#GRWM: Algerian Style!

Assalaamu alaikum!

Today I bring you the absolutely beautiful style of covering, al-hayek, from Algeria. I fell in love with this style when I saw pictures on Pinterest. It's just so exceedingly elegant! I hope that my look was able to give it justice!

Women in hayek both with and without niqab, and Western clothing.

al-Hayek is a look from Algeria, typically consisting of a white half-niqab which is half plain with lace on the bottom half and a white sheet-like covering used as a jilbab (outer clothing). In recent years the hayek has seen a resurgence in Algeria with young women trying to bring back and preserve their culture. While many women wear it without a hijab underneath, it can easily be worn with hijab, as shown in my video. Some women also wear it without the niqab, but most do veil the face with it even if the hair is shown.

Woman in hayek with white niqab but no hijab. Edges are scalloped and designed, and she appears to be wearing casual Western clothing underneath. 

Hayek with white karakou underneath.

Additionally, the other traditional Algerian outfit I re-created, the karakou, is a combination of an elegantly embroidered jacket or vest, typically with a contrasting belt and worn with a skirt or sarouel which comes up on the sides showing part of the calf. For this part I used a jacket which was thrifted, and and sarouel from al-Moultazimoun, which can be purchased here.

To wear al-hayek, first you need to find a white or off-white sheet or table cloth, usually with stripes or a checkered pattern like the one I purchased from a thrift store. If you are able to actually get a hayek from Algeria, they are very beautiful and some have lace or scalloped edges. The sheet used should be slightly rectangular for ease.

Here is the cloth I bought. It is about 5'x7'

To wrap al-hayek, wrap the cloth around you from behind. Take the upper edge and fold it over on the outside to a comfortable length.

Take a pin and pin to one side, near the armpit. You can either pull it in a bit on each side for pinning, making it tighter (as I showed in the video)  or you can pin closer to each corner, making it easier to pull over the head.

Here is a picture of it wrapped looser.

Reach behind you and pull the folded portion of the hayek up over your head. It can be held open, as shown in one of the pictures I pulled from pinterest (above), or it can be clutched under the chin to cover the chest for hijab. You can also pin under the chin like hijab in order to free up the hands while wearing hayek so purse, groceries, etc. can be carried more easily.

Hayek wrapped tightly and clutched under the chin.

In Algeria, many women wear al-hayek with high heels, adding to it's elegant appeal. But it is also worn with casual clothing and sneakers, making it versatile. The fact that it is pinned to the chest makes it much easier than some other coverings as this can't get unraveled or simply fall off, alhamdulillah. Instead it is easy to move while still being secure. 

Hayek with heels and mlaya.

Woman wearing mlaya.

In Algeria, el-hayek has a counterpart, called mlaya. Mlaya is worn in Constantine and consists of the same white niqab (or a black one) and an overhead garment which is sewn at the bottom. It is then held together at the top under the chin, similar to al-hayek and chador. This garment, however, is black and is seen less often than al-hayek as it is central to Constantinian tradition and culture instead of general Algerian culture. 

Now a bit on my choices. One of the reasons I went with karakou, other than it also being a traditional Algerian garment, is because of pictures like these. In the early 1900s women in Algeria wore al-hayek with poofy sarouel rather than the skirts worn with karakou today. For those of us who try to keep our legs covered, sarouel are a great option to wear with with karakou and other similar types of outfits! Her we see two women in al-hayek in the poofy sarouel and flat shoes. Other images confirm that a century ago most of the hair was covered with al-hayek (some did show a bit of hair) and sleeves of clothing underneath this overgarment reached about to the elbow, as shown in the picture above. As for the heels, this is a choice based upon how many women are seen wearing al-hayek today. And the white niqab I used is a medical-mask style niqab which was gifted to me by a friend. 

Thank you all so much for reading/watching and I really hope you learned something interesting! In shaa Allah more videos and blogs on cultural hijab/niqab will be coming soon!

Jazakum Allahu kheiran,

Sajida. 

Close up of the pin I used.

Wait... You can SWIM?! - How to create your own "burkini"

Assalaamu alaikum!

So, it's mid-July and swim season is in full-swing! Even though I've only gotten to go once. But I bet I know a lot of sisters out there who to go way more often! I love swimming but really I love suntanning more, even if it's only my feet getting tan.

Swimsuit #1

On that note, there is a lot of questions surrounding Muslim swim attire! So often people ask me, "Wait, you have a swimsuit you can wear?" And other friends, they want to know where I got mine or how I put it together. On the market, you can buy ready-made modest swim clothing, from "Christian" covering to almost elbow and knees, to tzniut (Jewish modesty) covering elbows and knees, to Islamic swimwear. But the downside is, whenever I see most of these swimsuits, they are $40 or more, and to me, they just aren't cute! Sure they are for probably most sisters (your choices tend to be either sporty or pastel and feminine), but for a goth/alternative girl, they just wouldn't do.

So then, what are your options?

See? Swim bra had to go. Plus I like more length.

My favorite? THRIFT STORES!!!

To be honest, only two pieces of my swimsuit are from the thriftstore: The leggings with the spikes and a sports bra (some ladies may be able to go without but my old swimsuit had to be with underwire! and wearing it with my suit seems... well after I hit the water, it isn't so modest anymore. Hence switching out my swim bra for a sports bra when I wear the skirt). HOWEVER, I've since found all of the pieces I used to create my original swimsuit in the thrift store!

So, what do you need?

- Leggings
- Rashguard (this is a longsleeve workout shirt, also used by surfers)
- Swim skirt or a comfy dress for added modesty

I tried to make sure that all of my things felt like "swimsuit fabric". This gives people less of a reason to hassle you (apparently a Delaware pool just had to apologize because they forced Muslim children in cotton clothing to not swim, due simply to them not wearing swim fabric; I've gotten hassled just because people aren't accustomed to covered women and my recreational therapist raised concerns about mobility). Swimsuit fabric is a polyester fabric and usually has a shiny, slinky feel, like lycra. (So everyone is aware, ALL POLYESTER should be able to be used in a standard swimming pool with chlorine without any fading.)

Swimsuit #2

So, let's break down my swimming #OOTD:

- Leggings - Thrifted, but originally Forever21
- Rashguard - Walmart or Target, I don't remember
- Swimskirt - Walmart or Target, I don't remember
- Dress - My co-wife's favorite truck stop (not even a lie!)
- Swim hijab/niqab - made by me

Like I said, whether you go for a swim skirt or a dress (or if you manage to find one of the magical skirted rashguards), you can get all of the actual swimsuit (not the hijab) easily and much cheaper than buying a ready-made burkini. It's extremely affordable to do so, especially if you want something to swim in while still trying to find all of your perfect pieces!

Another thing that can be utilized outside of swim season are apps and websites like Wish and dresslily, where you can order leggings, rashguards, or even actual burkinis for very cheap, so long as you are willing to wait about a month to receive your order!

So, what if money isn't an issue, but ready-made burkinis aren't your thing? Where should you look that isn't Walmart, Target, or an athletics store? Where are some places to get pieces that are *really* cool?

If you can afford it, I highly encourage people to check out blackmilkclothing.com! Carrying everything from leggings to full dresses to hoodie dresses and more, nearly everything sold on blackmilkclothing.com can be used for swimwear! And they definitely are super unique in every way. (I would like to note that BlackMilk DOES carry bodysuits! Easy to add a skirt to for extra modesty and just jump in the pool!)

Now, that's not to say there aren't *some* ready-made burkinis that I think are cool. Unfortunately, when when I started my journey, they were just increasingly few and far between, and the ones that I found and actually liked were more expensive than I could afford.

If you can afford a ready-made burkini and don't want the hassle that comes with piecing together your own, here is a list of websites you can check out, in shaa Allah:

- Nabira has lots of swimwear ranging modesty spectrum in a variety of styles and prices.
- Jilbab Mina has swimwear in the French jilbab style.
- Mayovera has nicer burkinis in TONS of styles, as well as partial cover suits, for a higher price (you'll need to convert Turkish lira to your currency of choice).

And, of course, women all over Saudi Arabia still swim in a regular abaya, hijab, and niqab. So just do what works for you.

Jazakum Allahu kheiran,
Sajida.

Why I Actually Like Afghani Burqa (WAY more than I thought I would!)

 Assalaamu alaikum everybody! It's been a while since I decided to stay mostly off of social media during Ramadan, and since then I have been working on my disability claim. 

At the beginning of Ramadan I received a bright purple burqa, or topi as it's called in Pakistan. I ordered it because it was a resale on eBay and therefore WAY cheaper than the normal listings for the same piece. My plan was to compare this one, which you can readily find online, and a burqa straight from Afghanistan, which my friend is sending (and which we are having difficulty getting into the US, but that's a whoooole other story) in order to see how comparable they are, which breathes better, etc.. In shaa Allah I'll still be able to do that post. (We just finished attempt number two on sending the blue burqa from the UK and now her family is going to try and send it straight from Afghanistan.)

Me outside reading.

So, I started wearing the burqa during Ramadan. I'm not wearing it all the time, which is apparent just by a quick look at my Instagram. 😉 I started by wearing it when I went to sit outside and read Quran, as the house next us and the house next to that are both on sale and doing construction so there were a lot of guys around. Surprisingly, it wasn't oppressively hot, which was our worry! After a week or so I went out on date day with my co-wife and wore the burqa. We got Taco Bell and all people said was how cute I was and how much they loved the color of my burqa, and asked why I was wearing it, etc.

In fact, the ONLY comments I've gotten on my burqa have been compliments!

Me at Taco Bell waiting for food lol

Since then I've worn it out a few times. A friend who came over shortly after I got it commented that it would be perfect for just throwing it on and going to the grocery store or other errands. And she's right! If I don't want to search for a scarf, abaya, and niqab when we need to go out, I can just throw on the burqa and it's all of that in one! Alhamdulillah. Errands, shopping, using a cane or wheelchair, I have been able to wear my burqa in all of these situations, easily! (Just don't go out wearing shorts in it as it's hard to keep your legs from showing, especially when it's windy 😅) It also is much easier to see out of than I thought it would be, while still filtering out most light (which helps my light sensitivity).

Every time I've worn it, no one says anything rude. Subhan'Allah. I don't know why it is this way, but percentage-wise I've gotten more insults in just niqab than in burqa. Maybe I need to give it more time, but our initial thought is that I would be even more at risk than before. Apparently all I'm at risk for is having my eye screen super crooked, which my loving Husband decided to point out in the line at Subway. But, subhan'Allah w bihawmdihi, the guy making our sandwiches complimented my burqa and the color, and then we found how he is from Afghanistan. Ma shaa Allah. We plan to go back to that Subway in the future, in shaa Allah, just to see him again. Allahumma barik lahu.

So, all-in-all, the burqa is just way more comfortable and versatile than we ever thought it would be, and way easier than finding all of the individual pieces I need to go out when I'm still working through all of the laundry (alhamdulillah I finished it all last night 😪) and I lose my niqabs CONSTANTLY. 

In shaa Allah I'm going to be doing some shoots which will showcase the burqa. Once I do, you all will know! I'll make a blog post once I get them in. In the mean time, I hope that my words and pictures here today help people to understand and embrace the burqa as a form of covering. 💕

And stay tuned for more awesome burqa pictures and fashion posts and reviews coming up soon, in shaa Allah! For access to all of my media posts, follow me on Facebook by searching @RivkaSajida

😘

Jazakum Allahu kheiran, 

Sajida.

Stole my co-wife's flower crown and put it on when we had to go back into Petsmart a second time lol