Hijab – a headscarf worn by Muslim women all over the world, has strong religious sentiments. In Islam, men and women both are asked to dress modestly. Where men are often seen in turbans and male head scarfs, women don the hijab that covers their hair and neck to the shoulder.
In recent years, a debate over the hijab has sparked a controversy in some countries. There are currently 16 countries all over the world that have banned the burqa, that is covering oneself from head to toe. These countries include Tunisia, Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Tajikistan, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Netherlands, China, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Switzerland.
And then there are some countries where wearing a headscarf or covering oneself is compulsory for women. These include Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan. But the majority of women in other Islamic countries like Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan cover themselves with headscarves or burqa out of their own choice.
With all the bans and debates on the coverings, women from all over the world mark February 1 as World Hijab Day to give a message of the right to wear anything.
The World Hijab Day movement started on February 1, 2013, by a resident of New York, Nazma Khan. Now, on this day, women from almost 150 countries participate in this movement. According to this movement, all the women, whether they wear a hijab or not, are invited to experience the covering for one day and share their experience on social media through different hashtags.
While talking to Minute Mirror, Nazma Khan, a young woman in her 30s, explained her journey and said, “My journey started after 9/11 and I realized that I am not the only one who is facing this discrimination. Young girls aged between 14 and 16 reached out to me with their traumatizing stories. They faced discrimination and humiliation just for choosing what they wanted to wear.
She continued, “I have been called names like ‘Osama bin Laden’, ‘Batman’, ‘Ninja’. Once, while I was wearing a white Hijab, I was called ‘Mother Teresa’. For a long time, I was not able to wear a white hijab.”
World Hijab Day, a US-based NGO has their volunteers and brand ambassadors in more than 150 countries to educate people about Hijab.
“Last December, a Canadian teacher named Fatemeh Anvari, was removed from her teaching position for simply wearing the hijab due to Bill 21. This so-called “law” against hijab was passed in Quebec in 2019, whereby public workers of “authority” are banned from wearing religious symbols while on duty,” said Nazma Khan.
She added, “We decided to take action against this discriminatory bill. The World Hijab Day Organization launched a global campaign in support of Fatemeh Anvari, calling teachers all around the world to unify and stand in solidarity with her on World Hijab Day by wearing a headscarf. The campaign’s hashtag is #TeachersForFatemehWHD.”
As the result of Nazma and her team’s efforts in 2018, the Scottish Parliament hosted a three-day exhibition to mark the day and Nicola Sturgeon – first minister of Scotland – also showed support to World Hijab Day.
Nazma Khan has set her goal for the next five years to make inclusive, safe learning and work environments for Muslims.
“I wish people knew that hijab is a spiritual and personal connection between my Creator and me. It is my identity as a Muslim woman which I’m so proud of. It has nothing to do with men. Neither my father, brother nor my husband forced me to wear it. It was my ‘own’ decision to wear it,” said Khan, while talking to Minute Mirror.
A recent case in India where six teenage students were asked to not wear Hijab in the classroom has again sparked the debate of whether we should be telling women what to wear and what not.
Dr. Lubna Sarwath, a women rights activist from India, while speaking to Minute Mirror said, “I am not talking about the public spaces, but in schools or colleges where a Sikh student can wear a Turban as an inherent part of his attire, why the Muslim girls have been asked to remove the headscarf? There is no indecency in wearing a hijab or anything that makes a woman comfortable.”
The students in India have now taken the matter very seriously and decided to fight this decision.
Sonai Sarkar, a Delhi-based journalist said, “This is happening in the coastal area of Karnataka state where there is a stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing BJP and we are seeing some very horrible incidents which we have not even heard of before. But these girls standing up for their rights have given courage to the other girls also and these are the values that we have been taught in a secular India.”
Nazma Khan, while speaking on the latest incident, said that whenever any incident related to hijab occurs, be it Europe or elsewhere, it hurts the sentiments of the whole Muslim community.
“Wearing a hijab should not be such a big issue when all we talk about is the freedom of choice. When you do something to make the world a better place, by default, you are signing up for challenges,” Nazma said.
She added, “But that is what makes you even stronger through a renewal of one’s intentions. My organization is here to support all the women in the world who are choosing their right of wearing hijab.”
