Girls folks unite for World Hijab Day

Rising up in the Bronx in Unique York Metropolis with a hijab covering her head, Nazma Khan says she is all too mindful of spiritual discrimination from a young age.

The Bangladesh native migrated to the United States at the age of Eleven and used to be continuously bullied all over middle and high college.

The bullying took on one other stage after the deadly coordinated attacks of 9/Eleven, 2001.

« Every day, I would face diverse challenges fantastic walking on the road, » she suggested Al Jazeera. « I was chased, spit on, surrounded by males, called a terrorist, Osama bin Weighted down, etc. »

To glue with others who were going via identical challenges thanks to their head covering, Khan invited Muslim females to share their experiences of discrimination on social media.

« As I be taught via the experiences, I saw my accept struggles in my sisters, » the 35-year-ragged acknowledged.

That is when Khan made up our minds to originate the World Hijab Day (WHD).

Each and every year on February 1, Khan’s non-profit organisation invitations females of all faiths, backgrounds and ethnicities to position on the hijab for a day in solidarity with Muslim females worldwide.

The hijab is a scarf faded by Muslim females who in actuality feel it’s a ways piece of their faith.

« By walking in my shoes for one day on February 1, females would survey that I am no diverse from them, » the president and founding father of the World Hijab Day Organisation explained.

« Likely, this one day experience will make them survey the hijab in a irregular gentle. »

Breaking stereotypes

Since its inception in 2013, larger than 70 world ambassadors from over forty five worldwide locations were alive to and females from spherical a hundred ninety worldwide locations prefer half in the annual match.

Ellie Lloyd, a British Christian, and her Eleven-year-ragged daughter are amongst these donning the hijab. 

« I accept as true with females would possibly per chance well even quiet be free from prejudice and discrimination for their more than a couple of to veil their hair, » acknowledged Lloyd, who could be Qatar’s WHD ambassador.

« If I prefer to position on a hat, I am no longer judged, » she suggested Al Jazeera. « If I prefer to position on my hair up or down or braided, I am no longer judged.

« So why is it beautiful for a girl who chooses to position on a shawl to be judged? »

Lloyd is arranging a Girls’ Lunch at the Hilton Doha with visitor speakers on Thursday [Photo courtesy Ellie Lloyd]

 Afaf Nasher, govt director for the Unique York chapter at the Council on American-Islamic Family members (CAIR), believes the per annum initiative helps destroy the « false stereotypes » in regards to the spiritual head covering.

« A Muslim lady wearing a hijab is hypocritically viewed as international, submissive, and backwards, » she suggested Al Jazeera.

« WHD shines a grand counter-message by highlighting the differ and strength of Muslim females who glimpse hijab. »

Meanwhile, others like raised anxiousness that one day in a hijab does now not give outsiders the fantastic sense of being a Muslim.

Zahra Billoo, CAIR’s govt director of the San Francisco Bay space, welcomed the bother from non-Muslim females nonetheless added: « Others are sometimes alive to that the hijab is no longer an adjunct, and so even wearing it for a day, in solidarity, does now not in actuality give anyone the chubby experience and can in actuality threat tokenising the experience of Muslim females. »

Islamophobia

Miroslava, a Czech native who works in the UK, has had derogatory slurs hurled at her like « bitch », « ISIS », got death threats, been spat in the face and adopted ever since she started wearing the hijab 4 years ago.

« Walking on the streets, I collect time to time comic questions such as: ‘Get no longer you feel too sizzling in this?' » the 35-year-ragged divorcee suggested Al Jazeera. 

« Few weeks after I moved valid into a brand recent space, I came home and found a sprayed message over my home windows: ‘right here is no longer your country!' »

Globally, advocacy groups like reported a upward push in obvious Islamophobia and abominate crimes in recent times.

Los Angeles resident Ojaala Ahmad says « hijab makes females more visibly Muslim and attributable to this truth a more keen purpose for Islamophobes. »

After President Donald Trump’s election, the series of anti-Muslim abominate crimes in the US rose 91 p.c in the indispensable half of of 2017, when compared with the identical length in 2016, in accordance with a CAIR file.

« A Muslim lady’s scarf used to be a trigger in 15 p.c of incidents, » the community acknowledged.

Civil rights activists in the country are afraid in regards to the vogue.

« We like a president who does now not care and is attacking the Muslim neighborhood on daily foundation and so I am infected by the of us which would possibly per chance well per chance be emboldened by his racism and bigotry, » acknowledged CAIR’s Billoo.

Meanwhile, Muslim females in the UK are three instances seemingly to be economically indolent, a authorities-commissioned file found in September 2017.

« I am particularly very infected by discrimination females who put on the hijab face in the job market, » acknowledged Khan. 

A Muslim lady wearing a hijab is hypocritically viewed as international, submissive, and backwards

Afaf Nasher, Council of American-Islamic Family members

The World Hijab Day Organisation is engaged on building an tutorial programme called « Company Anti-Islamophobia Program (CAIP) » to minimize discrimination against Muslims in the corporate sector.

There used to be arouse amongst Muslim females in Europe closing year when the European Court of Justice ruled that employers are entitled to ban body of workers from wearing considered spiritual symbols.

Beata Rocska, a Hungarian convert living in the capital Budapest, acknowledged her boss at a multinational company used to be warned against hiring her for being a « terrorist ».

« Day to day insult is this kind of usual aspect, especially since our legislators began to invent their campaign upon hatred in direction of the [Muslim] immigrants, » the 26-year-ragged suggested Al Jazeera.

#StrongInHijab

Despite the challenges, Khan is optimistic that social media has given Muslim females a platform to verbalize their discontent.

By marking World Hijab Day, the non-profit is asking to invent bridges of understanding, consciousness, and schooling in regards to the hijab.

« Hijab is no longer fantastic a portion of cloth I employ to veil my head, » acknowledged WHD’s founder.

« It be great larger than that. Hijab represents who I am as a individual. »

In the month leading as a lot as February 1, females share their experiences of wearing the hijab on social media under the hashtag #WorldHijabDay.

This year’s slogan is #StrongInHijab.

« I put on the #hijab due to I in actuality feel composed to put out it. I am empowered no longer oppressed. I am #Stronginhijab. »
(Nur Rafiqah, Singapore) #WorldHijabDay pic.twitter.com/cgjlpGRgbN

— World HijabDay (@WorldHijabDay) January 29, 2018

It is no longer simplest a head scarf nonetheless it absolutely guides your chastity. We mustn’t be judged by the coloration of our nails or the coloration of our lipstick. We’re price larger than that; we are a heart and a soul and a tips that thinks!-Hawa #StrongInHijab #WorldHijabDay #Hijab pic.twitter.com/MEH160f0uk

— World HijabDay (@WorldHijabDay) January 20, 2018

My #Hijab used to be never a barrier to my ambitions &the existence I wanted to reside. It is no longer fantastic tht the hijabi #lady is controlled by her hijab and that it does now not let her reside like diverse females. In opposite, the hijab awakens us to be more confident.- Dr. Ebtsam Alqadi #StrongInHijab pic.twitter.com/erLaq7ZjNI

— World HijabDay (@WorldHijabDay) January 20, 2018

« 7 yrs ago, I clear to make the top resolution of my existence. I in actuality accept as true with I in actuality like found myself as a individual. I felt so sturdy & empowered as soon as I put my hijab on, as if I were placing a crown on my head. »-Samah #StrongInHijab #WorldHijabDay pic.twitter.com/ImUXBT68Bs

— World HijabDay (@WorldHijabDay) January 17, 2018

#Hijab is my crown, my helmet, my most treasured jewel and at the identical time, jogs my reminiscence to be most humble. Hijab is no longer what I put on, it’s a ways WHAT I AM. »-Marcela Daza (Colombia) #StrongInHijab #WorldHijabDay pic.twitter.com/tZXXEhnFdU

— World HijabDay (@WorldHijabDay) January 15, 2018

The unparalleled @Bushra1Shaikh supports @WorldHijabDay
« My Hijab as for all diverse Muslim females is a demonstration of commitment, ethical grounding, strength and perception! The idea that « scarf = oppression » is an uneducated backward mentality! » @Bushra1Shaikh #StrongInHijab #WorldHijabDay pic.twitter.com/T1IWThTjhU

— Shreen Mahmood (@ShreenMahmood) January 29, 2018

Practice Saba Aziz on Twitter: @saba_aziz