A Keffiyeh By Any Other Name

Originally run on 9 February 2009. Image from Google, even though I wish I took it.

As we march through the months of winter, I’m beginning to realize that the keffiyeh has become the Che Guevara t-shirt of the 21st Century. I say this because, lately it seems that the political connotations of the keffiyeh have been compromised. It’s gone from a political statement to a fashion statement. Like many problems our society is suffering from, I blame the hipsters.

If the keffiyeh was associated with one person, it’d probably be Yasser Arafat, who seems to never be without his black and white keffiyeh. Saudi males have their version of the scarf, the shemagh, which is typically red and white, giving it the distinct look of an Italian restaurant’s tablecloth. The British special forces have traditionally been rather fond of scarves as week. The specific incarnation of the keffiyeh that I’m talking about though are the black and white checkered ones—the ones specifically worn by those that wish to show solidarity with the Pro-Palestinian Movement.

My problem with politics the scarves ten to accompany, but rather with the fact that I think that most people don’t know that they have a political connotation at all. It’s probably safe to assume that most members of the MSA know what they represent, but I have my doubts about the girl across from me on the bus wearing the keffiyeh she bought from Urban Outfitters while reading In Touch. I have my doubts about her in the same way that I have my doubts about the stoner with his Che shirt.

I doubt that this many people on campus are politically enlightened about the Palestinian/Israeli situation. If that sounds like a dig, it isn’t meant to be. I read the newspaper on a regular basis and I can barely make heads or tales of that whole situation. It’s probably one of the more complex and ambiguous conflicts on the face of the earth. I mean, Iranian president Mahmoud Amadinejad isn’t even sure whether or not Israel exists.

What this whole Palestinian scarf thing reminds me of was a jerk in one of my film classes. I didn’t bother to learn his name and for the longest time I couldn’t even remember what he looked like. All I knew about the guy was that he would wear t-shirts emblazoned with the letters “IRA.” I wondered, was he a naïve second-generation Irish-American or did he actually support scumbags that sell heroin to children and shoot their countrymen at funerals?

When I think of this guy, I also realize that the Irish aren’t just a bunch of carbombing drunks. Obviously, Palestinians too are more than just a rabble of rocket-hurling fanatics. We shouldn’t let jerks with bombs ruin your scarves or pride for your heritage or anything else. You shouldn’t let know-it-all snobs like me ruin them for you either. With that said, be smart about what you wear, it can be just as much of a political statement as anything else. Be aware. I mean, hey, there’s no reason that you can’t both look sharp and learn something about the world, right?