Sample Research Essay HOW Young Hijab Entrepreneurs Inspire Malaysian PDF

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ENGLISH FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES BIS 5012

HOW YOUNG HIJAB ENTREPRENEURS INSPIRE MALAYSIAN?

PREPARED BY: NUR SHUHAILA BINTI MOHD JAMIL 1160754 BM1 ANIS MARDHIAH BINTI ABDUL GHANI 1160731 BM1

PREPARED FOR: SIR AKHDIAT BIN ABD MALEK

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Globally, hijab is known as a symbol of modesty and also as a medium to create privacy. The elites of the Byzantine and Persian empires were the one who practices in wearing hijab or veiling where it brings the meaning of respectability and high social status. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the headscarf is known as a tudung, which simply means "cover". The usage of the tudung rapidly increased after the year 1970s. The fashion industry is growing slowly but surely catching on to Islamic styles and the needs of Muslim women which are looking for modest and trendy clothing. Almost 60% of Malaysia’s population is Muslim and it is not the only country facing an increased in demand for a modest kind of fashion which focused on Muslim women. In meantime, as more Muslim women decided to cover their heads as what had been obligated by the religion, the demand for headscarves or hijab will be increased speedily. A businessman once said there are some four to five million Muslim women aged between 25 and 50 years as of 2010, estimating that about 80 to 90 per cent of them wear the tudung and that between two and three million Muslim women in that age group are middleincome earners. There are various styles and types of hijab that already existed in the Malaysia markets nowadays. Among of these types are shawls, instant scarves, four square hijabs and many more. Since young Muslims are increasingly looking for fashion that does not set them apart from the rest of society, Muslim designers started mix the hijab with the latest fashion (Zulkifli Abd. Latiff, Fatin Nur Sofia Zainol Alam, March, 2013). There are two prominent of young hijab entrepreneur known in Malaysia which are Vivy Yusof and Neelofa. Both of them created a hijab line market with affordable and reasonable price. They always updated their daily life activities on social media such as Instagram. In an email interview, Vivy said that wearing a headscarf is a lifestyle that able to show others on how modern city girl still can go with their daily lives and still look fabulous.

2. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

There are a lot of issues to address when we talk about the young hijab entrepreneurs as we live in an Islamic country. As we all know, some countries have Islamophobia. As stated by Elizabeth Whitman (2015), Islamophobia has a broad meaning and often serves as an umbrella term to encapsulate negative sentiments ranging from an individual’s anti-Islam views to society-wide discrimination against Muslims. It evokes similar pejorative labels for discrimination against other groups of people, like homophobia or anti-Semitism. We can obviously see this phobia in western countries such as the United States of America where women in hijab are force to take off their hijab in front of the public. Some of the Americans said that the Muslim Women appearance are very disturbing for them. Long time ago, on 1980s, there was this trend of hijab that started with a reporter of RTM Malaysia TV channel called Wan Chik Daud. This trend has been followed by the majority of Malaysian Women on that time. Even though she was not wearing a proper way of hijab, but it was still applicable for the Muslim women who wanted to wear hijab on that era. It was one of the baby step that Malaysian Women took. In a business context, there is an issue when the leader of the company is a woman. People in business especially men tend to look down at the company performance at the first place. They will not feel confident enough to invest in the business because of the mindset that they have. They always think that the lady boss usually makes a lot of mistakes in her job. Instead, for them, women are not born to be a leader at all. The Muslim Women’s activities are also very limited due to their image of being women in hijab. They need to follow the obligations of Islam which they must wear a proper way of hijab. They cannot wear fit clothes and hijab that above their chest because it is not the proper way of wearing it. Muslim women nowadays are not concern with it since the hijab fashion arise. With all these problems, this research seeks to determine the way that the young hijab entrepreneurs handle all of it. It is quite hard to face it through when they are so many obstacles especially when it comes to an issue of their hijab wearing. Thus, how hijab young entrepreneurs inspire Malaysians especially youngsters in this era of fashion.

3.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1. To find out the concept of awrah and its relation to the hijab. 2. To identify types of hijab that already exist in the market nowadays. 3. To know the prominent of hijab entrepreneur who inspired Malaysian. 4. To determine the ways these prominent inspired Malaysian.

4.0 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the concept of awrah and the relation to the hijab? 2. What are the types of hijab that already exist in the market nowadays? 3. Who are the prominent of hijab entrepreneur in Malaysia these days? 4. How these prominent do inspired Malaysian?

5.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

This research conducted in order to investigate about how hijab young entrepreneurs like Vivy Yusof and Noor Neelofa inspire Malaysians. It aims to expose about it to the Muslim Women in Malaysia, new hijab entrepreneurs, hijab customers and also the society of Malaysia. As most of the researchers are not aware that the hijab fashion trend is also very important due to follow the obligations of Islam yet still looking beautiful and fashionable. Furthermore, it is important to Muslim Women in Malaysia to know about this topic since it is involving the obligations of Islam which is the Awrah of woman. According to Wikipedia, Awrah is the intimate parts of the human body must, according to Islam, be covered by clothing. Exposing the intimate parts of the body is unlawful in Islam as the Quran instructs the covering of genitals, and for adult females the breasts. Exposing them is regarded as sin.

Muslim women should know the private parts of them that need to be covered especially their hair. Islam stressed that every Muslim Women are required to cover their hair by wearing cloth that is not see through which is what everyone called hijab. They also need to know the concept of wearing a proper hijab. In Islam, every woman in hijab need to cover their hair and also chest. It is prohibited for them to wear fit clothes in front of the public. Besides that, new hijab entrepreneurs also should be concern about it since the fashion of hijab nowadays really made an eye open to the Muslim Women that are not covering their hair to cover their hair. The new hijab entrepreneurs should be inspired by the design of hijab that have gone trending right now. Instead, they can also follow the trend as long as they apply the right concept of proper hijab into it. Maybe in that way, Muslim Woman who really wants to follow the trend but at the same time want to wear a proper hijab can buy the hijab that produce by the new hijab entrepreneurs. Hijab customers tend to buy the trending hijab probably because the brand of hijab such as The Duck Group and Naelofar Hijab are comparable with the international brand. People will buy the hijab because of the brand not because of the quality. It is because some of the Hijab Women are not preferred to buy the hijab brand stated because they dislike the materials maybe because of it is too thin and not comfortable enough. Meanwhile, for the society, they see that hijab is just not all about modesty. It is also about the fashion and the beauty. With all the beautiful designs, it will attract the youngsters nowadays to wear hijab more. Women, as we all know, are very attract to anything beautiful inside and outside. As in this case, hijab is very beautiful inside of it because it follows the obligations of Islam besides it also beautiful on the outside because of the designs.

6.0 DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH QUESTION

6.1 WHAT IS THE CONCEPT OF AWRAH AND THE RELATION TO THE HIJAB? The general meaning of awrah is the parts of human’s body that sh ould be covered according to situations among different groups of people. (Aisha Stacey, 2012) As for a Muslim women, the dress must cover the whole body except for some specific area as mentioned by Allah in the Quran. The Quran states:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And 0 you believers! Turn all toward Allah that you may attain bliss. (Al-Quran. An-Nur 24:30-31)

These beautiful verses describe that there are two important messages that need to be fully understand by Muslim women. First of all, a Muslim woman should not display her beauty and adornment (zeenah) except for "that which must ordinarily appear of it" (ma dhahara minha), or "that which is apparent". The word zeenah itself means the natural beauty and some adornment such as bracelets and clothes. The natural beauty stated means the face and the hands. This interpretation is confirmed by ijma' (consensus) that a Muslim woman is allowed by Islam to uncover her face and hands during pilgrimage and even during the prayers, while the rest of her body is regarded as 'awrah (that which should be covered). This interpretation is based on the authority of Prophet Muhammad (Allah's blessing be upon him), especially the Hadith in which he says: ". . . If the woman reaches the age of puberty. No part of her body) should be seen but this - and he pointed to his face and hands." (Hadith narrated by Abu Dawud no. 4104)

Next, some adornment that is classified as zeenah means that when a Muslim woman wear the adornment such as jewellery, she must make sure that those jewellery did not attracting the attention of people around her. The next message that been stated in the verses is the head cover should be drawn so as to cover not only the hair, but it could also be drawn over the neck and to be extended so as to cover the bosom. (Dr Jamal A. Badawi, 1969) Besides from what had been stated in the verses above, the concept of awrah did not just end there. There is this one time where people tend to complain that woman voices were included also as awrah. According to most scholars, the woman’s voice is not awrah in principle as according to the hadith, women used to complain to Prophet and ask him about some Islamic matters. (Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, 2002) However, women are not allowed to speak in a soft or alluring voice. (Shaykh Amjad Rasheed, 2008) When hijab’s verses revealed after second decade of emerging of Islam in Madinah, hijab, at first, got obligatory for Prophet’s family (verses of Al-Ahzab 3253) and then to all the faithful and Muslim ladies (verses of Al-Ahzab and Noor 3031). Thus, the veils which have been used by some Arab tribes already and in some others were poor have been performed by Muslims seriously. In addition to the Quran verses that stress the importance of hijab, there are many hadiths which express the border of hijab. Despite the historical existence of many religious and verbal differences between Islamic sects, there is no disagreement about the existence of hijab (unless nowadays, with comments coming from those who are neither learned people nor any learned has certified their ideas). (Zohreh Sadatmoosavi, Mohamad Ali Shokouhi, 2011) In Malaysia nowadays, hijab has recently turned into a symbol of sophistication when local celebrities came out of the woodwork with various styles of veiling, braving criticism to introduce their craft. The hijab appeared most unusually in the Malaysian music industry, of which Malay-Muslims are burdened by the stigma that they are discouraged from projecting their voices in public and female singers are swiftly associated to lack of moral decadence. Young artists such as Yuna is known mostly for her songs that have no relations to the Islamic faith and personal hijab style but quickly became a fad among adoring youth fans nonetheless. Several other celebrities have also adopted the hijab at a later age in life but have taken other steps in promoting the hijab

rather than use it to further a singing career. Several other areas of information increased familiarity and integration to Malay-Muslims in hijab. Writer and columnist Dina Zaman maintains a weekly column in The Malay Mail Online, fresh from her memoirs as a liberal Muslim in the book `I am Muslim’ (Noor, 2007) that discussed afterthoughts of Malay folk. Struggles of its women that balance life and religion remain a theme her opinion pieces. Her work continues to analyse urban the Malay-Muslim woman who desires to liberate herself, interpreting her disconnect from patriarchal Islamic practices and adaptation of more carefree habits that may not be the norm among conservative Malays. (Nurzihan Hassim, 2014)

6.2 WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HIJAB THAT ALREADY EXIST IN THE MARKET? (Zohreh Sadatmoosavi, Mohamad Ali Shokouhi, 2011) •

Shawl: A piece of a long hairy or wool cloth that they wrinkle it and wrap it around the neck several times. It is a Persian word which has been gone into many European countries.

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Khemar: (That is mentioned in the Quran and had been used as scarf in that time) It is a type of Hijab for women which covers front of neck, chin and mouth and connect to each other’s in head.

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Maghnaah(Ghenaa, Maghnaa): a piece of cloth (Kerchief or Charghad) that both men and women fasten to their heads. (Zoroastrians consider that the same as Makna which is a cover of Zoroastrian women).

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Yashmagh (or Yashmak): a black cotton or silky cloth which hangs from the forehead by a decorative object, gold or silver or bronze. Would connect and hangs. This curtain wear wole of face except eyes, covers sometimes on chest and sometimes it comes on knees.

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Neghab (which is called Ruband in Iran) or Mask: Nighāb A Curtain with holes. That is a cloth which there are two holes and in white slim and tall in front of the eyes.(According to the verb Naghaba ‫ نقب‬to mean Fiddler thrust)

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Ruband or Ruband: Ruband traditionally scavenger was worn by Iranian women in the 9th century, when Ibn Battuta (a Persian traveler in the 9th AH, 16AD) met Shiraz. Articles Iranica, 1385, 154)

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Djenné; The piece of cloth which is used to cover head except to face and two sides of the chest and have been made two holes in eyes places so that it looks like Borqa.

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Chashm Aviz (literally hanging net in front of eyes): It is a Black net mask of horsehair that women wear as an amulet. This cover allowed women to cover their eyes concurrent with hide from others, be able to see. This mask used to be wear from medieval. This type of cover has been named Ayazy or Ayasy as well.

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Picheh: It is a mask which is made of a weaved horsehair or by a rope which fasten to the forehead and through it to the front of their faces. The length and width, tiny and the texture of the coarseness of the elderly and the youth people was less.

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Chaghchur: It is a sock or socks drawers which are made of two connected parts from ankles up to the waist.

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Chaarie (or Shaariah): Thin cloth of black horsehair that women cover their faces by them and could see their ways through the gap of them.

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Ezar or Mezar: In early period of Islam, it has been used for different kinds of clothes… in the whole Islamic periods; this word has been used as meaning of big Chadors or covers by which eastern women wear them. (Mezar word has also gone to Italy and it is root of Mezarro i.e. a big piece of painted cloth by which women used to cover their heads and shoulders)

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Jilbab: Bokhari used the word of Jilbab (which has been in Quran and at least is old since then) in the meaning of Ezar and said that is Chador which women wear their heads when they go out.

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Hebrah: Is a kind of Burd, i.e. a striped loose dress which is making in Yemen. (in another part of this book is: a shirt or loose cover of black silk) Wearing Hebrah is common in Syria, Arabia and Algeria.

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Kamari Chador (Belt Chador): (A Chador which has a rope in its waist) there has not been used scissors cuts in its sewing, it is sewed from the inside the same as Aba which is fixing by a rope from head to waist or as a dickey around the waist and for wearing it, legs should be put into the middle and pulled up like pants and pull the upper part up to the head. Some ladies for more beauty, embroidered around it by lacing or sewing margins, this type of cover mostly was black color. Kamari Chador or Ghajari Chador is older model of Chador in Iran which used to be famous during the rule of Ghajarid.

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Chador Namazi or Charkhi Chador: (today Chador in Iran): Charkhi Chador or Round Chador the same as praying Chador is open- front and without belt. Ordinary women used to wear such striped blue and white Chadors which were made of cotton cloth (Chit and Canvas).

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Borqa: A mask for women. Dozy quoted of John Fraser that Borqa in Mavaraa Al-nnahr was a kind of cover which has been worn from the heads to feet of the women. In Afghanistan, people have named their cover Borqa.

6.3 WHO ARE THE PROMINENT OF HIJAB ENTREPRENEUR IN MALAYSIA THESE DAYS? As we all know, business field in Malaysia are quite a big hit right now. Everyone can do business no matter what your background is as long as you are eager to do it will full of effort. Hijab is one of the products that will be the most buy products by customers in Malaysia. It is also quite easy to enter a hijab business field since most Muslim women in Malaysia are wearing it to cover their aurah. There are so many hijab entrepreneurs that succeed and made their name grown bigger locally and internationally. The prominent of hijab entrepreneur in Malaysia these days are definitely Vivy Sofinas Yusof and Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor. These two are the most common topic to have conversation about when it comes to hijab business. So let us start with the most inspired one, Vivy Yusof. Everyone knows about her since she is the one of the influencers in Malaysia. Almost everyday people will stalk her in social media to know about her life. She loves to write so she decided to write blog at www.proudduck.com ten years ago. She married to Fadza Anuar and they have two beautiful kids together which are Daniel and Mariam. She studied Law in London School Economics (LSE) where she met her husband. Unfortunately, she never practices law, she came back to Malaysia and started her own business featuring Fadza Anuar instead. Seven years ago, Fashionvalet, a local website that gather all local fashion brands established and now, they have about 400 local brands together, 2 physical stores and they also ship all over the world. It has grown phenomally pretty huge that she decided to produce her own brand, The Duck Group. They started with scarf, and then stationery, home and living and currently cosmetics. Soon, they will go to handbags by their own brand. Another prominent of hijab entrepreneur that always people talk abou...