Post #232193 by Sneakytiki on Mon, May 15, 2006 9:59 PM

The fez in lounge culture and before that shriner culture has many parallels with the tiki culture, both are playful subcultures that took up exotic accoutrements for mystique and fun in a time when the world seemed much bigger and far off lands were more imagined than real for most Americans, before CNN and PBS would show you images of the remotest corners of the earth on a daily basis.The shriners took up the Arab/Moorish theme quite awhile before the tiki themed pop phenomenon appeared. Here is a copy paste from Wikipedia:

The Shrine was supposedly established in New York City in the 1870s as the "fun" part of the Masonic movement. The group adopted a theme of the Middle East and soon established "Temples" meeting in "Mosques" across the continent. Another Masonic group, the Mysterious Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm (known colloquially as the "Grotto"), had adopted a similar theme in 1890. The theme was popular at the time and alluded to the mystery and ceremony of the Arabian Nights with its elaborate parties and frolic.
Despite its Arabic theme, the Shrine is in no way connected to Islam. It is a men's fraternity rather than a religion or religious group. Its only religious requirement is indirect, since all members must be Freemason; a petitioner to Freemasonry must profess a belief in a supreme being. In order to reduce the confusion with religion, the use of the word "Temple" to describe Shriners' buildings has now been replaced by the phrase "Shrine Center." For example, Mahi Temple is now the Mahi Shrine Center; the group of people meeting there refer to themselves as the 'Mahi Shriners'.
Rather than a religion, the Shriners function in occidental culture as what anthropologists call a clown society. In addition to the anthropological meaning, Shriners also frequently dress as clowns to entertain children in hospitals.
There are 500,000 Nobles belonging to 191 Shrine Centers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Panama.