Ramadan is Boot Camp for my soul

My thoughts on Ramadan (summarized in to a few paragraphs) was recently featured on the Huffington Post Religion Blog. Please click below to read :-)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/ramadan-2012-islamic-fasting_n_1690410.html#71_ramadan-is-a-boot-camp-for-my-soul

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Ramadan is here

Local Dallas Pastor fasts during Ramadan

The Pastor of United Methodist Church in Dallas joins millions of Muslims around the world as we fast during Ramadan.

Pastor Wes Magruder says "I must know what it's like to be a Muslim. Perhaps, then I will learn how to worship God as a Christian". You can follow Pastor Magruder on his blog below. We welcome him to his first Ramadan and hope he has a wonderful journey.

http://newmethofesto.com/2012/07/20/a-muslimmethofesto-why-im-observing-ramadan/

You can also follow Reverend Magruder on twitter @wesmagruder

Sami Yusuf: Ala Bi Dhikrika

Sami Yusuf's latest single was just released. We love it!

KAVAKCI COUTURE in the Indonesian News

We're ecstatic about being featured in the Indonesian News today. We don't speak any Indonesian, however, we completely understand what it says :-) The article talks about our Comfijab Couture hijabs, and a short biography of Elif Kavakci's work as a Muslim fashion designer. 

We have a huge number of Indonesian followers. Thank you all for your support.We hope to have a fashion show in Indonesia soon inshAllah!

Please click the below links to read about us in the Indonesian News.

http://www.metrotvnews.com/read/news/2012/07/20/99103/Elif-Kavakci-Desainer-Pencipta-Comfortable-Hijab-/12

http://m.mediaindonesia.com/index.php/micom/perempuan_read/2012/07/20/7225/10/Elif_Kavakci_Desainer_Pencipta_Comfortable_Hijab?utm_source=micom&utm_medium=twitter

New York Times article: The Freedom Of The Hijab

“I control what you see, how is that not empowering” mixed with a munificent amount of authority emanating from the “My body is my own concern” clause. I believe my hijab gives me the right to assert my body, femininity and spirituality as my own and under my authority alone."

Congratulations to the author Ayesha Nusrat on beginning to wear hijab and on writing such a great article. It's a must read!

Please click link below to read the article in full.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/opinion/the-freedom-of-the-hijab.html?_r=1

Ramadan Kareem. Ramazaniniz Mubarek Olsun.

The Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey

Our favorite month of the year is here!!! Alhamdulillah, praise be to the Lord of the Universe who let us reach end enjoy another Ramadan. Wishing you all a wonderful month filled with spiritual uplifting.

Team HijabiTopia

"Oh, so that's why! It's because you're a designer..."

If I had a penny for every time I heard that line, I would be rich by now :-) Say whaaaa? (Remember our earlier post, CLICK)

The kind of impression you make on someone can make the biggest impact on how they see your religion, your culture, you, as a Muslim woman. We live in a world where first impressions speak louder than words. The biggest part of your first impression is made up of how you dress. Yes, you! And me, of course.

You're probably thinking "well, yeah, we already know that, so what's new?" What's new is, do you really deeply think about how you dress and how you act in public as a Muslim woman? More specifically as a hijabi. Muslim women who don't wear hijab are not visibly Muslim. When you wear hijab you are a breathing, walking, talking, commercial for Islam. Anything you wear, any word that comes out of your mouth, your interactions with your kids, friends, family etc are all representations of Islam. Which means, if you're a teenager, who wears hijab and curses in public, or online, or even abbreviates curse words or uses an * to censor it and shares it on your status, you are making Islam look bad. Just saying! (I could go on and on about this topic because it actually makes my blood boil; however, I will hit the brakes now, and save that topic for another post.)

This is of course the hardest part of wearing hijab. We often want to just blend in like a chameleon. Throw on a shirt, a pair of jeans, flip flops and top it off with our hijab and walk out the door. Some what perfunctory. And a bit more mundane. The fact of the matter is, no matter where we live in the world, there is no way a hijabi can be a chameleon. Read my lips (well, your screen in this case) Not. Gonna. Happen!

So we all have to try our best, and our hardest to dress presentable, speak proper, and top it off with a smile. Yes it's arduous but believe me, it's very rewarding. After all, didn't the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) say that the best among you is the one with the best manners?

After that long intro, here is a personal example of what I'm talking about.

I take my girls to the Little Gym in Dallas when I'm visiting. My oldest one started doing gymnastics at the same location 5 years ago. And likes to join in when we are in town. There is another lovely parent who also brings her daughter perennially to the same location. We exchange hellos, and sometimes chat shortly, but usually I'm more reticent and not so loquacious. Partly because of my personality, and partly because this is the only time out of the year when I can actually spend that time reading a book.

So today while I was waiting for my daughter in the lobby, we started chatting a little bit more in detail with the lovely mom. I had mentioned to her that I moved to New York, and we started discussing the pros and cons of living in NY, and the fact that Dallas is a more conservative city and  it feels safer as a mom to raise my kids in Dallas, and how the standard of living in NY is extremely high, etc etc.

The conversation lead to me being a designer. As soon as I mentioned that I'm a fashion designer, the lovely mom said "oh, so that's why! You dress so stylish because you're a designer." And she continued on telling me her perception of me, a woman who wears hijab. She added "Well, my daughter the other day was saying, 'Mom, doesn't she dress so nice? I like what she's wearing' and I told her, 'Well, yes honey, she dresses very nice, but I also noticed that every time she comes in here, she's reading a book. I think she is stylish and smart!"

I thanked the lovely lady for the approbation. It was music to my ears. It was also just another incident that served as proof to my two mottos. You are what you wear and you are what you speak! 

In conclusion, hijabis: (especially younger generations, teenagers) please choose your clothes and your words wisely. :-)

Until next time,

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia  

Faith Inspires: Muslim Heroes Highlights Leaders In The Muslim Community - Elif Kavakci

This morning, Nazreen emailed me about the below news. It's absolutely an honor to be chosen as a Muslim Heroe, and is even more of an honor to be featured in the Huffington Post! Thank you all for nominating my name. I'm humbled!

We've definitely gotten a lot of media coverage lately, all around the world, alhamdulillah . :-)

You can click below to read the article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/06/faith-inspires-muslim-heroes_n_1652743.html#slide=1192704

Huffington Post gazetesinde Inanclarindan Ilham alan Musluman Kahramanlar listesine ismimin yayinlandigini bu gun ogrendim. Herkese cani gonulden tesekkur ederim. Boyle bir listede ismimin yer almasi benim icin onur verici.

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

KAVAKCI COUTURE in the Balkan Chronicle

One of our followers Jill Z. informed us that we were featured in the Balkan Chronicle. This interview was originally given to the Columbia University wire and ended up on the Balkan Chronicle. We love the power of social media. :-)

Please click below to read the article in full.

http://www.balkanchronicle.com/index.php/life/life-style/fashion-a-beauty/2174-muslim-women-have-more-clothing-options-that-satisfy-both-religion-and-fashion

Muslim Women Design Fashion Forward Hijabs

The Fashion for Compassion show was also featured in the Northwest Asian Weekly :-)

Please click the link below to read the article in full.

http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2012/07/muslim-women-design-fashion-forward-hijabs/

Happy 4th of July!!!

Hope everyone has a great day and gets to enjoy the fireworks!

Due to our summer travels, our blog will not be updated as regulary as we would like.

Hope you all have a great summer. Our posts will continue regulary in Ramadan inshallah :-)

Untill then, you are always welcome to follow us daily on twitter @hijabitopia