Not to be confused with Global Pink Hijab Day or International Purple Hijab Day.
World Hijab Day
Date1 February
FrequencyAnnual
Established2013
Founder nameNazma Khan
Websiteworldhijabday.com

World Hijab Day is an annual event founded by Nazma Khan in 2013,[1] taking place on 1 February each year in 140 countries worldwide.[2] Its stated purpose is to encourage women of all religions and backgrounds to wear and experience the hijab for a day and to educate and spread awareness on why hijab is worn.[3] Nazma Khan said her goal was also to promote wider acceptance of hijab wearing as well as combating religious discrimination.[4]

Background

See also: Hijabophobia

The hijab is a type of head covering worn by many Muslim women as a sign of modesty. Hijab comes in various forms.[5]

Hijab-wearing Muslim women face both overt and covert discrimination in job applications and workplace environments, with covert bias often resulting in more hostile treatment.[6]

Nazma Khan, a Bangladeshi-American, launched World Hijab Day (WHD) in 2013. She said that her aim was "to raise awareness and normalize the wearing of a hijab." Khan added that she launched the day due hoping for "foster[ing] religious tolerance" given experiences of facing "discrimination and bullying in school and university by being spat on, chased, kicked and called a “terrorist”." This way, other women would not have the same experiences as "she had to endure."[4]

Laws like Quebec's Bill 21,[7] which bans public sectors from wearing religious symbols,[8] was a factor in the creation of World Hijab Day.

Official recognition

In 2017, New York State recognized World Hijab Day. An event marking the day was hosted at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, which was attended by Theresa May (a former UK prime minister).[9] The House of Representatives of the Philippines approved 1 February as "annual national hijab day" 2021.[10]

Criticism

A. J. Caschetta criticizes the choice of February 1 for World Hijab Day as distasteful, arguing that it coincides with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1979 return to Iran from exile to lead the Iranian revolution and its enforcement of mandatory hijab laws.[11] Caschetta argues that while the hijab is promoted in the West as a symbol of the right to choose one's clothing, the same advocacy is lacking for women who are persecuted for refusing to wear the hijab.[11]

Maryam Namazie, a vocal ex-Muslim and campaigner, criticized World Hijab Day, arguing that it is a "form of oppression".[12] In his own opinion piece published in 2017, Maajid Nawaz suggested that the name be changed to "Hijab is a Choice Day".[13]

In 2018, Canadian activist Yasmine Mohammed started a #NoHijabDay campaign in response, World Hijab Day, framing it as a way to highlight women who have resisted societal pressure and state mandates to remove the hijab.[14]

Social media

World Hijab Day has largely been promoted through social media. Campaigners promote the day with hashtags such as #EmpoweredinHijab.[15][16]

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ "World Hijab Day - Better Awareness. Greater Understanding. Peaceful World". Archived 2016-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  2. ^ Participating Countries. "Worldwide Support". World Hijab Day. Archived 10 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. ^ "World Hijab Day". worldhijabday.com. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  4. ^ "'We're not oppressed': Canadians unite to mark World Hijab Day - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Religious clothing and personal appearance". Pew Research Center. June 29, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Ahmad, A. S., King, E. B.(2010). An experimental field study of interpersonal discrimination toward Muslim job applicants. Personnel Psychology, 63(4), 881–906
  7. ^ Rukavina, Steve (August 4, 2022). "New research shows Bill 21 having 'devastating' impact on religious minorities in Quebec". CBC. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "Bill 21 - Concordia University". www.concordia.ca. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  9. ^ Grewal, Kairvy (2020-01-31). "On World Hijab Day, women across the globe are polarised". ThePrint. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  10. ^ "House OKs bill declaring National Hijab Day". The Manila Times. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  11. ^ Caschetta, A. J. (2020-01-30). "The Irony and Hypocrisy of World Hijab Day". National Review. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  12. ^ "Hijab for a day: Non-Muslim women who try the headscarf". BBC News. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  13. ^ Maajid Nawaz (29 December 2015). "The Great Hypocritical Muslim Cover-Up". The Daily Beast. Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  14. ^ "'Removing your hijab can get you killed – even in the West'". spiked. Archived 2 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  15. ^ "World Hijab Day: Proud to be a hijabi and breaking stereotypes". BBC
  16. ^ "World Hijab Day and the women who are breaking boundaries and stereotypes". Sky News. 1 February 2023.