From New York Observer
by Zev Chafets
Moving through Midtown Manhattan on a summer afternoon with Maryam Basir was an opportunity to walk a few blocks in someone else’s shoes—in this case, peep-toe oxford platforms with five-and-a-half-inch heels. As she passed down 38th Street on the way to a casting call, she carried a rolled-up yoga mat and pulled a small suitcase containing three changes of clothing. Men swiveled their heads for a second look. Women gave her outfit—sheer white long-sleeve blouse, spangled black bow tie, coral shorts—appraising glances. She didn’t seem to notice.
“Among young models, Maryam stands out,” said Scott Wojcik, a casting director who hired her for DSW’s national advertising campaign. “There are two kinds of models, ‘relatable’ and ‘aspirational.’ Maryam is both. That’s extremely rare.”
Her appeal crosses racial lines as well. Ms. Basir does all sorts of modeling, from Nike television ads to Macy’s runway work, but her main gig is as one of the house models for two lines of swimwear, XOXO and BabyPhat. “XOXO is mostly for Caucasians,” said Juanita Reid, a young Jamaican-American designer. “Baby Phat is for the urban market. Maryam is a rare crossover. She’s proportional, but she has a buttocks. That works for both races. And she knows how to wear a garment and make it look right.” Those garments are long on style and short on fabric. Maryam Basir is the only Muslim bikini model in the business.
A lot of Muslims regard this as a contradiction. The Koran is clear about the need for female modesty. Sura 24:31 admonishes believing women to “lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty.” This requirement applies to everyone except close relatives, male servants “free of sexual needs” and small children.
Still, like all scriptural injunctions, it is subject to interpretation. “The Koran doesn’t specifically state that you must be covered,” said Professor Asma Afsaruddin, an expert on Islamic law at Indiana University. “It talks about modesty. And modesty is a cultural concept. What is considered modest in some Muslim societies is not necessarily what is considered modest in the United States.”
