Breaking Stereotypes, World Hijab Day Celebrated

Ankara, MINA – World Hijab Day (WHD), initiated in 2013 , is celebrated this Friday (1/2).

The WHD was held to encourage women of all faiths and backgrounds, to wear hijab as a form of support for Muslim women every February 1.

In 2017, the World Hijab Day (WHD) became a non-profit organization, with the mission of combating discrimination against Muslim women through awareness and education, reported from its official website.

According to a statement from WHD, the motto for World Veil Day 2019 is “Eliminating stereotypes. Shattering Boundaries “with the hashtag #FreeInHijab.

“#FreeInHijab is an indispensable hashtag for our current global situation, where women in hijab are labeled by the media as being oppressed and symbolically imprisoned,” Nazma Khan, founder of this annual event, told Anadolu Agency.

“Through this hashtag, women are encouraged to voice their choice to wear the hijab, thereby eliminating common misconceptions,” Khan said.

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Khan said, the motive behind the creation of the day was the difficulties he faced because of his hijab when he grew up in New York City.

“I was constantly harassed in junior high school and high school. Discrimination occurs at different levels after 9/11, “he said, recalling the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

He also said, there had been a lot of support in the past five years and one of them was the recognition of WHD by the state of New York in 2017. That same year, the US House of Commons held an event to commemorate that day, where Prime Minister Theresa May was also present .

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In 2018, the Scottish Parliament also held an exhibition for three days to commemorate that day and the Philippines also took steps to declare February 1 as a national hijab.

WHD stated on January 20 that the overall mission of WHD is to create a more peaceful world where global citizens respect each other.

“In particular, WHD focuses on fighting bigotry, discrimination and prejudice against Muslim women. This is very important in these times where the Hijab was banned in some countries, while in other countries Muslim women were targeted and verbally and physically abused, “the statement said.

“We must stand up for the rights of Muslim women for protection,” the statement stressed.

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WHD also invited women to show their solidarity, by either wearing a hijab or posting a photo with a hijab using hashtags #FreeInHijab and #WorldHijabDay. (T/Ast/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)