Ah the core of nationalism and identity: hatwear and hairstyle. I still want those Turkish fez things to come back. I'm sure there's some meaning in that.

ow my head is hurting from reading all that.

Dear K,

that's why there are links to pictures. I thought about making it a picture gallery article ... but I didn't want to trouble Ms. Eerie.

--MSK

At a guess, Haniyeh is trying to make up with the Sa'udis after spending time in Iran (and giving a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran, no less). Surely the Sa'ud are not completely comfortable with the notion that Hamas, an organization which was once a virtual appendage of Saudi intelligence, is now being kept afloat by Ahmadinejad, et. al. No doubt they took advantage of the opportunity provided by the Haj to tell him this.

". . . that Hamas, an organization which was once a virtual appendage of Saudi intelligence. . . "

That part sounds a bit stetched.

But the point about the Saudis not comfortable with Hamas cozying up to Iran is probable.

Though I tend to suspect that hatwear is usually something aimed at the domestic audience.

Dear Yuri,

Hamas was never an appendage of Saudi intelligence, virtual or otherwise. And while I agree that they will, during Haniyeh's hajj, have inquired about the extent and level of the Hamas-Iran relationship it is also quite clear that a mere "dressing like them" wasn't quite what they had in mind nor would it suffice to mollify their fears.

As Matthewsaid, sartorial symbolism is for an audience although, in this case, I am not sure just exactly for which (domestic? Arab?) and why.

--MSK

It is quite educational to read this blog. I agree with Matthew. Bring back the fez! Only make it a female fad this time. I think it would look quite fetching over a gauzy, barely-there, gypsy-tied style Cairo hijab.

@ Anna: something like this?

is the red keffiyah a fairly recent thing for the pflp?(it does make sense, but despite its association with Arafat, I'd never seen the black + white as a particularly Fatah symbol... doesn't the black/ red have its origins in different tribes from parts of Yemen or somewhere..)

re Haniyeh, quite a patrician look maybe? possible bid for gravitas locally?

Dear Outis,

there is a very specific type of the black/white that is associated with Fatah. PFLP used the red kuffiyah since the '70s, then also with the PFLP, but their leaders never wore them as headdress. Followers slung them around the neck or used them to cover head & face in battle. These days you can see, at demonstrations, head coverings (with only 2 holes for the eyes) made from red kuffiyahs and those are PFLP guys.

As for the black/red origin ... I don't know. Up to the early 20th century, it seems that (in the Levante) men bought their headdress based on personal style and preference. The black/white kuffiyah became a symbol of Arab Palestinians during the 1936-39 Great Arab Revolt, where insurgents tried to enforce a mandatory wearing of the kuffiyah (as a national symbol) instead of Fez or European hats.

The red kuffiyah with fringes & tassels became the "Jordanian" style after its adoption by the Hashemite kings and the Jordanian army.

The same goes for the various styles in the peninsula - with the development of national cultures there was a development of national styles.

Re: Haniyeh ... well, yes, that's what it looks like. Still, I do wonder just how exactly his new style is perceived among the people in Gaza and the Westbank.

--MSK

he's wearing it again today + suit in Gaza ..

my yemeni idea comes from what some palestinians told me when I asked about red/black + white kuffiyehs years back ... thanks to google, now think it was a reference to Qahtanites/Adnanites; if so, given Hashemites of Jordan are Adnanite bedouin, could suggest Adnanite's red and so's Haniya's family, and maybe that his makeover could play well with potential sponsors in Gulf (eg Kuwait, Bahrain) as well as locally as a 'supra faction' image.. wild conjecture involved in that though

sorry, I'm lousy at links: above broken refs should have been to a "shatweh" pic - (? somehow related to the wimple?) - at www.arabheritage.org - which I've also seen with those long diaphonous white veils on top; the second to a Palestian veteran of 1948 in an identical outfit to Haniyeh's in 2005..

re PFLP: I just asked cos I can't remember red kuffiyahs in evidence back in the first intifada (and then there's those Leila Khalid images..) But unity among PLO factions was a big issue at the end of the 80s, which could explain my impression it was a recent "fashion statement".

"PS: Those "Instructions on how to cover one's head and face with a keffiyeh" linked from the Wiki site gave me a good laugh ..."