Who will be Egypt's next 'Hijab Queen'?
Young Egyptian designer Aya Mahmoud wants to hold the hijab to a higher standard, while highlighting the value of conservative fashion among Egypt's young women.
Aya Mahmoud, a dress designer whose designs cater to veiled women, is being rebuffed by religious and secular critics alike for staging her second annual beauty pageant, which culminates April 9 with the crowning of “Hijab Queen” in the Cairo suburb 6th of October City.
Yet the event has a growing fan base: Last year, only 200 women sought the title; this year, 2,500 women applied through the pageant’s Facebook page.
The call for candidates a few months ago was met with scorn from Salafist clerics, who view the pageant as a shameless display of the female form, as well as from secular citizens who decried the need to cover women’s “crowning beauty” — their hair.
Mahmoud says the pageant draws attention to the beauty of loose-fitting clothes and long veils that cover the neck and hair, which are worn by many Egyptian women. Speaking to Al-Monitor, she said the pageant emphasizes that it is possible for women to be stylish and beautiful while wearing the veil. The event aims to help spread the veil’s use throughout Egyptian society, she said.
