Islam’s Influence on Clothing
One of the many fascinating aspects of New York City is the diversity of religiously affiliated clothing that is displayed. For some contemporary immigrant groups that migrate to New York, religion tends have a major impact on the types of clothes they wear. For my part of the project, I want to focus on Islam’s influence on Muslim people’s clothing. There are certain rules and requirements that dictate what people must wear in Islam. For example, certain body parts must be covered for both men and women. It is commonly known that Islamic women must wear a head-covering article of clothing known as a hijab for religious purposes. I will research the rules that Islam requires when it comes to clothing and see how it affects the overall Islamic population in New York City.
Many people wonder why Islamic women still wear hijabs and burqas in New York, even though they aren’t in the Middle East anymore. There is a common misconception that Islamic women are forced to wear these articles of clothing. However, this is not the case. From personal interaction with Islamic women, I have learned that many women continue to wear their religious clothing in New York because they choose to as a sign of respect for their culture. Therefore, I will research how the Islamic rules of clothing differ in New York than in the Middle East. The term Americanization has appeared many times over the course of this semester, so I will also research how culture in New York City impacts Islamic clothing.
I will include pictures of Islamic clothing with captions on my page of the website. Underneath, I will write about the Islamic rules of clothing and how it influences what Muslims wear. Also, I will include a paragraph below describing how Islamic religious rules on clothing have been altered as Muslims have assimilated into New York City culture.
