February 1st, 2013 marked the first annual World Hijab Day (WHD) in recognition of millions of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab and live a life of modesty.
The brainchild of this movement is a Bangladeshi-New Yorker, Nazma Khan, who came up with the idea as a means to foster personal freedom of religious expression and cultural understanding by inviting women from all walks of life to experience the hijab for one day on February 1st annually.
By opening up new pathways to understanding, Nazma hopes to counteract some of the controversies surrounding why Muslim women choose to wear the hijab.
Nazma, the social activist came to this country from Bangladesh at the tender age of eleven where she found herself being the only hijabi in middle school. She remembers her experience as a difficult one.
“Growing up in the Bronx, New York City, I experienced a great deal of discrimination due to my hijab. In middle school, I was ‘Batman’ or ‘ninja.’ When I entered University 9/11 happened. Now, I was called Osama bin laden or terrorist. It was awful. I figured the only way to end discrimination is if we ask our fellow sisters to experience hijab themselves.” Watch Nazma’s TEDx talk to learn more.
It’s estimated that people in over 150 countries take part in World Hijab Day every year. WHD has many volunteers and ambassadors worldwide to conduct WHD events in order to bring awareness about hijab. These ambassadors come from all walks of life. In addition, WHD has been endorsed by many world renowned individuals including scholars, politicians, and celebrities worldwide. WHD has been covered in mainstream news media including TIME, BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera and Huffington Post, etc.
There were many milestones since the inception of World Hijab Day. One of them has been the recognition of the day by New York State since 2017. The same year, the House of Commons of the U.K. hosted an event marking the day, where former UK Prime Minister Theresa May also attended. The event was organized by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthsire. SNP MP Tasmina wrote in THE TIMES:
“Given the current climate, World Hijab Day is even greater importance. We must stand up and clearly say that women have a right to choose what they want to wear-whenever, wherever, and however. World Hijab Day is an event that we should be proud of celebrating, not just for religious tolerance but for women’s rights around the world.”
In 2018, the Scottish Parliament also hosted a three-day exhibition to mark the day. Many politicians including Nicola Sturgeon-the former First Minister of Scotland, showed support for World Hijab Day. Additionally, the House of Representatives of the Philippines approved on second reading a bill seeking to declare the first day of February of every year as National Hijab Day in the Philippines.
In 2018, World Hijab Day Organization became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The mission of the organization is to dismantle bigotry, discrimination and prejudice against Muslim women through awareness, education and empowerment.
In 2021, Nazma Khan founded International Muslim History Month to dismantle Islamophobia globally through honoring and celebrating the contributions of Muslim men and women to the world throughout history. New York State Senate adopted May 2021 as Muslim History Month for the State of New York in Senate resolution no. J718.
On February 1st, 2022, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, helped celebrate the 10th annual World Hijab Day and amplified its mission. Additionally, in 2022, Nazma Khan was selected as a guest speaker at the fifth International Women and Justice Summit in Turkey where she brought awareness of discrimination, faced by Muslim women wearing the hijab in public and labor market. She was among many distinguished speakers and honorable guests including Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In 2023, Nazma was named the Top 50 Influential Muslims in the Americas.