A year ago, you would have to attend an event exhibiting solidarity with the Palestinian people to see large numbers of individuals wearing kuffiyehs. Kuffiyehs are scarves that have been used by Palestinians to show resistance against the occupation of Palestine and by individuals that want to show their support for Palestine’s struggle for freedom. Currently, however, you can walk through any mall, and just about every store will be selling kuffiyehs in an array of colors and designs with glitter and gems. Everywhere I turn, I see people wearing the kuffiyeh without knowing its original meaning or intent.

According to wikipedia, the kuffiyeh or keffiyeh, is a traditional headdress for Arab men commonly found in arid climate areas to provide protection from direct sun exposure. Traditionally worn by Palestinian peasants, the keffiyeh became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism during the Arab Revolt of the 1930s. Its prominence increased in the 1960 with the beginning of the Palestinian resistance movement and its adoption by Arafat. The keffiyeh would later become a trademark symbol of Palestinian politician Yasser Arafat. Increased sympathy and activism by certain Westerners toward Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict have led to the wearing of keffiyehs as a sign of their solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The commodification of the kuffiyeh can be traced to Kanye West having worn it in some of his videos and concerts. I cannot comment on whether or not Kanye was showing solidarity with Palestine or if he even knew what the original intent of the kuffiyeh was. In any case, the market latched on to the scarves quickly and now they can be purchased everywhere. None of the proceeds go to support any of the thousands of Palestinians who have died in the latest Israeli bombings of the Gaza Strip on January 2009 or to the Palestinians who are still suffering without access to basic life necessities like food, water, and electricity.

In a conversation with Mohammed, a Palestinian from Gaza living in Dubai, we agreed that, “people should at least know what the original meaning of the kuffiyeh is before wearing it.” It would be nice if the fashion industry provided a little note with each scarf detailing the meaning behind it, but that’s highly unlikely. Not surprisingly, the kuffiyeh is not the first item of resistance that has been marketed and capitalized on by the fashion world. Since the Cuban Revolution, silk-screened shirts of Ernesto “Che” Guevera have been running through the market and being worn by many who do not even know who Che was or what he stood for. I often imagine Che turning in his grave at the exploitation and capitalization of his image.

In writing this article, I do not intend on looking down upon anyone who loves fashion or is currently accessorizing with kuffiyehs or various items that have lost their original symbolic meaning due to the market; instead, I hope to educate individuals on the subject. I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves to understand the meaning that our clothes, words, and lives project to others. To many the kuffiyeh has become merely an article of clothing, but to the Palestinian people and those who support them, it remains a symbol of resistance. So, before you throw on your scarf tomorrow, remember that it carries a world of meaning etched into every fiber.