So they were right. Oh, and pssst: I am wearing nothing but a glazed kaffiyeh at this very moment!
(Thanks, R. Stevens)
Update: Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab, who, btw, is not a terrorist, has a most informative editorial up today about the history and the cultural significance of the garment for which Ms. Ray’s unfortunate paisley scarf was mistaken. Snip:
For the record, the keffiya is not a symbol of either Islam or
terrorism and predates Yasser Arafat. The head dress (which comes in
white, checkered black or checkered red) came into importance in the
early 20th century as part of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The
Ottomans who ruled the Middle East for over four hundred years left a
two class system of landlords and peasants. The landlords generally
wore a red high hat regularly referred to as a tarbouch or fez.
Peasants wore the keffiya as a practical head cover to protect from
the hot sun in the daytime and the cold winds at nights.