Shucks! Megan McCain is about twenty years behind the times. The keffiyeh has been de rigeur with the hip n’trendy since the first Intifadah of the late eighties.
The hard part is finding out how to tie the damn thing properly. Forget about ordering an Iqal (the thingy that keeps it on your haid) that’ll fit your noggin.
There's stupid, then there is Lemming stupid...
The kufiyyah is worn by all male Arabs. If the movies are accurate, the Hebrews at the time of Moses and Jesus wore it too. It’s a way to keep the sun off your head. Lawrence of Arabia wore one during his campaign. Chayim Weizmann wore one as a symbol of friendship when meeting with Emir Faysal, who accepted the Balfour Declaration.
BUT, the black-and-white checkered kufiyyah has become a symbol of Palestinian terror because it was what Yassir Arafat always wore. I would not be caught wearing one of those. It sends a bad message.
I always thought Arafat had stolen a tablecloth from an Italian restaurant to cover up all the lice that had taken up residence on his mangy scalp.
Just bought one today.
It’s only a political statement if the wearer knows what the Keffiyeh stands for—which is unlikely, given how poorly educated and politically apathetic our youth can be nowadays.
Even if they do, though, they should be free to wear it...but I would hope they would be above wearing something supportive of terrorism.
Although I’ve heard the argument that by making it a popular cultural object it’s possible that you drain the symbol of its original meaning and reduce it to something harmless. (and thus reduce its power, and in turn the power of Hamas) Not sure if I agree, though.
Neither. Dish-drying device.
It all depends on the context.
The "Anti-war" scarf.