VOA标准英语2009年-Hijab, Niqab, Hair: Egyptian Women Choose

By Elizabeth Arrott
Cairo, Egypt
07 October 2009

 
An Egyptian woman, right, wears a "niqab" a veil which shows only the eyes, as she walks with another, wearing the "hijab", or headscarf, left, in downtown Cairo, Egypt (file)
Egypt has long valued its role as one of the more tolerant of the predominantly Muslim nations. The history makes reports that the country's top cleric may dictate¹ what some female students can wear somewhat of a paradox². That the Grand Imam is said to be considering a ban on a very conservative form of dress, the face veil, does not lessen³ the challenge it poses to the women of Cairo.

What are Egyptian women wearing?
 
Stand on any street corner in Cairo and you are likely to see a wide range of female attire⁴. A middle-aged⁵ woman in a loose, long dress is wearing a brightly colored headscarf. She stands beside teenage girl, whose head is covered too, but is sporting a figure-hugging top and skin-tight jeans. Next to her is a woman in billowing head-to-toe black, her kohl-rimmed eyes the only part of her body exposed to the world.

Egypt is a deeply religious, modern society. Here there is choice, unlike, for example, in Saudi Arabia, where cloistered⁶, covered women have little say in the matter. 

But the Saudi-style clothing of the fully⁷ covered woman is an increasingly common sight in Cairo, one that has both leading clerics and secularists alarmed.

Cause for alarm?

Hala Mustafa, a senior editor at Al-Ahram media, is among those concerned about the growing trend of covering up. She sees its roots in the conservative Saudi brand of Sunni Islam. 

 
A woman in Cairo wears the full veil, or niqab, an increasingly common sight in the Egyptian capital, 7 Oct. 2009
"I think it expresses more or less some of the Wahabist thought which came in the 70's, swept Egypt in the mid-70's and has increased in the last three decades because nobody confronted this Salafist ideology," Mustafa said. "This is a setback⁸ in Egypt. In the old days, or before the seventies, before the Wahabist [fundamentalist] thought and the Salafist [fundamentalist] thought dominated the region, Egypt was more modern, liberal and we were very good people at the same time." 

Mustafa says the increasing use of coverings does not mean Egypt is becoming more religious, simply more conservative and dogmatic.

Television influence

Some of that conservatism comes from what was once considered orthodoxy's biggest threat -- satellite television channels which, along with a stream of unfettered Western sexuality, offer a wide variety of religious programming. 

 
A young Cairene observes the tradition of modesty⁹ with her head covering, 7 Oct. 2009
Hana el-Mograbi runs a women's clothing shop in the upscale Cairo neighborhood, Mohandessin.

El-Mograbi says satellite programs have brought about an increase in religious awareness¹⁰ and enlightenment.  She notes that, in the past, you had to go to the mosque¹¹ to hear religious preaching, while now you can get everything you need at home.

The influence is apparent in even the smallest village, where the growth of satellite dishes parallels the surge in women donning the full veil. How much the trend originates with the women is a matter of debate.

Personal choice

Although el-Mograbi welcomes the trend of covering up, she feels the decision is meaningless unless it is a personal one.  And, to her, it is not just a question of modesty. Her shop, with its luxe scarves and beautifully-cut long dresses, caters¹² to the cosmopolitan¹³ Cairene.

The shop-owner says she believes the veiled woman needs to care more about her attire. She says women who do not wear the veil have their hair to make them look good. So, she says she prefers coupling fashion and the veil because they are parallel.  It is a sentiment seemingly at odds¹⁴ with the desire to be undesirable¹⁵.

Back to that woman on the street corner -- the one in all-encompassing black right down to her gloved hands. As she steps off the curve, she reveals a flash of delicately-beaded, black high heels. They are exquisite¹⁶ enough to provoke an impious emotion: envy.

1 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

2 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

3 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

4 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

5 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

6 cloistered   

adj.隐居的，躲开尘世纷争的v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the cloistered world of the university 与世隔绝的大学
• She cloistered herself in the office. 她呆在办公室里好像与世隔绝一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

9 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

12 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

13 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

14 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

15 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

16 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。