April 6, 2008
Shemagh, Keffiyeh, Shmagh, or Yashmag
Image by Brian Bonguyan
My cousin’s girlfriend works as a flight attendant for an airline based in Middle East. One of the things my cousin asked as pasalubong is a Shemagh. HUWHAT? A Shemagh (also called a Keffiyeh, Shmagh, or Yashmag) is a cloth used as a traditional headdress of Arab men. My cousin wanted one to use for his Airsoft activities.
Some months after, I started seeing the same stuff being sold on Multiply. Apparently, it is a hot fashion trend right now.
My take… might look quite fashionable… but I feel kinda iffy about it considering it has cultural and race symbolisms and issues.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:09 am
It looks “ok” for me. Kinda gives one a “tougher” image. Why? It’s because of the stereotypes associated with it.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:57 am
i saw this one in aldevinco (i think)
April 8th, 2008 at 4:36 am
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April 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
ive been in bahrain for 2 years..when my brother arrived there, he was also wearing the same scarf (but he just bought it from the phils)..
until after a year..we both decided not to wear it as it means “as muslim”..
there was an incident some arabs asked my brother if he’s muslim ..when he replied NO..then arabs tend to be disappointed having such scarf..its part of their “holy clothes”
its nice..but like what you said its iffy..
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:12 am
i don’t really know if it’s really holy among the Arabs but what i know is that it is their traditional headdress especially for men used for protection from sun’s direct exposure and from dust and sand to get into the eyes and mouth that’s why it’s usually wrapped around the head that’s why it also became popular for military use especially those designated in the deserts. there’s a proper way of wearing it, yes. however, for fashion purposes some wear it the way they like. it’s also a political symbol for Palestine and it’s color and the way it’s stitched means something for Palestinians, Jordanians and Islamist factions. now it has become a fashion trend. I think there’s nothing wrong wearing one just so you know its purpose. better if you know its background because you might not know if it’s really offending to some culture or not like wearing the symbol of the Nazis(you’re tough if your wear it in U.S.A.)! Arabs are disappointed with your brother because they thought your brother is their “brother”. i know you know what i mean.. but hey! we all worship one God! just diff. perceptions! no offense!
April 27th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
i love them!!
but how do you use it…-?!? :S
May 5th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
visit this site for affordable Shemagh. as low as 160-180php.
http://profiles.friendster.com/ukaygalore
May 17th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
this is also uso in sydney right now
July 8th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Like to contact with manufacturer of Yashmag ?
visit http://www.sb-bd.com
Don’t hesitate to contact for details.
Thanks,
Mohammod Mostofa
August 27th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Hahaha!! si Bongi ang model!! w0oot!!
November 18th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Hello, I just happened to pass through your site and would like to leave an important message.
I am sad that this item of clothing, which is also somewhat of a cultural symbol in different Arab countries, is portrayed so negatively here (i.e. your photo of a man wielding a gigantic gun). Perhaps it’s because many people around the world don’t know where it comes from and what it means, so I would like to explain.
It has nothing to do with terrorism or toughness. It doesn’t signify whether a person is Muslim or not. It is simply a traditional male headdress which varies in color and style throughout the Middle East.
The red and white is used in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. Plain white or other colors are used in Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
The black and white version is used generally by Palestinians (and some Lebanese/Jordanians), and so unfortunately this scarf has become associated with the political violence in the West Bank, Israel, etc. Thus, fundamentalist militant groups who claim to be in solidarity with the Palestinian cause (such as in Indonesia etc) often wear this scarf.
HOWEVER, it is a source of national pride and culture INDEPENDENT of war or violence. The negative associations are fairly recent and mostly propagated by images on the news.
Thank you.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Also, the comment posted by Gelo above is correct, regarding its use for protecting the face & eyes in the desert.
As an Arab, I’m totally proud that something from home has gotten worldwide attention/appeal, but I’d also like to preserve its original meaning. 
Sorry, I just feel strongly about this.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
hahaha! that guy in the pic.. i call him kuya charles! my college classmate.
(sorry, Offtopic.)
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:20 am
Well the shemagh is a really cool scarf,i mean it looks really hot u knw…I personally have the white/black scarf and i use it on any outfit as an accesory. I wear on top of my suits, on my T-shirts but, when it gets cold i wrap it around myself, i live in africa so when the mosquitoes become too much i wrap it around the open areas of my body…So as u can see there’re many uses for the shemagh, although i hate the stereotypes associated with the shemagh(but who cares)..Way to go Arabs, you guys made a great contribution to dressing
October 16th, 2009 at 12:43 am
thanks for the knowledge the trend has been a dopted here in mexicali , mexico. and at the curetn winter fair here there going like crazy……
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:11 am
We’ve been wearing Shemaghs in the British Army as standard kit since the 1980s.
Very practical, I wore one through most my early training and then onwards.
I tend to wear civvie coloured ones these days through force of habit.
Look at pictures of UK (and other nations troops) in Afghan and Iraq and you’ll see they are pretty universal with soldiers, we wore them in Europe too in the winter.
May 12th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Airsoft is the name of our game. me and my 3 brothers always play airsoft in closed quarter battles.”: