Conditions of Islamic Dress Code
1. Clothing must cover the entire body, only the hands and face may remain visible (According to some Hiqh Schools).
2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.
3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape / form of the body is not apparent.
4. The female clothing must not resemble the man's clothing.
5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non-believing women.
6. The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention.
7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.
Sounds chic, doesn't it? But hey, Allah never said he wanted BELLY DANCING.
He said: "Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof. " [Quran : 24.31]
Can you imagine
A burqa clad dancer
Neither can mohammedans, so they found a solution
Ho! Ho!
As 36-year-old dancer "Alex" takes to the stage and the repetitive beats are replaced by Arabesque music, the young Turkish crowd goes wild, flinging their arms in the air and jostling for a view of his belly.
"All kinds of people watch me. I dance on stage in clubs, bars and even rock concerts," said Alex, who goes by his stage name.
His costume and dance style are distinct from that of a female dancer. He wears loose black trousers, a chain-mail headdress, a richly-tasselled belt and stole, and a cloak made of sheer fabric, which he extends with his arms like wings.
"I am really against people thinking oriental dance is a female dance. In doing this they are trying to give it an identity...but all dances can have male and female characters."
Ballet also has male and female dancers, he points out.
Alex began dancing aged 16, drawn to belly dance as he thought it was the most expressive dance for his body shape whilst also being highly in demand.
"He dances often two or three nights a week. It is popular with visitors," said club manager Metin Kemer.
Alex said he learned the history of male belly dance from Ottoman palace archives and then modernized the tradition.
The multi-ethnic Ottoman Empire, governed from Istanbul, spanned three continents in its heyday around 400 years ago.
As the empire's reach declined and society modernized women became more in view and the number of female belly dancers rose, but Alex sees the dance as most erotic on a male body.