The French government might as well say that we can’t wear socks with sandals anymore.

French hijabis are being forced to supplement their hijabs with hats because their choice of clothing, their choice of wearing the headscarf, goes against what the French government stands for…which is, what? I thought Paris was the fashion capital of the world?! Unfortunately for them, the French are moving backwards when even Queen Elizabeth, Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Audrey Hepburn and Liz Tailer, just to name a few, rocked the headscarf at one point in their lives!

After all, Nobel Prize Winner Tawwakul Karmen said, “Man in the early times was almost naked and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes.” How intellectual is it of the French government to ban hijab, then? It’s okay to ask questions about my choice of clothing, but to question my choice of clothing is just…not nice.

On March, 2021, the French government decided that no woman under the age of 18-years-old can wear the hijab in public spaces, mothers wearing hijab cannot accompany their children on school field trips, Muslim shops must sell alcohol and slaughter of halal meat is forbidden, Muslim patients cannot request a doctor based on their gender: there is a “prohibition in the public space of any conspicuous religious sign by minors and of any dress or clothing which would signify interiorization of women over men.”

Interiorization is “The process of making things such as skills, attitudes, thoughts and knowledge a part of one’s own being.” So, no self expression whatsoever or does this only pertain to Muslims, particularly Muslim women? Interesting choice of words, French government!

This is a result of a gradual change in laws due to the growing Islamophobia in the country although I am not sure how telling someone what they can and cannot wear is going to affect the country in any way. Muslims, with or without headscarves, will still be Muslims and Islamophobia is most likely not going to end, which is sad and to think of the possibilities of the outcome, the possible bullying and attacks, is just, plain, scary for us. Of course, it is blatantly obvious that what they really want to completely ban Islam and Muslims from France.

As of 2011, the French government banned Muslim women from wearing burqas, a loose long dress and the niqab, the face-covering that only reveals the eyes. That means that women cannot wear niqabs in the place of face masks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They must wear masks. Any breach of these laws then the woman can be fined up to €150, and/or participation in citizenship education.

As of 2016, the burqini, a full-body swimsuit, was banned in certain municipalities in France.

While the USA has Ilhan Omar, a hijabi, as a member of their House of Representatives, France is way behind in Politics too!

However, France is not the only country to ban Muslim head coverings, face coverings or clothing. In fact, such laws are too close to home where parts of Sweden have already banned hijab under a certain age and where the government is constantly debating a possible ban on hijab. The EU, as a whole, permits employers to ban hijab at their workplace. In 2019, Quebec passed Bill 21 whereby public servants including teachers and police officers were no longer allowed to wear their hijab with their uniform.

But, that’s the thing. Why employ a hijabi, in the first place, if you didn’t trust she could do the job, right? Why entrust a woman whose choice of clothing you fear so much? No logical answers appear. We pay our taxes, we send children to your schools, we work alongside you and as a teacher, what kind of example would I be setting if I took off the one thing that I chose to wear to define my individuality, my identity? Should I tell my students, “You can no longer be individuals? You cannot be yourself, anymore? You need to change who you are to become someone you are not!”

Hijab, for me, is a visual representation of Islam and I wear it proudly. If you go out in uniform, whether you are a soldier, a police officer or a student, you are representing something much bigger than yourself; in wearing a specific garment, you are exposing your identity to the world and proudly so! That is what hijab is, a proud representation of a minority within minorities in non-Muslim countries.

Social media is a beautiful platform that connects people from all over the world; the amount of solidarity with the sisters in France is evident. We have Muslims and non-Muslims, males and females, posting up photographs with #handsoffmyhijab #handsoffherhijab #handsofftheirhijab. We even have people fasting with us or wearing hijab for 30 days during this blessed month of Ramadan #fastforunity #hijab30. Join the movement.

About Author

Rumki Chowdhury is a published author, poet, journalist and English teacher. She writes for Hayati Magazine, the Parenting section of Brown Girl Magazine, Bengalis of New York, and Auliya Women Magazine. Her published books are “Her Feet Chime,” “So Complicated,” and “Unveiled.” She is an active blogger on writing advice and is currently working on her fourth novel. Not to mention, she is a mother of three little blessings. Rumki was born in Bangladesh, raised in the Bronx, New York and Paterson, New Jersey. She studied and worked in London, UK and now resides in Stockholm, Sweden.

The post Hijabophobia in France takes them backward appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I want to take this opportunity to share the real people that will be effected by this ban and the impact it will have on Muslim Women. I refuse to let this pass down without speaking up, it is the very least we can do for ourselves and each other. We are not alone. Please share your stories!

I strongly believe the only antidote of hate crime is activism. Many governments have been on the wrong side of liberation and equality before. It is our duty as the people stand up and fight for each other´s rights. The Hijab ban is hateful rhetoric coming from the highest level of government and will go down as an enormous failure of religious values and equality.

When I was 8 years old I was called into a meeting with my teachers. They were discussing ways to end the bullying I was subjected to by my classmates. Their solution was that I shouldn´t wear the hijab to school. Sitting in a room full of adults discussing my body and what I could and couldn´t wear as a young girl left more scarring than the bullying itself. I have never felt so stripped off my rights, I’ve never felt so belittled. They reduced me to nothing. The bullying intensified and went from being verbal to physical. They would assault me and take off my hijab so often that I had to bring an extra hijab for the times the boys would take it and refuse to give it back. Another time my teacher confiscated my hijab because it disturbed the lesson. The boys kept taking if off of me and throwing it between themselves like a ball around the class. I had to pay the price for their mischievous behavior. (don´t worry I pretended to cry and went out the hallway to set off the fire alarm, who´s disturbing the class now?).

I have lost count of the many times I was rejected for a job because of my hijab and not because of my lack of skill. The many times French clients share their worries about booking someone who looks like me while assuring me they are support of me and their love me. it is bittersweet as I very much love French fashion and what it has contributed to my life. The clients who are not at fault for their hostile society against Muslim Women. We all lose.

The post Hands off my hijab appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I’m half Moroccan and half French and I have been wearing hijab since 18th April 2010. It was one of the most important decisions of my life. A piece of cloth does not define a person but I strongly believe that appearances do have some say, if not much, about a person. I’m very independent. It is one of my most obvious traits.  So when I started to think about wearing hijab, I didn’t wish to be influenced by anyone that is why I did not tell anything to my family or friends. It came as a huge surprise to them when I first wore it and luckily I was positively surprised by their reaction and that of neighbors. On my first day as a hijabi, I went to visit a friend.  I met only French and non-Muslims on my way (Subhan’Allah (Praise be to Allah)) who smiled and greeted me in their usual lovely style. Hijab really changed my life but as a person, I was just the same. Men (Muslims and non-Muslims) started looking at me differently. They weren’t shy but they gave me much more respect.

The most important aspect of hijab is that it continuously reminds me of who I am and what I want to be! Being a Muslim in the 21st Century and that too, in France is very challenging. You’ve got to be really strong. Despite all, hijab is my identity, my strength, and my pride. When life gets hard and destiny sends me far away from my family and my friends, my hijab gives me self-confidence and reminds me of my principles and convictions. It reminds me that Allah is always watching over me with love and trust. It reminds me of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his exemplary behavior. The best feeling of wearing hijab is when you don’t notice it as something awkward and neither do others.  So I love it when people act normally instead of making a big deal out of it because after all,  I’m just like any other woman. I don’t think or pretend to be better than others because of my hijab. I’m just trying to be a better version of me with every passing day. My hijab is a big part of my personality but it is only between me and my Creator and I am only accountable to Him.

I ask Allah for the guidance of the whole Ummah  and humankind.

The post It changed my life but I am still me appeared first on World Hijab Day.

When I found out about the World Hijab Day a few weeks ago, I immediately wanted to be part of it.

As you might know, the situation about the Hijab in France is really a delicate subject.  Hijabis in France have hard time getting a job or get educated. At times, no job at all.  Therefore, lots of Muslim women have no choice but to not wear the hijab because they need to earn money to live or just to go to school.

The law restricts the hijab and can punish you for wearing it. They say it’s because the hijab is against the Republic. I personally think that Republic  gives us freedom and the freedom is to have choice, but with this law there is no choice for Muslim French citizens who contribute to the economics of the country. There is no freedom for Muslim women. It’s very sad and heartbreaking.

Because of that, Muslim people are held back and non-Muslim can’t understand what is the hijab and why women wear it. I think the situation is just misunderstanding and non-Muslims are just afraid of the unknown and that’s natural. As French Muslims, we need to show them that hijab is a choice, a freedom, a blessing, and does not cause any harm.

I told my friends about World Hijab day and asked them to spread the word to my non-Muslim friends. February 1^st is an opportunity to show them that I am the same person whether I wear hijab or not.

I think educating people about hijab can create more positive outcomes. It starts with communicating with our neighbors in France.  I believe World Hijab Day opens up a great pathway to get to know our neighbors, insha’Allah (God-willing).

The post An open letter from a French Hijabi appeared first on World Hijab Day.