Comments on: Keffiyeh Cool? Oy!

By: Kia

Kia — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:53:52 +0000

I just remembered, if your referring to the whole Ahvaz thing, that was because they were rioting over persecution (like above, the youth riots). Ahvazi’s have always had a sense of ‘Arabism’ inside. Even before the riots. Matter of a fact if you visit the cities in South of Iran you’ll see that the garments are quiet common. Not to mention the people look like Arabs ( you begin to distinguish them if you hang around both for awhile.)

By: Kia

Kia — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:48:23 +0000

Second last paragraph didn’t make sense. Iranians wear Kaffiyehs (or Chaffiyehs as we call them). The Basij, Ahmadinejad and Khamenei (which might I add are to say the least, tyrants) all wear one. However theres two different reasons for wearing one. 1. In support of Palestine. 2. In remembrance of Iranian troops during Iran-Iraq war when the soldiers would wear them for a range of different reasons.

The arrests and execution your referring to would have happened during the riots recently where youth fought for revolution. They also wore the Kaffiyeh but as a symbol for revolution. Thats why they were shot. Arab nationalism has nothing to do with the garment. Theres actually an article about the Kaffiyeh becoming popular in Iran.

Thats my little rant. There rest of the article was great. Loved it.

By: Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:32:15 +0000

Gangs in LA wear ball caps over sized for their heads, not on straight so according to the “logic” above they are terrorists and anyone wearing a hat like that supports terror.

Unibomber wore a hoodie so anyone wearing a hoodie is a suspected bomber. I’m sure some jew somewhere wore his little beanie cap to commit murder or terrorize some old palestinian woman so all jew beanie wearers are terrorists. jeez!

By: themiddle

themiddle — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:13:16 +0000

Actually, Joe, to many people they are a symbol of resistance and that resistance was often defined by terrorism. Just because you don’t like that FACT, it doesn’t make it any less true. Of course, this isn’t true all the time, but it’s true enough that we can come to these conclusions with confidence.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:07:00 +0000

BTW…they are not symbols of terrorism. They are not symbols of resistance. You are making all of that up in your own heads. Keffiyehs are simply a traditional middle eastern article of clothing. Its like saying wearing blue jeans is a symbol of being a liberal democratic capitalist. Ridiculous. Like I said before…its a scarf. Get over it.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:04:04 +0000

I’m Jewish. I live in Alabama. I wear a kippah. Sometimes I wear a keffiyeh. I don’t see it as making any sort of political statement. Its a scarf…get over yourselves.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:37:15 +0000

Hello people. Where do I get a Keffiyeh Israelit? I think we need to hit back, why should the Palestinians get all the attention? God Bless

By: Dennis

Dennis — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:09:06 +0000

I’ve been wearing keffiyehs for as long as I can remember and I’m not anti-semitic OR pro-palestinian. Everyone on my family’s farm in Turkey wore them through out the year and it seemed like a logical choice to keep wearing them here in the US during the summer and winter. It’s a little ridiculous when some people immediately take a negative connotation to something. I even got slapped by a complete stranger a couple days ago for wearing it.

By: Some middle eastern sounding name like Shahin

Some middle eastern sounding name like Shahin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:31:26 +0000

“Well, I know those hot, sweaty, olive-skinned men shouting in the streets with their AK-47s are certainly, um… compelling.”

I nearly laughed! Hot? As in good looking? Well, some people are wierd, I won’t be surprised….

I think people need to let go of this issue and let it run its course, so what the keffiyeh in style instead of the yamaka, not a big deal.

Next year we’ll all dress like Rabbi Abraham, and act gangster.

By: RACHEL RAY IS ABOUT TO GO TERRORIST ON YOUR ASSES…AS SOON AS SHE FINISHES HER COFFEE « MEANINGFUL DISTRACTION

Wed, 28 May 2008 18:44:11 +0000

[...] keffiyeh controversy has been going on for some time now. UrbanOutfitters was selling them as “peace scarves” in 2007 and had them removed after mass complaints. Nowadays, the things are ubiquitous in NY as black [...]

By: Alisa

Alisa — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:15:15 +0000

I have an Idea! Let’s start wearing talit in public! Boys, girls who cares….wear em around your neck with your big goofy sunglasses, wear em with your converse and ballerina slippers… Looks great with jeans….I think I might go dig up up the talit I got for free on my Birthright trip and start wearing it for fashion. I mean it’s so authentic cuz I got itin Jerusalem when I finally had my bat mitzvah at 25 ( i was like i’m a girl why am i even wearing this….but they said to put it on for the picture…) I mean the “red string” thing is just soooo 2005….and like Free Tibet is “mainstream”…

By: ck

ck — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:21:49 +0000

Yeah Channah. I think that was the point of the post. But a sincere thanks for reiterating and even expanding on it!

By: Channah

Channah — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:19:11 +0000

Id like to add ,
That i think sometimes if judaism was more practical in its approach to certain things then we might see a bigger return of secular jews to become religious jews.

I know of several people – my self included – who would have become religious but just couldnt live with the impracticalities of the lifestyle..

once upon a time we were all walking around in hijabs and jilbabs and veils and turbans , only a move to Europe changed that ..

im not advocating a move towards dressing like muslims or terrorists but only that we should take a good look at the way we used to practise and dress before we dismiss something ..

for me , hijabs and keffiyahs and jilbabs and henna are all as jewish practises as anything that the ultra frum in jerusalem do

By: Channah

Channah — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:13:57 +0000

Im jewish , and pro israel all the way and i have to admit that it took me a while to get over the idea that everyone wearing one of these scarves ISNT a PLO terrorist – especially after having spent time in Israel

But lets face it these scarves are a fashion statement mostly – ive seen kids in the synagogue wearing them with no inclanation at all as to their meaning and im guessing that most of their counterparts wear one with similar cluelessness as to their meaning.

Israelis and jews share more in commen then we would like to admit with our Arab neighbours, and I personally have no problem wearing arab style clothing – especially things like jilbabs or headscarves which -lets face it are a heck of a lot more practical in desert heat then some of the orthodox garb – which is – lets face it even less jewish historically than my jilbab.

If we – as jews – really want to make a statement we can start reclaiming our middle eastern traditions and the keffiyah is not a bad place start. Lets all put one on- lets turn it into a jewish thing to do , or even better – lets just wear it for the sake of mindless fashion and take away all of its PLO associations and arab pride and nationalism and terrorist murder… and lets turn it into a symbol of all thats good and accpeting about judaism – that will say more to the terrorists then any demonstrations or israeli defence tactics ..

By: Desert Being

Desert Being — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:41:12 +0000

I live in the desert, and the keffiyeh is a terrific way to protect yourself from the sun. I was inspired when I first saw Lawrence of Arabia, and I thought to myself If T.E. Lawrence can wear one and he’s british, than so can an american. I honestly don’t give a damn if it has palestinian militant meaning, or terrorist ties, If it protects me from the harsh conditions of the desert southwest, im wearing a keffiyeh

By: Robot

Robot — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:42:53 +0000

So Urban Outfitters apologized for selling the “AntiWar” Kefiyah scarf and pulled it from their catalog and shelves and now a few weeks later they have restocked the shelves not only with the original black and white but they also have fashion colors like neon yellow and royal blue! Basically all they care about is money and their apologies are insincere.

By: ck

ck — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:01:07 +0000

Nicole - wear whatever you like. But be warned that if you're not a stone cold hottie, your fellow Arab activists will deride you and call you a heiffer. Nice company you keep.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:31:36 +0000

The keff. has nothing to do with terrorism, and everything to do with resistance and desperation against living in apartheid. I would wear one with pride.

Oh, and I hate Che Guevera shirts….

By: Jewlicious » Blog Archive » Urban Outfitters bends to the will of the Jews on Keffiyeh…

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 13:19:10 +0000

[...] Or do they? You might recall the big kerfuffle last week where a number of bloggers (well Mobius really, and a Stand With Us exec speaking for herself) took umbrage with Urban Outfitters over their sale of “anti-war woven scarves.” These peace scarves were in fact Keffiyehs, otherwise benign traditional Arab headdresses which achieved notoriety because they were also worn by bad ass insurgents in Iraq and Palestinian terrorists. Keffiyehs have also been worn by anti-Israel, anti-imperialist activists for years and of late by fashionistas and hipsters wishing to give their wardrobes instant street cred. Some activists feel that the adoption of the Keffiyah as a fashion statement trivializes its meaning, to whit here’s a typical whiny statement from Nadeem at Kabobfest: I (and others) have noticed it [the Keffiyeh] being worn by seemingly clueless d-bags who know little more about the scarf than its pretty patterns – the more disgusted I’ve become with the idea of people expropriating aspects of my culture… especially when they strip those things of all meaning. [...]

By: DeisCane

DeisCane — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:40:46 +0000

This is all horshesh!t. Keffiyahs are the most clear and obvious symbol of international terrorism in the non-Arab world. I love running into the nincompoops (non-Arabs, of course) who wear them and ridiculing their “choice.”