Christian worship

Though written from a Catholic perspective, I believe there are thoughts here for all Christians (and others). Please read: "Present your bodies as holy temples", by "Hearts at Home" on wordpress. This photo is the one used at the blog.

Beautiful Head Scarves

EDIT - I've noticed many hits to this article while looking for illustrations of head scarves, places to buy head scarves and how to tie head scarves. Please, check my Those Headcoverings Illustrated web page, to find web sites with illustrations of various styles, patterns and how-to tie a head scarf.

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An evocative image of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Friday won the ‘Photograph of The Year’ award and is on display at the National Theatre on the banks of River Thames.

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"Are there really many women out there today – and young women in particular – likely to step out with their heads covered in this way, other than for religious reasons, of course? Well, perhaps. The look may be unashamedly nostalgic, but if it was good enough for a doe-eyed Audrey Hepburn in Charade or, even more famously, Grace Kelly in High Society, who are we to argue?"

~ quote from style review in the Independent.co.uk: Susannah Frankel: Ready To Wear

EDIT: Another review of head scarves' rise in fashion, using this same photo and others, can be found in the UK's Telegraph: "Scarves are making headlines once again". Also check this site for two photo series: "How to tie a headscarf" and "Head of the headscarves" (a pictorial guide to some scarves on the market).

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Check this out: Two of the "7 Things Every Woman Is Grateful For", from "Catwalk Fashion":

Sun Hats

This is something that one can wear not only in the summer but in the winter too for great face protection. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes that there is a sun hat to go with every dress ever invented. Wear them to the beach, a bull fight, to the derby, or even a really long flight!

Head Scarves

Bad hair day? Poof! Hidden in an instant with a head scarf! It is better than even hats because you will not have to take it off while indoors. It is great for leaving home in a rush or when you simply do not want to do your hair. No one will even notice that you walked out of the house without brushing your hair when they can’t see it

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And finally, personal notes from a travelogue blog from Egypt, "Lee of Arabia" writes:

Seeing so many women in veils, from just the head scarf to burqas with eye slits to fully-covering burqas with no openings for eyes at all, was intriguing, thought-provoking, assumption-challenging. The few conversations we had with women and some of the reading we have done on this topic has made me realize the incredible complexity of this issue. Is a veiled woman "repressed?" Not always, I think. Just like there are many women in this country who would never dream of wearing a spaghetti-strap, midriff-bearing top and low-cut jeans that highlight their muffin tops, and whom we would never characterize as "repressed," in these places there are women who prefer the more conservative looks the veils provide. I'm sure some have not made a conscious choice to cover, but others have. I was struck by how much more I noticed their faces when their faces were all I could see of them (no hair, no neck), and by the beauty I saw in only their eyes. Betsy and I were also very aware of the quality, the elegance, of some robes and head scarves--the colors and fabric--and it made me realize that just as many women there take great pride in their garb as here. I was surprised to find myself realizing how the mystery of what lay behind their covering made them attractive in a way I never thought about before.

French Denied Veil

"Too Muslim To Be French?"
Saturday, Jul. 12, 2008, By Bruce Crumley, in Time.com

The news is that France has denied a woman citizenship - married to a Frenchman and living in France with very good French language skills - on the basis of her "extreme" Muslim faith. The article points out that the first thing the official reported when she reapplied was that she showed up heavily veiled, with a face covering too. One wonders if they would have reacted the same way if she'd been wearing just a head covering and not a face covering. Where do they draw the line between secular assimilation and freedom of religion? Read the full article at the linked title above.

Why Apostolic Women Wear Veils

Why Apostolic Women Wear Veils, Part 1, on the Apostolic Friends Forum

This part focuses more on the authority "issue", and uses lots of original Greek. I think this may be from another source, but it is hard to tell. Doing a Googlesearch through their forum led me to 9 other threads in this forum (including part 2, I think) discussing the woman's veil.

Hair and Head Covering

At "Shebrew Magazine - Modern Jewish Girls on Life and Self", read: "The Beauty of the Princess is Within Her", by Elana Premack Sandler. Please read her of her "interesting predicament" beginning with a trip to Israel at the link; here is her introduction:

My husband and I visited Israel for our honeymoon a year-and-a-half ago. It was January,and therefore the middle of winter, so I brought hats, thinking two things: it may be cold, and I may want to cover my hair.

The connection between hats as a head-covering and hats as a hair-covering is not a strictly Jewish tradition. Covering the head in religious or holy spaces spans many religions. In Judaism, men are traditionally required to cover their heads. Women, in more Orthodox sectors also have a custom to cover their heads, but the custom relates more to covering the hair rather than the head. I know, a seemingly small distinction, but an extremely powerful one. Both are related to modesty in the presence of G-d, but men’s modesty and women’s modesty have distinctly different dimensions in Jewish life. Men are honoring G-d through wearing a kippa. Women, covering their hair and bodies, are honoring G-d.

(continued at link)

photo here of a headcovering market stall from the wikipedia article on Meah Shearim, the ultra-orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem the author mentions visiting.

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If you're interested, please don't forget to click to tznius.com to learn more about tying scarves in one of a variety beautiful typically Jewish styles. I personally think these styles are lovely, and have used a couple my Christian self. I copied and pasted the two photos of women in headscarves from this site - full credit for these photos and styles goes to tznius.com.

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Or maybe you'd like to make your own "snood" (or "caul") - which is like a headcovering with a pocket in the back to put your hair in, and is also often worn by Orthodox women (and old fashioned ladies) of various backgrounds. Check out "A TikkunKnitter’s Miscellany": "Continuing Cover: if I could snood".

Headscarf Photo of the Day

Found online and saved a while ago, from I don't remember where. If you know the source for this photo, please write and let me know.

Photo of a unity rally in a European country, for Muslims, if you can make out some of the writing on the sign in the background. In the foreground, the woman's headcovering is a Christian Dior scarf.

This just made me smile - nicely, of course. No mean-ness intended.

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The following link is to E! Online, so for those of you who don't appreciate partial nudity, and are not all that impressed with celebrities, or cheeky commentary about celebrities, don't even bother clicking. Otherwise, here is the link to E! Online's "Celebrities in Hats - Photo Gallery", only if you're interested.

Christian Prayer Veils

“Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.” This is one of those verses people often say has changed because of the cultural issues of the day - ”Women no longer wear head coverings in church so maybe this verse doesn’t apply either.” . . .

Are you willing to obey God even if you don’t like what he says? How do we change some verses to mean what we want them to? Why do some women resist obeying this verse?

- from "Let a woman learn in silence", by The Stick

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"Paul and Corinthian Women's Head Coverings", by Nancy A. Carter, attempts to do just what the previously quoted article asks, it seems, in this article, heavy with photos of Greek and Roman statuary. Read this article carefully.

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Here are some links to studies on headcoverings for Christian women, recently appearing, with a short quote from each:

"The Head Covering", by Pot and Torch Apologetics, 1 Corinthians 10:31

"The head covering is the woman’s hair" says one person. "No, it was a cultural thing just for the people of that day" says another. People all know that something is being said in 1 Corinthians 11. Some type of teaching which is to affect men and woman, but few take the actual time to carefully exegete the passage.

"Headcoverings etc. yet again...", by Ave Maria Gratia Plena...

Whenever I've gotten into an argument about Christian customs like modest dress and head coverings I'm always told, "That was the custom back in the time of Saint Paul. Since then things have changed and these things are no longer a part of our culture."

Ok, that makes sense if you are not Christian... cultures and customs change and no one can deny that fact. But for a Christian this statement begs the question, "Why have we Christians allowed ourselves to change with the Worldly customs around us?"

"Pulpiteer's Bible Study on the Head Covering", in The Fighting Fundamental Forums

If it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. The Greek word for covered is: "katakalupto {kat-ak-al-oop'-to} 1) to cover up 2) to veil or cover one's self." In our culture, in our society, it IS a shame for a woman to be shaven, thus nullifying the culture argument.

And some bloggers posting about chapel veils with pictures and links(!):

"Because of the Angels", by tigerish waters

For your general interest, here are some headcoverings from diverse Christian communities. We seem to have forgotten just how natural it is for women to cover up. It has only taken a generation or two, for this to happen.

"Poker Chips or Fish and Chips?," by trying to focus

I guess you might be wondering why in the world I would want a chapel veil! I have been drawn to the chapel veil for a while now. When I read the reasoning in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition in favor for women veiling themselves in the presence of God - it just made sense. Read a little for yourself. [links follow this paragraph in the blog - LisaM]

"Traditional Catholic Online Stores", by Salve Regina

Miscellaneous Fashion and Headcoverings

"The best thing since…" from The Hijab Blog at Wordpress, has found it - the perfect device for organizing and taking care of multiple headscarves. Hers is from IKEA, but I'm thinking there must be similar items out there. Click this link to see the item. The photo here is also from the blog. And scroll through the blog if you have time to check out the pretty outfits she's put together. Nicely illustrated hijab blog.

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"No matter the season, wrap yourself in color, fun", from the NorwichBulletin.com - purely concerning fashion - showcases (in words, no photos, unfortunately) the versatility of the head scarf in your wardrobe, referencing some names in the fashion design world who use head wraps in their outfits (such as Diane von Furstenberg), as well as names of some celebrities who wear scarves. Photo of ribbon headband here from FranceLuxe.com, referenced in the article.

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"Silk Head Wraps", from the Skin Beautiful Blog at Wordpress, explains the benefits of wearing a silk head scarf at night. Did you ever have someone ask: "Do you wear that thing to bed?" I laughed out loud when I read this, thinking of that question, because now you can answer "yes!" - if you want to. Photo here taken off the blog. Read the full article, which includes this:

Some of the benefits of a silk wrap for hair at night are:

* prevents dryness which reduces breakage
* silk allows air flow to keep from sweating in hair
* keeping hair in place so reducing the use of heat styling in the morning
* helps to keep your hairstyle longer

Silk head wraps are beautiful and beneficial when caring for your hair. Whenever you need to keep your hair in it’s place, grab a silk head wrap. I use mine simply to keep my hair from getting into my face at night without using a harmful rubber band.

Enforced Veilings, and Not Enforced

Two reports came in this week that the Mohmand tribal region of Pakistan has just begun enforcing the wearing of a veil in public for women. The punishment for not veiling will be visited on the male relatives. Just so you know.

From IndiaTimes.com:

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban have warned women in the restive northwestern Mohman Agency not to step out of their homes without a veil or else their male relatives will be penalised.

Tehrik-e-Taliban spokesman Asad told reporters by phone from an undisclosed location that orders had been issued by the group's local commander Omar Khalid to punish men related to women who do not observe purdah.

From DailyTimes.com.pk:

GHALANAI: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Mohmand Agency chapter on Thursday ordered women in the agency to observe purdah (veil) and announced a penalty for the male relatives of women in breach of the order.

TTP spokesman Dr Asad told reporters by telephone from an undisclosed location that the orders had been issued by TTP Mohmand Agency commander Omar Khalid.

For more information on the Mohmand Agency in Pakistan, click here to link to the Wikipedia article. Also read the entire articles listed above for more on these militant groups' recent actions.

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Of note also to historians concerning Muslim headcovering: this clip I copied and pasted from someone's blog who had copied it from his sister's blog...

" We should pause to consider the question of the hijab, and the Muslim institution of the veil. It is often seen in the West as a symbol of male oppression, but in the Qur'an it was simply a piece of protocol that applied only to the Prophet's wives. Muslim women are required, like men, to dress modestly, but women were not told to veil themselves from view, nor to seclude themselves from men in a separate part of the house. These were later developments and did not become widespread in the Islamic empire until three or four generations after the death of Muhammad. It appears that the custom of veiling and secluding women came into the Muslim world from Persia and Byzantium, where women had long been treated in this way.In fact the veil or curtain was not designed to degrade Muhammad's wives but was a symbol of their superior status. After Muhammad's death, his wives became very powerful people: they were respected authorities on religious matters and were frequently consulted about Muhammad's practice (sunnah) or opinions. Aisha became extremely political and in 656 led a revolution against Ali, the Fourth Caliph. It seems that later other women became jealous of the status of Muhammad's wifes and demanded that they should be allowed to wear the veil too. Islamic culture was strongly egalitarian and it seemed incongruous that the Prophet's wives should be distinguished and honoured in this way. Thus many of the Muslim women who first took the veil saw it as a symbol of power and influence, not as a badge of male oppression. Certainly when the wives of the crusaders saw the respect in which Muslim women were held, they took to wearing the veil in hope of teaching their own menfolk to treat them better."

~ Karen Armstrong: "Muhammad: A biography of the Prophet"

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Watch these locations for "wardrobe malfunctions" (headscarves) of various sorts:

Turkey, Istanbul: A graduation ceremony and ‘awkward attire’ (TodaysZaman.com)
Afghanistan: Missing: only aspiring female Afghan to run in Beijing Games (TimesOnline.co.uk)
Turkey, government: Turkey's AKP Party Defends Itself In Court (NPR.org)
Russia: The Dangers Of Wearing A Headscarf (TheMoscowTimes.com)
Canada: Study suggests "turban effect" as a source of Islamophobia (Canada.com/VancouverSun)

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For side interest, also see a review and commentary in IslamOnline.net by Fahad Faruqui, on an art exhibit in England: "The Lure of the East: Through the Orientalist Lens", running from June 4 to August 31, 2008.

The exhibit is at Tate Britain: "British Orientalist Painting".

Photo here, of: "Hhareem Life, Constantinople" (1857) by John Frederick Lewis, is on display in the exhibition.