Dunkin Donuts and People Who Don't Get It

Just a few comments, because to provide you with links would be too much. There are so many people and news bureaus reporting on and complaining about the recent scarf that looks like a terrorist sympathizer commercial pull, that you've probably already seen and read a few. If not, you can do a search on Dunkin Donuts in the news. Does her scarf really remind you of a khuffiah? (photo of Yassr Arafat, former leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, from the Electronic Intifada)

There are also quite a few incidents, and some recently reported, in which men - always men, I might add - wear head coverings to hide their identity so that they can pull off some crime.

I believe strongly that these man-head-covering-to-conceal-identity incidents are one of two things behind the fear of some people who wish to ban head coverings of all kinds and in all ways. These are the incidents that cause some people to misunderstand the use of the head covering by women, which is in almost all cases NOT to conceal identity so they can pull off a crime (I suppose there are a few criminal women who do). And along with these incidents is the other manly idea of team colors, which cause some people to immediately assume that a scarf worn around the neck - which is slightly similar to a head covering that someone saw on the nightly news worn by someone who might be in a country that doesn't like the USA - is symbolic of sympathizing with terrorist organizations. What?

EDUCATION, PLEASE.

This is what I'm trying to help with on this blog. A particular scarf worn by a woman, in almost every culture and religious background, is a personal thing - though religious sometimes, almost always turned into a fashion, by style and color and fabric and length and accessories. A head covering worn by a man in almost every culture and religious background is a TEAM thing - almost always turned into a symbol of the team by its use of style and color and etc. Or maybe it's a caste thing. Yes, I did read about the various styles of men's turbans and yarmulkes and how color and etc. are reflections of status or belief system or, in the case of the kippah, a favorite sports team. Yes, there is a religious significance to these coverings by men, but they are accented by the team spirit. By contrast, women who disagree vehemently over which branch of their religion to follow may end up wearing identical head coverings, if they look good in them. Unless the woman is a member of a group which is strongly run by men, in which case the men of the group will probably require "team colors", or styles, so that everyone looking knows what particular group they belong to, women cover their head FOR MODESTY, FOR HUMBLENESS, FOR PIETY, FOR PURITY, and most probably because it also LOOKS PRETTY!

Case in point, that commercial with the pretty lady attempting to get you to buy a latte at Dunkin Donuts - tell me she or her stylist chose that scarf because it had a "team colors" identifier to it, and I'll tell you how much this society in which everyone is supposed to be a man even if their body and mind don't work the same way has influenced and deluded you.

Women who cover: have you ever tried a style and had it pointed out to you that you looked Amish, Mennonite, Muslim, Jewish, Russian, gypsy, or some other team related label? But have you worn (or wanted to wear) the style ANYWAY?

We feel convicted by our faith and in our hearts to cover our heads, and that is the only requirement. All the rest is just fashion.

I think.

End Rant. We'll return to our regular reporting and sharing about the news and blogs concerning head coverings as soon as possible.