14 DAY TRIAL // It is an undeniable bold move to see young Muslim girls with diverse backgrounds show a lot of empowerment rocking the city with high heels and skateboards while still wearing hijabs.
Their colorful, trendy outfits and flashy accessories shown in the video with Jay-Z's “Somewhere in America” singing in the background are not only a fashion statement, but also a way of life for Muslim American women.
The girls call themselves “Mipsterz,” combining the two defining words Muslim and Hipsters, rolled their way into top discussions on Twitter starting quite the passionate debate on rather they are offending Islam or adapting it to today's society.
Mipsterz are those who “seek inspiration from the Islamic tradition of divine scriptures, volumes of knowledge, mystical poets, bold prophets, inspirational politicians, esoteric Imams, and our fellow human beings searching for transcendental states of consciousness. A Mipster is an ironic identity, one that serves more as a perpetual critique of oneself and of society,” the girls describe themselves on their Facebook page.
As expected, the video started an array of mixed reactions from people supporting the Mipsterz and others who bashed the fact that they are promoting a distorted version of Islam filled with insecurity and sinful western influences. There is nothing vulgar in the video, except Jay-z's lyrics referring to Miley Cyrus' twerking, the clothes the girls wear are quite decent, so where is the offense?
Well, the fact that the diversity of Muslim women in the video gear up with flashy jewelry and bold outfits actually tampers with the core meaning of hijabs – modesty. The outfits are cool and trendy, and from an aesthetic point of view they really are admirable; but if the video actually had another purpose than showing some fashion outfits, it's kind of hard to pick up on it with just one glance.
“The Mipsterz video is hard to stomach for so many because it throws the increasing Islamofashionista culture into your face,” Sana Saeed, blogger for The Islamic Monthly, wrote for those who had difficulties perceiving the video.
Overall, these young Muslim women at least got to express something, a trend, a way of life, a fact. Muslim women are known for being restrained from speaking their mind; well, this video is a first step towards changing that, through fashion.
