Just a Scarf? Not So Much...

I was walking down the halls a few weeks ago, when I got a glimpse of a black & white flashing before my eyes. I looked over to see a scarf, but not any scarf : a white and black checkered one. Now, you may ask yourself the significance of it, or maybe you're one of my more cultured Arab readers, but the scarf I saw has a long historical and cultural importance behind it.

Palestinian children, wearing the kuffiyeh as a ghutrah (headscarf)

The kuffiyeh, also known under plethora of names in various languages, is a typically checkered scarf worn in the Arab world. Although it was originally intended for protecting against sand, wind and heat, it grew to mean more than that ; black and white kuffiyehs are associated with Palestine and it's struggle.

Bolivia's UN representative wearing a kuffiyeh in solidarity with Palestine, after attacks on Gaza

The significance of the kuffiyeh originated during the 1930s, and the Arab world's fight of independence against the British Empire. As kuffiyehs were seen more commonly on the less rich, the British scoped out for kuffiyehs to attack Palestinians. In a great act of solidarity, the rich disguised themselves in the scarf to confuse the soldiers, and it has been a national symbol every since. Still to this day, the kuffiyeh is used as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians in the current Israel-Palestine conflicts.

Colin Farrell, wearing a kuffiyeh. He wore the same scarf to the premiere of a Pro-Palestinian film. Is he appropriating?

There is something different these days however ; god forbid a symbolic item of clothing goes without being stolen by the Western world! In the early 2000s, kuffiyeh grew in popularity as run-of-the-mill scarves found in retail stores across America. Why is this a problem? There is currently only one kuffiyeh factory in Palestine, which has seen economic decline due to cheaper, often China-made versions of the scarf. A national symbol has been stripped of the Palestinians for other countries to profit on, and now we have hipsters across the Western world sporting a cultural custom, without even knowing it.

A white hipster's opinion on his "scarf", vs. an actual Palestinian

I don't blame people for wearing a kuffiyeh, since it's significance isn't very well known, but I find this a barely humorous reminder that the Western world dominates oh-too-many industries. This is definitely a milder form of cultural appropriation, but in genuine curiosity, I ask :

As someone that finds myself involved and passionate about the Palestinian independence conflict, were I to purchase a kuffiyeh directly from Palestine, would it be cultural appropriation? What do my readers have to say?

Sources : "A History of the Keffiyeh" LEAD Magazine. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"White People & Keffiyeh: Solidarity vs. Cultural Appropriation." Ben Norton. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.