"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

Hip hijabs take off in Canadian winter

TORONTO-As temperatures drop in Canada this winter, Muslim women have a new-and warmer-alternative to their traditional hijabs.A young entrepreneur from Ottawa has designed fashionable head covers, made from water-resistant nylon and lined with fleece, which can be worn alone or over a traditional hijab.The toasty hijabs are the brainchild of Abeer Al-Azzawi, a 24-year-old graduate student who got into design because of a gap she saw in the clothing market for young women. "There's so much out there for girls who wear anything else, but (not so much) for a 14-year-old who wears a hijab, if she wants to go shopping on a Saturday morning," said Al-Azzawi, who launched her online enterprise, queendom-hijabs.com, about eight months ago.She now sells a line that includes a hardy nylon winter hijab and a light, organic model she's dubbed "So Soy".She has customers in North America, Europe and Japan.Al-Azzawi's focus is on making head coverings that Muslim women in the West can feel comfortable wearing."I can make (hijabs) better for girls who want to wear the hijab, but are scared," she said. "I can do that for them.""Response has been great. Some hijabs are out of stock, because the minute they're made, they're out the door." There has been opposition to Al-Azzawi's designs. One woman sent her an e-mail saying that her products were not hijabs and that she should not be selling them as such.A traditional hijab is a single piece of cloth looped around the head, neck and chest, then tucked or pinned. Al-Azzawi's are pulled over the head like a balaclava or secured at the neck with velcro.Many of her hijabs are brightly colored and stitched with contrast piping."The hijab is supposed to be about modesty," said Sharifa Khan of the University of Toronto Muslim Students' Association. "It's really supposed to deflect attention away from you."Khan, who is not familiar with Al-Azzawi's designs, wears a simple black hijab that covers her head, neck and chest. She said it fits with the commandments of the Koran.But there is dispute as to what a hijab should be, and even if it is necessary in this day and age, Khan added.While the controversy hasn't hurt business on Al-Azzawi's Web site, so far she hasn't had much luck getting her designs on to store shelves in Canada."It's a very specific-like a religion-specific item," said Jennifer Sachs of accessory boutique Clic Klak in Toronto's Queen West fashion district. "It's not something everyone will buy."
To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah....