the pic. The last halting Arab-related image I found in Freshjive's newest collection on Karma Loop was a $23.00 T-shirt called "The Oil Rules" tee featuring a swarty Abdullah-looking Saudi Royal decked out in traditional garb-a
white kuffiyah, aqal, darkly-tinted avatar sunglasses, sweeping robe, a cigar in one hand and a enigmatic can in the other.
In assessing this new phenomenon, of featuring radical Arab figures as the ironic iconic t-shirt emblem du jour, I ask: Is this a counter movement to the presumed ignorance surrounding the kuffiyah kraze or just a fetishism of the cool West-despised anti-hero?
Lastly, it's an interesting statement for a Woman and Men's clothing line to carry to such images for exclusively for their male line. Instead of Yasser, the women get Tina Turner and and a bubble gum wrapper as part of their ironic t-shirt choices.
[Tarbouch Tip: Aseil]
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Kuffiyah Kraze and Arabphilia in Ironic T-Shirts: Arabs Steal Che's Iconic Thunder
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Ever Wondered How to Hit on an Arab Hottie?
Pali-Canadian rapper Arabesque gives you hopeless lads the key lines to get that raqam from a hot habibti on his latest jam, "How to Chop An Arab."
And *gasp*, not only does this A-rab wear kuffiyahs, but he actually waxes on about the phenomenon surrounding the bedouin orginating scarf quite wittyily on a blog on his myspace music page.
Besque on the cover of NOX issue 14
Friday, March 07, 2008
Arabic-philia in the Celebrity Tattoo World
As noted in an earlier post about the actress's work with Iraqi refugees, Arabina Jolie, with a prominently displayed "3zeema"("strength" or "will") on her arm, appeared to be one of the few and possibly only celebrity with an Arabic tattoo on her body. Surprisingly, as recent internet pics have proven, this is not the case. A rumor spreading on the internet and blogsphere like fire is that of Brad Pitt inking up his lower back out of inspiration from Jolie with an Arabic tattoo. However, the only pic on the net that points to that discovery is too small to discern what is written and even to make out the alphabet in use! If anyone sees a more reliable pic, please send it K-fest's way.
RHIANA:
Giving my father more reason to enigmatically celebrate this talentless, shamelessly pop princes , Rhianna went ahead and got "hurriyah," freedom in Arabic, tattooed to the leftside of her back. Thank you celebrity-obsessed, online paparazzi Perez Hilton for posting the pics and his ignorance along with it. Only after 283 comments in response to the post was he made aware of the goldmine he found. As an update on the post, he noted that: "A lot of readers are commenting that the tat is "Freedom" in Arabic." 
CORRIE KYM RYDER
The award-winning British soap opera star Corrie Kym Ryder (Doesn't it look like a porn star name? That's what my out-of-touch with pop culture self thought before I googled her. I mean, doesn't every overly-make-up-ed twenty-something Brit woman look like either a drag queen or a porn star?) tatted her left arm is an Arabic transliteration of "David" and below that,"Emily."
HOT SYRIAN GUY IN LA
And the last notable mention, a celebrity in my own heart, because like a devoted teenie bopper, I would definitely have this man's pic up on my wall: an uber-sizzling half-Syrian bartender at a bar in Santa Monica on Wilshire and 11th tatted his bicep with two important words to him in Arabic to acknowledge his Arab heritage. I wish I could remember those words, but I was too busy oogling his remarkably chiseled features. Anyways....
Considering the unprecedented popularity of kuffiyahs in America (quite literally in NYC, as the expression goes: it's a wrap!), shishas on the hip-est big-city teenager's lips, and now Arabic tattoos, is there an indication that protracted contact with the Arab world and concern for the "Arab Street" (albeit for all the wrong war-mongering reasons) has translated in Americans embracing the new Arab cool? What do you think? Seen any Arabophilic trends in your hometown to speak off?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Washington Post Reviews DAM CD
Kudos to the establishment newspaper for running an non-ideological review of DAM's album, "Dedication." DAM, for those who don't know, is the premier Palestinian hip-hop group.
LOST TRACKSDOWNLOAD THESE:"Da DAM" ("It's DAM"), "Mali Huriye" ("I Don't Have Freedom"), "Usset Hub" ("A Love Story")
Good CDs We Overlooked Last Year
Wednesday, January 9,
2008; C04
Washington
Post
DEDICATION
D.A.M.
Successful American rap artists squandered their political bully pulpit long ago. Now they're bullies, plain and simple. But abroad, hip-hop is still the voice of the oppressed, influencing politics and moving the masses.
From the Middle East comes D.A.M. (Da Arabic MCs), three Palestinian rappers and citizens of Israel who mock the widely accepted notion of equal rights for so-called "Israeli Arabs." In so doing, D.A.M. has become one of the most powerful and popular cultural voices for the global Palestinian diaspora. Its first single, 2001's "Min Irhabe?" ("Who's the Terrorist?"), was reportedly downloaded more than 1 million times from D.A.M.'s Web site.
Its follow-up track, "Born Here," was rapped in Hebrew in a direct appeal to Israeli youth. In 2007, D.A.M. visited the United States to support its first full album, "Dedication," a collection of political anthems rapped almost entirely in Arabic, but packaged cleverly for the English-speaking consumer with liner notes and translated lyrics.
D.A.M.'s cross-cultural approach is largely the work of its leader, Tamer Nafar, who began his career in the late 1990s as a member of a peacefully coexisting posse of Jewish and Palestinian rappers led by Israeli rapper Subliminal. When the Second Intifada ignited and negotiations withered, it also severed the friendship of Subliminal and Tamer, each taking a more polar, polemical stance in a public war of words.
D.A.M.'s rappers aren't demagogues. "Don't grab a gun, grab a pen and write," Mahmoud Jreri raps in Arabic on "Change Tomorrow." But their indictment of Israel is unflinching. So it's ironic that one of the most powerful songs on "Dedication" is "Usset Hub," literally "A Love Story," exploring the metaphorical minefield of young love within the confines of a closed and enclosed community. Even in Palestine,
politics need a break.
-- Dan Charnas
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Keffiyah Kraze finds market niche in the lazy/scarf-tying challenged/pressed-for-time among us
I'm not about to pretend to know who this KISER person is, but I must commend his/her/its new line of sweater/kuffiyah combinations as a breathtaking example of the entrepreneurial spirit, this time into the niche(?) market of the lazy. Not since the invention of the remote control, ladies and gentlemen...
The company's next move, KABOBfest's very own fashion critic/market research fellow at the Forbes Center for the Adoring of the Filthy Rich, Chaim Sugarman, reports, is to take a page from folks at Arm and Hammer baking soda by attempting to convince a wider audience of the sweater/kuffiyah combination's varied utility.
Currently, a small section of the sales force is considering ways to sensitively market the new product to those among us who were never allowed to play video games in our youth thus lack the proper eye-hand coordination to tie such scarves.
A larger part of the sales team, however, is focused on a new collection of advertisments set to launch this fall, targeting those of us who know how to tie keffiyahs, thank you very much, but are desperately seeking to save thirteen seconds each morning when getting dressed to go to work by not having to tie said kaffiyahs. When the aggregate is reflected in next year's tax returns, these workers/consumers will face only one dilemma: what does one buy with their extra $86? In a written statement, KISER has promised to help them figure this out.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Yet Another Kuffiyeh Spotting
Everlast - though it's no big surprise, as I think he's competing with Arafat for most consecutive days worn. By the New Year he’ll hold the world record. Pretty descent song though: Letters Home from the
For the record, I’ve stopped wearing the kuffiyeh altogether. I can’t risk being associated with the activists and hipsters (and active-hipsters) wearing it all wrong. Don’t worry though, I’ll start re-rocking after it goes out of style. For now, I’d rather freeze...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Kuffiya Kraze Goes Goth!
Seeing as the "Kuffiya Kraze" has become a "hot topic" on KABOBfest, I suppose that it's only fitting Hot Topic starts selling them...
Oh, you don't know what Hot Topic is? It's that really hip anti-hipster store in all the major malls that commercializes Goth to the point where high school freaks have begun wearing ordinary people clothes just to stand out.
Oh, and Hot Topic has, by far, the most intriguing description of the kuffiya yet:
This white scarf features green various sized stripes.Woah! So THAT'S what it's all about!! To think, all this time I thought it carried some sort of cultural and/or political significance. Silly me... it just has "varioius sized stripes."
Seriously, I had no idea that when my grandfather gave me the red n' white kuffiya he wore while serving in the Jordanian military sixty-eight years ago that he was actually asking me to go Goth! Hell, I think I'll end this post early and go paint my fingernails black or something...
[Tarboush Tip: Nabeel]
---EDITOR'S NOTE---
Pssst! Nadeem and other KABOBers: please refer to the KABOBstyle Guide when referencing the contested spellings of the keffiyah. Or keffiyeh. Or kuffiyah. I mean, kufiya. Wait -- hatta. Or sometimes shemagh. And often Osama. And most recently, Obama.
According to the KABOBstyle Guide: spell it a bunch of different ways in each post to increase search engine returns!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Keffiyeh Spotting: George W. Bush's niece
Does Lauren Bush know what she's doing? Because if she doesn't, all that says is that she's related to Bush.
Carry on.
Related: Kuffiya Kraze: Open Debate
KUFFIYA KRAZE: You May Be ___ If Your Kuffiya Is ___
KUFFIYAH KRAZE UPDATE: When a shekel's a shekel
Modern Chronology of the Keffiyah Kraze
Monday, October 15, 2007
Kuffiya Kraze: Open Debate
With the critically acclaimed "Food & Liquor", last year's breakout hip hop rookie sports a red kuffiya on the front of this month's "Leader's of the New School" XXL mag cover as he discusses his much-anticipated folllow-up. The rest of the "New School Leaders" are dressed in the cover's red, white and black color theme scheme. But even in the sea of blood red hats, white hoodies and chains, Lupe stands out with the patterned clothe wrapped around the rapper's neck.
My question: Does Lupe Fiasco, an avowed Muslim rapper, join the ranks of trend-following celebrity lemmings, like Justin Timberlake, David Beckham, Ashely-Mary-Kate Oslen, Kirsten Dunst, as ignorant cultural consumers or is his decision to wear the kuffiya on the front cover of one of the most popular hip hop magazines carry more significance?
I am not trying to create a spectrum of varying degrees of cultural appropriation and/or cultural solidarity; but given Lupe's religio-cultural background, I would argue come off more as a display of cultural solidarity than an empty fashion statement. I am willing to wager that Lupe knows a little something about the kuffiya's history in the Arab world and its association with the Palestinian Liberation struggle. My perspective on this issue is possibly colored by the fact that I did indeed buy a Yemeni kuffiya on 125th from a devout African American Muslim who was also selling kufis many of whom in the Harlem and Brooklyn area have surprised me how much better their MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) is than someone who graduated with a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies! But, in all actuality, African American Muslims who account for 30 percent of the Muslim population in America (edging out the percentage of American Muslims who are Arab), and especially Muslim hip hop artists, are no strangers to donning Arab/Islamic cultural symbols. Prominent hip hop journalist Harry Allen goes as far to say that Islam is hip hop's official religion. Actor and hip hop artist, Mos Def, who has put on concerts to raise funds for the Palestinian struggle, has been seen on many occasions wearing a kuffiya and the Palestinian flag on stage!
But back to this question of cultural appropriation versus cultural solidarity, of ultimately authenticity; such a claim begs certain philosophical questions about culture: Who really owns culture? Can it be owned? Who determines authenticity? What determines authenticity? Attempting to tackle the first three questions would require more than the five paragraphs I set out to write for this piece (but feel free to wax on about them in the comments section!), so let me address the last of the series of questions. Even though the kuffiya has its roots in apolitical, non-religious beginnings, we cannot deny the symbolic evolution of the kuffiya to an icon for the Palestinian Liberation Movement. So, for me, those who are unaware of its past and current significance, and wear it because they saw it on a goth-ed out Galliano model, in the back pocket, gangsta style of a celebrity, or in Urban Outfitters as a "anti-war woven scarf," those people, would qualify as culturally appropriating the kuffiya versus those knowledgeable of the misunderstood 'clothe's history would on the flip side qualify as expressing cultural solidarity.
Who knows, Lupe could just as easily be one of those ignorant trend-following celebrity lemmings as well...
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Go Visit The Arab American National Museum
But don't piss off the director lady, Anan, she's mean; she yelled at me once. And check out the hot Pistons' fan who's picture the Museum proudly features in the short promo.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Baby I'm A Soldier
Kareem Salama, the Oklahoma-based, Egyptian-American, Muslim country singer Nimr mentions in the post below, is a chemical engineer and an aspiring lawyer, nonetheless, he's a kick-ass singer/songwriter. This his song "Baby I'm a soldier," set to the backdrop of a slide show of war imagery.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
OC Jeweller's "Allah" Logo
Even in these hostile times we live in, for a Muslim in America to rest in peace, some companies, like Whitehall Jewelers in Brea, California (which is in Orange County), aren't afraid to put their love of Allah on display: 
Getting in one last doomed-to-be-taken-too-literally sarcastic post in before my one week of sarcasm fasting starts.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Darko Milicic: Honorary Arab of the Month
As my friend Adam lamented, the Detroit Pistons could have Carmelo right now (and two more championships). Instead of Anthony, they took a young Serbian player named Darko Milicic as the 2nd pick in the 2003 NBA draft. In his 2.5 seasons with the Pistons, he earned the nickname, "The Human Victory Cigar" referring to the fact he only played in games when a Pistons victory appeared imminent. He recently left the Orlando Magic and signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.
But none of this is why he's winning the esteemed title of KABOBfest's Honorary Arab of the Month.
In the European basketball championships last weekend, Greece beat Serbia, Darko's team, by a hair. Darko wasn't too pleased with the officiating, and the Greek players' overuse of cologne, so he went on a "profanity-laced tirade at referees" after the game.
He was fined nearly $14,000 by FIBA, the sport's international governing body. The Grizzlies publicly reprimanded him. I'm not sure how bothered he was to be scolded by a team that sounds like a hairy Gay men's dance club.
I can't confirm it, but this might be his rant on YouTube.
To understand why he's an honorary Arab, you have to consider not how he said it, but what he said. I had KABOBfest Linguistics Expert Chaim Sugarman track down a translation of Darko's crazy and beautiful outburst. Sugarman, who knows a little Serbian because "he dated one in high school," found this one.
Reporter: Darko, first impressions?I heard he then asked God to destroy the referees' houses and damn their fathers.
Darko: All right, but let's do it over there.
Reporter: Darko Milicic, congratulations despite the loss. First impressions?
Darko: Nothing, these three big [expletive]heads, these two ... three
[expletive for lady parts] have cheated us, that's what happened. This
[expletive for lady part], these three [expletive]heads think they are
something. I will go and [expletive] their mothers' [expletive for
lady parts]--all three of them, that's what I'm gonna [inaudible] ...
[expletive for lady parts] all three of them, I'm gonna [expletive]
his Italian mother in her [expletive for lady parts], man, that's what
I want to say...
Reporter: Darko, calm down a little bit. Your impressions of the game?
Darko: He's a [expletive]head, he should [expletive] my [expletive
for man parts], go on ... write that, man ... all three of them, the
first one and the second one and the third one ... I don't give a
[expletive] about this, that's what I want to say.
Reporter: [inaudible]
Darko: [Expletive for lady parts] ... they don't call anything...he
[expletive] in his pants ... I will [expletive] his mother in the
mouth, man ... if he has a daughter, I will also [expletive] his
daughter.
Reporter: [inaudible]
Darko: [inaudible] ... we are fighting here, I died ... I need an
infusion, do you understand...and they cheat us like [expletive for
waste]...
Darko gets Honorary Arab of the Month for his very Arab-like insults. Yes, I know going for the mothers and sisters is pretty universal as an insult, but Darko expressed it very poetically, with lots of imagery and cursing... just as an Arab would do it.
Ha ha... I just realized the translation said "lady parts" and "man parts." It would be funnier if that was a literal translation: "I'm going to put my man parts in his mother's lady parts." But then he'd lose the Honorary Arab of the Month title.
On another Honorary Arab note, I found this photo using a new internets search engine I discovered called Google(what a name!). There are two ways to rationalize this:
1) Like a true Honorary Arab, Milicic eyes down the President while dressed in all black (the Arab clubbing uniform).
2) There are those pathetic Arab businessman who dream about having a picture with the President. Sadly, even this one. Darko lived their dream, even if he looked pissed.
Congrats Darko! This recognition KABOBfest is bestowing on you is a true honor.
Monday, August 13, 2007
CIA Report: Arabs Spotted at Milwaukee's Waterfront
KABOBfriend Noor is not somebody to miss out on a fest. Especially if that fest is about Arabs or Kabob. So, to combine all of her hobbies and interests in one fun-filled weekend, she went to the Arab World Fest in Milwaukee this weekend and reviewd the celebration for KABOBfest:
Milwaukee is known for its ethnic festivals during the summer weekends. Officially now known as Arab World Fest, this one is the youngest and it has been struggling since its inception in 1998. What was originally called "Arabian Fest" turned out to been run by, well, a crook, who is now in prison. A collective cringe was shared among Milwaukee's Arab community over that debacle. A transitional period followed as concerned community members tried to save face. Last year Ihsan Atta took the reigns and from outside appearances seems to be doing quite well. Previous leadership would not overtly acknowledge the elephant in the room that we all know to be PALESTINE, but thanks to Israel and America's asinine behavior in Lebanon and Iraq, politics of the region could no longer be ignored.
Last year, free Hattas were passed out at the gate entrance. Huge Palestinian, Iraqi and Lebanese flags were displayed for people to write on them with messages of solidarity. The documentary Occupation 101 was screened continuously to a full house in a small tent.
This year, it got even better. There was a film festival with 10 different films - 2 on Iraq, the rest on Palestine. Occupation 101 was included again, along with Paradise Now, The Iron Wall and Iraq in Fragments. In the back of the movie viewing area was a small replica of the apartheid wall, graffiti and all. Posters with facts about the wall and Israeli apartheid were tacked to this replica. One section read "actual size 25ft" with an arrow pointing to a black mesh cloth that hung from the ceiling to the top of the replica wall to give you a powerful sense of how truly obscene the real deal is.
Other highlights included London-based Palestinian rapper Shadia Mansour whose voice reminds me of Ivy Queen. A binder of currency from Arab countries slyly contained Iraqi paper money with Bush's face and images of American troops pointing guns at Iraqis. Chicago's Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) was selling a rare gem of a poster that everyone should own. The dying art of Palestinian cross-stitch on traditional thobe dresses originally had designs unique to each city [See Will's post below, a complete coincidence, for images]. This poster had a map of Palestine with a picture of a thobe next to its corresponding town. Recommendation: every Palestinian with school age daughters buy one and have your daughter present this poster to classmates while modeling a thobe of her own (c'mon, if you're falah, you know you got one from all those khutbas). Quick! Before Zionists start calling them "Israeli" thobes!
There's still plenty to do for non-political hipsters. Henna tattoos, hookas, camel rides (no joke), the ubiquitous debka line, and white women bellydancing – it’s all there. Mediocre baba ganouj, hummus and falafel are sold to vegetarians who think these condiments are actual meals and to people who’ve never tasted a homecooked Arab dinner.
For kids there was a playground, a bouncy castle, arts & crafts, and pet-able baby sharks! It was cool to see the ground covered with Arab kids’ names (Mariam, Reem, Hanady, etc.) written in colored chalk.
Before I close with few suggestions for the fest, let me acknowledge the effort put forth by the board and volunteers. They have a limited budget, so they do what they can with what they've got. On the subject of fighting appropriation of Arab culture, how about a display of kuffiyas, explaining the real meaning along the lines of Fayyad's post? Also, it would be nice to see more representation of other parts of the Arab world. I would love to see a rai singer, for example. Attendance is still low except for Saturday night when an Arab pop star is flown in each year, but this mostly just appeals to Arabs. More classical Arab music acts might be a bigger draw for non-Arabs exploring the culture for the first time [KABOBfest nominates Simon Shaheen]. Once it’s more familiar to them, then they can lower their standards down to listening to Haifa like everyone else. If all else fails, they could resort to booty-shaking khaleegi dancers to boost attendance. After all, sex sells. Just ask Haifa.
Monday, August 06, 2007
KUFFIYA KRAZE: You May Be ___ If Your Kuffiya Is ___
You may be Fatah, if your Kuffiya is black and white.
Socialist/Marxist (PFLP/DFLP) if your Kuffiya is red.
Hamas, if your Kuffiya is red.
Yemeni, if your Kuffiya is blue or green.
Shot by the Israelis, if your Kuffiya is blood-soaked.
Annoying as hell, if your Kuffiya is yellow with smiley faces on it.
Disoriented, if your Kuffiya is being rocked by Mary Kate Olsen.
Zionist thief, if your Kuffiya is blue with little stars David on it.
Homosexual, if your Kuffiya is in pride colours.
Metrosexual, if your Kuffiya is a mere print on a t-shirt.
If you are confused about the origin and significance of the Kuffiya join the club. If you care to learn, here is a superficially researched history of the Kuffiya’s colour evolution. Don’t complain, it still has more journalistic integrity than an entire day’s production by Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity combined.The story started long ago, well before Buddha met Eve on the Arafeh Mountain in Western Saudi Arabia and the two embarked on a peaceful-ever after project of procreation and meditation. Originally, there are four different Kuffiyas. Five, if you want to count the plain, uncheckered one. One, if you’re colour blind. The plain Kuffiya, referred to as Shemagh or Hattah in Arabic but not Kuffiya, is predominant in Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, and is widely used in the Levantine during the hot summer months, as it is far lighter than the checkered Kuffiya.
The black Kuffiya traditionally had a far wider base in Palestine than the red one, but the latter was present in its own right. The black Kuffiya quickly became associated with the struggle for Palestinian liberation, mainly because those who led and carried the successive Palestinian revolutions against British occupation, Zionist immigration, and Israel were farmers who almost uniformly wore the black Kuffiya.
In the decades following the ethnic cleaning of Palestinians (Nakba) and the creation of Israel, the black Kuffiya lost grounds to the red one, for two main reasons. Wearing a black Kuffiya became a crime punishable by Israeli occupation forces and was given up by those who wished not to be tortured, jailed, or shot. Secondly, as the West Bank fell under Jordanian administration, the red Kuffiya became more common as it was adopted by those who wished proximity to or perks from the Jordanian royal family, as well as those who still wished to cover their heads yet not get prosecuted for it.
In the 60’s and 70s, following the creation of the PLO through the convergence of politically and ideologically diverse factions, the two main currents chose to differentiate their supporters through colour-based segregation. Fatah, the leader of the nationalist current, and the largest party, continued its monopoly on the black Kuffiya, and took it to international prominence by sending Yasser Arafat to every corner of the planet. I swear, that dude logged more miles than a hooker at a dentist convention. Anyway, he’s not flying anymore. On the other hand, the leftist current, led by Marxist-leaning Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), chose the convenient and obvious option demonstrate their loyalty to both Palestine, and the hammer and sickle.Over the past two decades of Intifadas, Palestinian society has transformed from mainly nationalist and leftist to nationalist and Islamist (right-wing is you will). As the numbers of DFLP/PFLP supported dwindled on the streets, red Kuffiyas were rarely visible, until they made a recent resurgence, correlated with Hamas’ enduring rise. Though Hamas’ traditional colour is green, when it came to the Kuffiya, red was the smart choice. Green not Palestinian enough, risky political move, red is Palestinian, not as much as black, but a lot less Fatah.
For the current century’s Kuffiya colour evolution, go back to the KABOBarchive. But remember, the important question is: What Kuffiya would Jesus rock?
Friday, August 03, 2007
KUFFIYAH KRAZE UPDATE: When a shekel's a shekel
Recently spotted at a mall in West Jerusalem in a Zara department store was none other than a mannequin draped in -- you guessed it -- a kaffiyeh.
(Or: keffiyah, keffiyeh, kufiyah, kaffiya, kafiya, gutra, hatta, shemagh...)
(Or, for our friends hailing from the Department of I Know a Terrorist When My Government Tells Me I See One: THE PALESTINIAN TERRORIST SCARF!!!!)
Scared? You should be. Looks like those Jackie O shades are here to stay.
You'd think that Zara would be a little more careful with its product line, particularly since the Spanish retailer's domestic marketing rights are owned by an Israeli investments company, Africa-Israel. And not more than three months ago, Zara apologized to ultra-Orthodox jews after accidentally selling a men's suit in its Israeli stores that contained a mix of materials considered to be non-kosher. Something about how the suit utilized a thread combination of various fabrics that tasted like meat and dairy with a side of bacon... or something.
But that was a pork suit -- this is the kuffiyah kraze we're talking about now! And hey, when it comes to making dough off of the commodification of Palestinian nationalism and resistance, well...
Let's just say that perhaps the ADL needs to condemn Africa-Israel for affirming a certain Jewish stereotype.
[Tarboush tip: Diana]
Friday, July 20, 2007
Al-Gharbiya Al-Haqaqiya: Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff's current music video "Stranger", an Orientalist's wetdream come to life-that bizarre fusion of all Arabian, North African and Indian cultural elements into a unified vision of the overly-sexualized "Exotic East" that "strange" culture, has effectively hit the top of every pop chart and disturbed the fuck out of me.
2 issues with this video and chosen theme:
1.Disconnect between lyrics and imagery: If the relevency of the imagery of the video was clearly connected to the lyrics in the song, then I might have been okay with the chosen theme. For example, all of a sudden she is in a club dancing in a skimpy, sleeveless strappy dress, and then-BAM-transforms into a bellydancer (a mediocre one at that) with Indian jewerly and eye make-up. The transition between scenes and connection to lyrical content is choppy at best.
2. Continued appropriation of the Middle Eastern theme: If it was a one-time artistic chose for the visual aesthetics sake of the video, again, I might have understood. As in: Hillary Duff: "I want to look sexy, how about bellydancing, henna, and bindis,etc..(translation: anything Eastern/Oriental Exotic). However, this was no isolated culture vulture incident. Just this past month, Ms. Duff showed up on "So You Think You Can Dance" with a gang of back-up dancers outfitted in the same haram costumes as used in the video to perform "Stranger".
Monday, July 16, 2007
Modern Chronology of the Keffiyah Kraze
1906-1910 >
While conducting thesis fieldwork in Syria and Palestine, T.E. Lawrence discovers keffiyahs to be useful both for keeping out the cold and for keeping out the heat.
1921
Rudolph Valentino and his kuffiya star in silent film, The Sheik.
1926
Kufiya and Valentino reunited for The Son of the Sheik. Still no sound.
Mid-Late 1930s
The kuffiyah becomes symbol of Palestinian nationalism and an expression of class struggle against British occupation. British army chief proposes jailing any Palestinian who wears keffiyah. Is overruled by his superiors who kindly ask him to bloody shut the fuck up already, you chattering hen.
1962
Peter O'Toole in white keffiyeh as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. Oscar goes to... Gregory Peck.
Kaffiyahs begin to appear in U.S. within anti-Vietnam war movement. Activists on anti-imperialist left declare solidarity with Palestinians.
1970
Leila Khaled gives gender the finger by wearing previously masculine kuffiyah in style of hijab. Is immediately re-gendered by prepubescent school boys by becoming pin-up sensation of choice.
1983 >
Professional wrestler, The Iron Sheik, signs with WWF to personify every negative stereotype about the Middle East in case you didn't already have them. At autograph signing event in Detroit, reports surface of a five year-old brat named Will repeatedly yanking kaffiyeh off of Sheik's head.
1988
After several unsuccessful attempts, Fayyad finally consults the Guide to Wrapping your Keffiyah into a Mask so you can Creep the Streets of Jenin Spraying Anti-Occupation Graffiti. The event later inspires him to author his own series of "How To" guides while in college, including the Guide to Campus Divestment from Israel, the Guide to Stirring Creamer in Coffee, and the Guide to Stirring Creamer in Salma Hayek's Coffee.
Three months into Palestinian intifada, CBS reports being puzzled by keffiyah sightings on Americans. Time magazine teaches Americans how to pronounce "keh-fee-yah" and assures parents: "It’s just an accessory… The ethnic type of look is in right now… The idea that it’s political is ridiculous."
1990 >
Big pimpin' in the 4th grade, school principal confiscates Nadeem's keffiyah after the girls in his class report his presence to be "simply too terrorgasmic to concentrate."
1991
Street keffiyah-wearing wanes around the U.S. in light of Persian Gulf War. Arab Americans report feeling afraid to wear it. Scarf remains ubiquitous among anti-War movement.
April 2001
Sting performs in front of pyramids at Giza. Unable to decide which color keffiyah best matches his eyes.
June 2001
Raf Simons takes up keffiyahs on Spring 2002 collection. Simons says: "They are not terrorists. They are fighters for independence and freedom."
September 2001
Hate crimes against U.S. Arabs increase. Peace activists intensify keffiyah-wearing in solidarity.
May 2002
Columbia University students wear keffiyahs to graduation ceremony in solidarity with Palestine.
March 20, 2003 >
At Baghdad's Fashion Week, George W. Bush's new ready-to-wear line introduces the "Blood-stained Keffiyah." Continues to be hottest accessory on streets to date.
November 2003
Never one to turn down a dare (especially not after last call) Fayyad masks himself in keffiyah and walks up and down Madison's State Street. Freaks out drunken university students.
January 2004
AP photographer snaps a picture of Howard Dean wearing a keffiyah during Presidential primaries. In spin control, Dean's Jewish affairs adviser, Matt Dorf, explains scarf was thrown over Dean's shoulders by a young supporter, and assures AIPAC and friends that it was yanked off "after four seconds."
November 2004
"Keffiyah" gets her own Wikipedia page. Fights begin over her history, symbolism, and most importantly -- her spelling and variations. Official KABOBfest Style Guide: "Spell it every single way to increase search engine returns!" كوفية, keffiyeh, keffiye, keffiyah, kefiyah, kefiya, kefiyat, kaffiyeh, kaffiyah, kaffiya, kafiya, kufiyah, kuffiyah, kufiya, shmagh, shemagh, gutra, hatta...
January 2005
Hugo Chavez dons keffiyah at World Social Forum. Does not apologize.
February 17, 2005
Village Voice reports: "Arafat's trademark scarf is now military chic"