September 14, 2007
Catholic Finds Freedom in Hijab
Posted by kristinsdottir under Appearance, Muslim clothing that translates, modest dress, modesty in dress
Stella White is a British Catholic who has adopted the hijab. She loves it, noting that she is thankful that she has the freedom to choose to wear the hijab or not.
(photo credit to indigo goat)
September 15, 2007 at
Lovely Kristin,
I found that story unsurprising but inspiring nonetheless. How gracious of our Lord to give the gift of modesty to a former exotic dancer, who knows what it is to be lusted after. I don’t know whether she is Christian but may she come to the fulness of the Orthodox faith through the prayers of our Lady!
Yours is a most interesting blog; I will be sure to visit again.
Christ is in our midst!
Love,
Anna
December 26, 2007 at
Wow - what an interesting article!
March 12, 2008 at
Hmmm, intriguing! I’ve often wondered what it would be like to wear Hijab. I’m an Orthodox Christian. After all, it’s not much different than how we are to dress when visiting a monastery. And it’s not much different from how I dress in Church. Just an inch or two of hair.
I have been pondering these things muchly lately.
March 12, 2008 at
Me, too, Alana. Lately I’ve been wanting to dress by the standards Orthodox Monasteries ask us to adopt when we visit. It seems like a good standard. And hey, I’m ready to pop in at a monastery at a moment’s notice. Just a little tucking up of hair and I’m in. :-)
April 10, 2008 at
Interesting article, but I would’ve liked to hear about her experience in the Christian community rather than her acceptance in the Muslim world.
I visited a Eastern Catholic monastery last year and the nuns wear traditional Orthodox habits (not quite the word I’m looking for.)They were varying ages, but I thought it provided dignity for older women, because only a beloved husband or grandchild will overlook underarm jiggle, sagging knees and expanding waistline and see the ageles woman within, the rest of the world ignores older women and that’s sad. If anything I would think with a strong sense of femininity and womanhood that a modesty dresed older woman can retain her womanly dignity and worth and not be passed off as a sexless hag.
April 10, 2008 at
Yup, me, too. And the part about getting discounts for looking Muslim… :-) Oy. But still interesting.
April 12, 2008 at
The EC nuns in Washington state were told to wear crosses, large ones, so that they’re recognized as Christian nuns. I guess if Ms. White ever decides that covering is a reflection of her faith (it doesn’t have to be, so I certainly don’t mean that sarcastically at all)she could also start wearing a large cross. That would really shock everybody!
I’ve been reading akathists (they are awesome!!) in one of the university’s study rooms a few times a week (open to the public of course), and I had been wearing my customary beret as opposed to the scarf I usually wear at church because I thought
it might be too radical and turn off non-Christians and/or non-scarf wearing Christians. But last night it dawned on me that that’s cowardice on my part. Either I wear the same scarf to every church and prayer event, or I don’t wear it at all. So, today I wore the head scarf and a large cross.
I don’t have the link at the moment but I was reading a bit more about headcovering and was struck by the idea that if headcovering is about obedience to God (Eve was not obedient, so it makes sense that the angels are concerned about women’s obedience), and ,or shielding that which is glorious for God and husband only(modesty playing a tangential role) then it makes sense to cover all the time.
But then, if it’s also about submssion to a prayerful life, then it would make sense that the covering be identfiable as a religious covering rather than a beret or hat (my favorites!)
Now, that’s just a thought, I have no idea yet whether I’m called to do that.(I hope not, because that is a toughie to follow through on. It would mean wearng it in the home to be removed only at bedtime since it isn’t about modesty.I don’t think I could handle all that.)
April 16, 2008 at
Mary, I totally identify with what you’re saying here. There are a lot of women who feel firmly that their covering should identify them readily as a religious person and not just as someone who might like hats. I was reading a testimony (lost the link, but I’ll try to find it again)by a woman who really felt that the veil was the way to go. But her ego despaired of her new look! Ack. Still, she soldiered on. Wow. That is tough.
I like your compromise of wearing the veil at this point for church and for ‘prayer events’ only and allowing yourself a beret or hat at other times.
I may be wrong, but I think small steps are fine. We may never reach the humility of some. But taking one step at a time is still progress.
Mary, do you go to a Catholic university?
June 23, 2008 at
Woman, love your hijab!
I am a catholic myself and I use different varieties of veil and hijab