World Hijab Day: Honestly, No One Forced Me to Wear This!
Does it ever bother you knowing that what you do to express your freedom translates into a symbol of oppression? Did you ever wish you could just make people understand that it is your choice to cover and it is something positive for you? Sometimes you might want to yell "Helllloooo, no one made me do this!!!"?
On the heels of the historic Women’s March comes another important women’s rights issue. The right for a Muslim woman to observe hijab and dress modestly without being labeled as oppressed. It comes down to a woman’s right to choose.
February 1st marks World Hijab Day (WHD). Founder Nazma Khan grew up in New York and started WHD in 2013 as a way to foster religious tolerance and understanding. Nazma hopes to dispel some of the misconceptions that surround Muslim women and hijab, especially why they choose to wear it.
Nazma herself was a victim of discrimination and racial slurs growing up in a post 9/11 world in New York. She hoped this campaign would appeal to people's empathy and thought the only way to end discrimination is to ask women to experience wearing a hijab for themselves.
WHD Ambassadors come from all walks of life. Women of all ages, backgrounds, and religions are welcome to take part. Last year 150 countries participated in WHD. It is estimated that 190 countries will take part in 2017. The goal is to have 10 million participants worldwide.
You can participate by using the hashtags, #WorldHijabDay and #ISTAND4HIJAB and by inviting your non-hijabi friends to participate, whether they be Muslim or non-Muslim, all are welcome to join this movement.
Learn more about World Hijab Day here.
How will you show your support? We’d love to hear about your experiences.
Stay Humble,
Yusra S