Keffiyeh Brings Colorful Clash to BeirutThe iconic black and white keffiyeh, or Arab headdress, famously donned by late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat has hit the streets of Beirut in a rainbow of colors -- much to the chagrin of older Palestinians.
Stylish youngsters, both men and women, can be seen in the city's chic cafes and restaurants sporting red, blue, pink, brown and purple versions of the keffiyeh.
Western and Arab tourists are also snapping up the hip item. The trend, however, is seen by many here as an insult to a symbol traditionally linked to the Palestinian cause.
"These colors aren't for us... it's nonsense, it's a fashion show," said Salim Ali Kayd, 74, who has been a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon since 1948, when Israel was created.
"The keffiyeh stands for a person's honor and manhood. It was a rite of passage to wear one upon reaching the age of 18," he added explaining the customs of his generation.
Others like him living in the narrow alleyways of the Shatila refugee camp on the outskirts of Beirut are also upset that their national symbol has become a fad.
"Yasser Arafat used to wear it for a reason. It means something," said Kalthoum Ghandour, a 45-year-old Palestinian doctor living in Lebanon.
"It was what the revolutionaries wore to conceal their identity," she added. "This is our revolution, our symbol.
"This trend distorts our heritage."
Shops in Beirut's diverse Christian and Muslim neighborhoods are selling the bright-colored items imported from Syria, Thailand and China.
A backlash against the trend has spread to college campuses in Lebanon, where Facebook groups have sprung up called "Palestinian scarf: Understand it or don't bother wearing it!" and "I refuse to let the keffiyeh become a high fashion statement."
This is not the first time the keffiyeh has been co-opted by others. The garment has come in and out of fashion, with youths in the 1960s and 1970s wearing it as a sign of revolt or sympathy with the Palestinian cause. The scarf has also become a signature item for anti-war activists.
While the latest trend may be more accessory and less ideology -- the keffiyeh's powerful symbolism continues to resonate, and not only among Palestinians.
The issue grabbed headlines in recent months when the Dunkin' Donuts chain came under fire for an online ad that featured an American celebrity chef wearing a paisley patterned scarf that some mistook for a keffiyeh.
The ad was pulled after a conservative U.S. commentator complained that it promoted jihad.
The U.S. clothing store Urban Outfitters this year also stopped selling colored versions of the keffiyeh because of controversy.
"They used to wear it around their necks and now they are wearing it around their waists. What's next?," said Haitham, 28, a Palestinian refugee who did not reveal his last name.
Dana, 25, said she recently purchased a blue version of the keffiyeh and maintains that the garment carries no political symbolism.
"I used to wear the white one when I would go to protests in college," she said. "These ones are a pure fashion statement.
Some young Palestinians, however, are proud to see the craze gather steam.
"I have about 10 of them... The keffiyeh belongs to us no matter its color. I am happy they have become popular," said Ahmed el-Hassan, 22.
(credit: AFP)
2 comments:
This is so interesting!!
I find myself on the edge when it comes to wearing the colored "kefeye" and i do own two, which ironically I purchased from the Cedars in Lebanon; probably the most anti-kefeyh area during the civil war!
Although I might wear it for its political symbolism, I'm torn between that feeling and the feeling of being a hypocrit or a person who is perhaps "minimizing" the true nature of the keffeyeh. And I do resent those who wear it when they have abolutely no idea where it sprung from. At the same time, if we think of the scottish kilt which at some point used to be the symbol of resistance against the British crown but has become a fashion statement in the 21st century, where no one thinks twice about its origin, where does that leave us?
Should the original kefeyeh "dissolve" into what it's becoming today, or, IS it really dissolving, or is it in fact "rising" into recognition? I'm not sure I have the answer for that..
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