It’s Ramadan and for the first time in my life I’ve felt the cold doors of the iron cage of capitalism enclose around me.
In school I read Max Weber’s Spirit of Capitalism and the Iron Cage, but couldn’t really conceptualise it.
Capitalism, he writes, “was once imagined as a spiritual calling. The early Protestants, believed through working hard and gaining wealth, they would earn God’s favour. Later, God was put aside and the drive for wealth and status became the means to the end.”
According to the research group Dinar Standard, the global Muslim market is worth an estimated $6.7 trillion (Dh24tn). Sadly, I provide the means to make abaya merchants and other modest clothing producers rich.
The burqa, chador, abaya and hijab were once viewed by the West as scary symbols of Islam. Now with celebrities such as Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and others “going sharia” for a day, Muslim clothing has gone the way of blue jeans in the early 1980s, from simple, inexpensive work wear to a desirable designer item.
Marx called this phenomenon the enigma of commodities. This is when an item goes beyond its original purpose and takes on a mysterious new social character.
In other words, it becomes a status symbol.
For the past 15 years, the abaya has been tweaked and teased using everything from fur to denim.
Until recently, abayas could be found for a reasonable price especially if you went to the souq. Prices ranged from Dh40 to Dh90. Sadly, those days are gone. The same shops are now selling abayas for anything from Dh350 to Dh1,300. What’s happened?
Several things drive the fashion industry’s interest in the Muslim world. Firstly, some in the US are using fashion as one of the many means of “reforming Muslim identity”, according to former US State Department adviser Shahed Amanullah. One path to this “reform” occurred in 2011, when an exhibition called iCover opened in Sharjah. This show, which was accompanied by a book and documentary, was designed to document the stories of covered women in the US. Those who visited the exhibit saw the following message: “You don’t have to wear only black. You should wear something that you can run and jump in.”
Two years later, you have hijab-wearing bloggers documented on social media by photographer Langston Hues and his Modest Street Fashion talent search. And you have the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre, which opened in 2013, and is one of many initiatives to focus on fashion and other industries. We also have the Islamic Fashion Design Council.
“What is the purpose of these efforts? Is it to build power within the Islamic communities or simply to make money?” Tariq Ramadan, the academic and writer, asked in a lecture recently. And where is the ordinary Muslim woman in all this? She is, in my opinion, a captive trying to escape the iron cage of fashion.
Leaving aside the abaya exploitation currently taking place at a souq near you, this speaks to a broader issue. Who is controlling how Muslim women dress? It seems the abaya is now a luxury item. This is especially seen with the rise of the hijabi fashion, which uses big-name brands and layers to cover up modestly.
Striving to look good is permitted in Islam, but there is a limit. Many will say that fashion drives fickle trends, conspicuous consumption and a tendency to show off to please others.
American activist Linda Sarsour illustrates this in I’m Tired, one of her Hijabi Monologues: “I’m tired of picking out outfits, colours, accessories, every day for public relations purposes-to ensure I look approachable, yet modest. It is so much easier to throw on my linen shawl and black abaya over my pyjamas.”
This is the way of life I prefer – a simple abaya without the bling and the iron cage.
Maryam Ismail is a sociologist and teacher who divides her time between the US and the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800
Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed CVT
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
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%3Cp%3E1.9%20million%20women%20are%20at%20risk%20of%20developing%20cervical%20cancer%20in%20the%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E80%25%20of%20people%2C%20females%20and%20males%2C%20will%20get%20human%20papillomavirus%20(HPV)%20once%20in%20their%20lifetime%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EOut%20of%20more%20than%20100%20types%20of%20HPV%2C%2014%20strains%20are%20cancer-causing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E99.9%25%20of%20cervical%20cancers%20are%20caused%20by%20the%20virus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EA%20five-year%20survival%20rate%20of%20close%20to%2096%25%20can%20be%20achieved%20with%20regular%20screenings%20for%20cervical%20cancer%20detection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2025%20to%2029%20should%20get%20a%20Pap%20smear%20every%20three%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2030%20to%2065%20should%20do%20a%20Pap%20smear%20and%20HPV%20test%20every%20five%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EChildren%20aged%2013%20and%20above%20should%20get%20the%20HPV%20vaccine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million