07
@Glam.Halal
sept-oct. 2019
Muslims to remain stylish while covering up.
The London-based fashion news website
Business of Fashion named her among the
500 most influential figures in the industry
in 2015-16, calling her a “tour de force in the
global Muslim fashion scene and beyond.”
Jailanee also sees the emergence of the
hijabista as a response to Islamophobia in
the West, especially in the wake of the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in
New York by Islamic militant group al-Qaida.
“Because of the backlash from 9/11, this
group of Muslim men and women decided
to completely turn the stereotype around.”
Asian countries takes the lead
This untraditional approach to modest
dress is especially evident in Southeast
Asian nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia
and Singapore, whose Muslim communities
are more moderate and more open to a freer
interpretation of Islam than their deeply
conservative Middle Eastern counterparts.
Seek Refuge, a California-based modest
street wear e-commerce retailer that targets
young Muslim women in the US, is one
clothing line taking a more liberal approach.
Its founder, 26-year-old Shazia Ijaz, says
‘modest’ doesn’t have to mean the hijab. Few
of the models on her website, which features
loose jackets, sweaters and jeans, wear the
headscarf, and part of her stated mission is
to empower Muslim women.
“I really wasn’t seeing anything in the
modest fashion industry that spoke to
younger Muslim women,” Ijaz told the
Nikkei Asian Review. “So I started Seek
Refuge as a brand that would allow Muslim
women to practice all levels of modesty in a
cool and a fashion-forward way.”
The other side of the coin
The modest-fashion industry is not without
controversy, drawing a mixed response from
Muslim communities. Somali-American
model Halima Aden won praise from some
in May as the first woman in a hijab to appear
on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine,
wearing a “burkini,” or head-to-toe swim-
wear. But she was denounced by others,
saying she should not have appeared in a
magazine known for objectifying women.
Conservatives took issue with her pose
and the burkini itself, saying neither were
appropriate for a Muslim woman.
Franka Soeria, a modest-fashion con-
sultant, is worried that the ‘glam’ factor is
getting out of hand, and wants to return
the industry to Muslim values - which
include modesty and helping others. She has
started by encouraging designers to employ
refugees and people with disabilities in the
production of modest wear in Indonesia and
elsewhere.
“Modest fashion has to have something
to give back,” she says. “It should not be an
ugly competition to become the most glam-
orous. It has to be a competition to do good
things.”
The book launch and women empowering campaign officiated by Her Royal Highness Sultanah Nur Zahirah,
the Sultanah of Terengganu (fifth from left).
Thoughtful choices
Datin Sharifah Shawati’s
new book helps make women
make smart relationship choices
A
fter embarking in business and consulting,
entrepreneur and corporate training Datin
Shawati got herself certified as a practitioner
of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as part of
her goal to educate, nurture and strengthen women
mentally, physically and spiritually.
While doing motivational talks and image
enhancement and soft-skill training for govern-
ment ministries, corporate organisations and
institutions of higher learning, locally and overseas;
Shawati began receiving emails from participants of
those programmes and other women, all with one
common thread. “These women were intelligent
and successful but they couldn’t seem to handle love
and relationships the same way they handled their
careers. They found that they often fell into the same
cycle of pain and got hurt over and over again.”
And these are successful women, she adds: “From
the highest ranks of corporate organisations to busi-
ness owners and lawyers – highly intelligent and
well respected in their fields. Why do they thrive in
their careers but seem to be luckless in love?”
Driven by this question and the urgent need to
help these women, Shawati wrote Smart Women,
Foolish Choices: Managing Relationships with the
Opposite Sex. In the book, a selection of real stories
of failed relationships from the women she met
highlight the pitfalls of allowing oneself to be ruled
by the heart instead of the head.
She also tells readers why some strategies for
boardroom achievements should be applied to
obtain romantic and hopefully, marital bliss thereaf-
ter. “If you’re planning to go the distance,” she states:
“It makes more sense to regard a relationship as a
long-term partnership.”
Shawati strongly believes that women can be the
best they can be and achieve so much more if they
really focus on what they really want and know how
to get it. “Women have so much to offer and they
must believe that,” she says. “Some of the greatest
barriers to women excelling in life is inadequate
emotional intelligence, a lack of self-confidence and
having the wrong men in their lives.
“In career, relationships and family matters, it is
crucial to make the right choices. Besides the real-
life experiences of some women who wrote to me, I
will also share some useful tips that can guide you
towards becoming the smart, appealing woman! Not
just in dealing with men but also in everything you
do, including your own personal growth.”
Empowering Malaysian women
In conjunction with the launch of her book, Sha-
wati kicked off her mission to empower Malaysian
women by organising a series of monthly workshops
on mindfulness starting from January 2020 until
January 2021 and it will be conducted throughout
Malaysia.
The launch was attended by Her Royal Highness
Sultanah Nur Zahirah, the Sultanah of Terengganu.
Shawati welcomes any party interested in co-
organising the workshop, which aims to educate
women on improving their well-being, leading to a
more productive and educated society. Aditionally,
on the day of the launch, RM3 from the sale of each
copy of the book was donated to an association for
single mothers.