The peace of hijab and skirt is the peace of East and West

Can East and West be reconciled through the symbolic reconciliation of hijab and skirt?

Yes. Three journalists from Egypt and Serbia: Tarek Mounir, Asma Fathy and Sasa Milosevic, honestly believed it. They have created the unique on-line project "Hijabskirt Info "(www.hijabskirt.info) as an educational and social platform to overcome the decades old rooted prejudices about women in hijab and women in skirts.

The invisible “dressing” war that culminated in the 21 century as a form of conflict between Christianity and Islam inspired these three journalists to launch this blog.

Two, at first glance insignificant pieces of cloth wrapped around the female body, dealt too much headache to modern world. As synonyms of two cultures, two traditions, two religions and two fashions, hijab and skirt split the planet into Western and Muslim World, which is stronger than the Berlin’s Wall.

Western media declared hijab as a symbol of oppression, degradation, isolation, radicalism, extremism and terrorism. A woman in hijab is the thing, a biological incubator for the production of Jihad warriors, fanatic, suicide-bomber and killer. In the eyes of the Muslim World, expressed through the standpoint of the Arab traditionalists, a woman in skirt is a bitch, whore, a walking wallet for young poor Arab men or a hunter of wealthy Arab husbands.

For the project authors, the hijab or the skirt does not make the woman, same as the suit does not make a man. They emphasize the internal values of a woman pointing out that the hijab and the skirt are only external reflection of woman’s ethnic, traditional, religious or fashionable affiliation. For them, “Hijabis” (women in hijab) and women in skirt are powerful force of the world, reminding on some of the most popular and internationally recognized women who wear short skirt or hijab as the own sign of recognition, but no one criticize them due to it. Their power, influence, charity and humanitarian activities have overshadowed their dressing.

There is a long list: Princess DianaPrincess Diana, Cecile Sarkozy, Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice, HilaryHilary Clinton, Cristina Elizabet Fernández de Kirchner, Queen Rania, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, Her Royal Highness Princess Masna, Benazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto…

Unlike the majority of sites that aggressively force and imposehijab or skirt to the opposite cultural sides, this one has a different, far more tolerant approach to the subject of disagreements of the two cultures and religions. Simply, it does not impose anything.

It is a treasure of encyclopaedia facts such as history of mini skirt and its golden age in the Middle East or theological interpretation of the hijab and its practical role in the life of Muslim women .

Hijabskirt Info offers very useful practical tips: how to wear the hijab, how to make a mini-skirt from old jeans or how to make a hijab-style skirt as a compromise between both modern Western and traditional Eastern ways of dressing.

Particularly attractive are the experiences of blog visitors around the world. Some of them are very useful in practical life.

American, non-Arab woman Lucy Chumbley from Washington, who grew up in the Middle East, speaks about hijab in preserving female beauty. "The Mediterranean sun can be harsh on hair, as any woman in the region can tell you. Women who do not cover their heads in this climate will soon have dry, coarse and damaged hair if they are not careful. The covered hair remains silky.

„The hijab is elegant and beautiful. “says Italian girl Elisa Di Benedetto from Belluno, near the Venice who visited Lebanon, Afghanistan, Egypt . „I sometimes wear scarves in Italy, too. For example, when visiting some Muslim friends and their families. Muslim visitors of Hijabskirt Info blog also do not hide the own impression by skirt.

Two sisters, Aasia and Aalia Rahguzar, from The Muslim Youth Girls Association, honestly recommend elastic mini-skirt to the Muslim girls: “You would wear a top under, the mini skirt on top (a little below your chest and little above your hips), and skinny jeans/pants under. This creates an illusion that the skirt and top actually is a one piece top.

Saman Kareem, Kurdish Muslim from Northern Iraq says Kurdish girls are free to wear skirts, but he finds that Muslim world will never fully be able to accept a mini skirt because it is contrary to the principles of the Islamic faith.
“Personally, I can accept girl and wife in mini skirt. But, I will try to change my girl’s need for mini-skirt only from one reason: according to Islam it is sin. I do not want to be in sin. I am not afraid of other men, I am afraid of God’s revenge. However, I think it is possible to achieve the reconciliation of different fashion and traditional trends by long skirt.”

Viewed from the side, it seems the cause of the conflict of two civilizations does not lie in the conflict of two Gods, Christ and Allah, but in conflict of women. It seems that the establishment of peace between the hijab and skirts undoubtedly lead to peace between East and West.