Fashion in Switzerland follows the rule: “When in doubt, wear black.” However, this will not apply to niqabs as of 2025. Switzerland calls it the “burqa ban,” but burqa is a traditional loose-fitting dress for Arabs and popular amongst Muslim women of other backgrounds due to its modest nature. However, what the Swiss people are calling the “burqa ban” really applies to the niqab, effective January 1st, 2025. This will affect Switzerland’s approximately 250,000 Muslim population.

According to the Swiss government, the ban does not apply to planes or in diplomatic and consular premises, and faces may also be covered in places of worship and other sacred sites. However, we are talking about Swiss Muslim residents! How can they live in a country where they are not allowed the freedom of choice in clothing? The irony lies in the Swiss Constitution, which vows that “all people are equal before the law and that no one can be discriminated against based on factors such as gender, race, age, or disability.” The burqa and niqab are cultural garbs but have become a symbol of Islam, particularly “extremism” in the eyes of many European and a few Asian politicians. However, according to the Fashion History Timeline, “Not only do the terms for veiling differ among Islamic ethnic groups and regions, but the forms and aesthetics are equally varied.” Therefore, ultimately, it is a choice of clothing just as much as it is a choice to wear a gruesome-looking mask on Halloween or a Covid mask on the commute to work.

The idea behind banning niqabs or “burqas,” as the Swiss mistakenly call it, was initiated in 2021 but had not been set in motion until recently. The Federal Council released a statement that violations against the “burqa ban” will be considered illegal, and the perpetrators will face up to 1,000 Swiss francs or $1,144 in fines. Yes, I wrote “face” in the previous sentence-no pun intended.

While France has the reputation of being the first European country to ban so-called “religious” garb due to their goals of secularization despite the “freedom” they speak of in their constitution, Switzerland almost immediately follows in France’s footsteps. After all, these two countries share a border of 600 km. and 200,000 residents within that Swiss-French area. While face coverings and burqas are considered garbs representing extremism, has it ever occurred to them that they are simply cultural attire? Moreover, has it ever occurred to them to ban other face coverings like Halloween masks or Covid masks? For some reason, proposing and implementing bans which affect Muslims more directly than most due to the very visibility of our faith, demonstrates the very threshold of Islamophobia. One in every two Muslims in Europe, experiences a form of racism or prejudice in their lives. One must wonder why…. That was sarcasm.

“After the ban on minarets, a majority of Swiss voters has once again backed an initiative that discriminates against a single religious community and needlessly stirs up fears and division,” Amnesty International said.

“The veiling ban is not a measure for women’s liberation, but a dangerous symbolic policy that violates freedom of expression and religion.”

About the Author:

Rumki Chowdhury is Editor of World Hijab Day Organization. Moreover, she is a professional editor and an award-winning published author and poet. She has an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, a BA in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey and an English Subject Teaching Degree from Gävle Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. She speaks Bengali and Swedish fluently! She has years of experience in the media and publishing worlds. Rumki lives with her husband and their three daughters. Follow her on social media @rumkitheauthor

The post SWITZERLAND BANS NIQAB IN THE “BURQA BAN” appeared first on World Hijab Day.

The hijab is a sign of modesty that Muslim women have fought to wear for centuries. Today, I will  discuss the historical political battles that Muslims endured  and the significant impact they had on the freedoms women enjoy or are denied today. Even if you are not a Muslim, I still recommend you read this as it addresses attacks on the freedom of women, not just about Muslims.

Turkey

In 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Turkish Republic, he introduced strict secular policies, such as banning the hijab in public institutions. This is to modernize the country and distancing it from Ottoman Islamic tradition. Thus, the Turkish government presented Muslim women in Turkey with a decision that weighed their religious beliefs against their participation in public life.

The tide turned in the early 2000s, as political parties with a more Islamic orientation, like the Justice and Development Party (AKP), gained power. Women fought years of legal battles and protests until Turkey finally lifted its ban on hijabs in universities in 2008. In 2013, the government also abolished the prohibition on hijabs in public sector jobs. These legal changes all occurred within 20 years following a long history of discrimination, highlighting how Islamophobia is a prevalent issue even in today’s society.

Germany

Similar to Turkey, Germany enforced a ban on women  wearing hijabs in professions  such as teaching, policing, the judiciary, and other jobs in public office on the grounds that it was necessary to maintain state neutrality. Thankfully, Germany’s Federal  Constitutional Court deemed this unconstitutional in 2015, although the issue remains a point of contention. Hence, this decision did not bring complete freedom for Muslim women. Even today, hijab-wearing women may still face unfair treatment and dismissal based on religious bias accusations. Something that is rarely applied to followers of other religions.

Canada, France and Other European Countries

Several countries, including France, Belgium, Kosovo, and parts of Canada, opted for banning the wearing of the veil (hijab) and all other visible religious symbols in certain public institutions, including schools. Such restrictions, like the French law banning religious symbols in public schools, enacted in 2004, have been justified through the principle of secularism, which seeks to keep religion separate from the state. This kind of law, I believe, seems unjust, as humans deserve the fundamental right to freedom of expression and religion. This policy disproportionately affects Muslim women as it forces them to reveal parts of their bodies, making them uncomfortable. I understand how some may argue that such an action ensures equality, which aims to prevent religious differences from dividing the population. But shouldn’t school celebrate everyone’s differences instead of forcing everyone to be the same? This raises questions about whether the policy is truly about equality, or whether it reflects underlying Islamophobia and sexism.

In conclusion, women have fought in many countries for the right to be modest and conservative. It is essential that we remember these struggles so as not to repeat past injustices. In Turkey, women struggle to wear the hijab, while in France and Canada, authorities compel them to remove it. Both situations deprive women of their right to choose and control their own bodies.

While much of the debate is framed around secularism and public order, the central issue across these cases is women’s autonomy. The problem often goes unnoticed when the media solely focuses on countries like Afghanistan and others that mandate the hijab, while ignoring countries where it outlaws it. See how there is no outrage when governments prohibit women from wearing them?

My  message to women around the world is to support each other.  This is the reason I became a member of the World Hijab Day Organization, which advocates for the freedom to choose without fear of facing discrimination or coercion. This  is my first article with them, and I hope it found a place in your thoughts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As an experienced Muslim writer, Sanaa Chowdhury is passionate about addressing the political, social, and economic challenges facing the Islamic world. Through her work, she aims to raise awareness and spark meaningful conversations about the issues impacting Muslims globally. Every day, she strives to inspire change and foster understanding, knowing that with the support of her audience: “Together we can make a positive and lasting impact.”

The post Politics and State Control Over the Hijab appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Remember the #Handsoffmyhjiab (PasToucheAMonHijab) movement in 2021? The struggle is still real, especially in The Olympics 2024, taking place in France, a country notorious for its laws against religious garb including the hijab.

Upon research, Amnesty International has discovered that out of the 38 European countries participating in The Olympics, especially FIFA (International Football Federation), FIBA (International Basketball Federation) and FIVB (International Volleyball Federation), France fully inhales and exhales strict national laws and sports regulations on “headgear” or more specifically, hijab.

Therefore, the IOC appears so desperate to continue the games in France that they went along with the hijab ban despite their dedication to their values and principles of inclusion. If one were to analyze the principles of Olympism, then it is clear that their philosophies to creating a better world through sports and their service to humankind, are defined as the following:

-Universality and Solidarity

-Unity and Diversity

-Autonomy and Governace

-Sustainability

Do any of the above align with the current hijab ban in The Olympics? This question is rhetorical because the IOC has blatantly compromised their principles, which proves detrimental to their reputation. If they didn’t have a hijab ban back in the 2020 Olympics, then why have it now?! Simple-the games are taking place in France, not in Japan or any other country for that matter.

While French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stated in a speech back in 2023, “We are sending the message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one has the right to control it in your stead,” he changed his mind when he banned abayas or loose-fitting attire from schools. “You enter a classroom, you must not be able to identify the religion of the students by looking at them,” he had said. This is just a continuation of the initial hijab ban in sports, which began in 2006, the official hijab ban in schools since 2004. This is also discriminatory for women who choose to wear the hijab because let’s face it, they live in a country where there is supposed to be freedom of choice.

As a result of the hijab ban in The Olympics, Amnesty International, has released a letter to the IOF regarding the French hijab ban, calling it “dismissive and inadequate:”

“The ban on French women athletes who wear headscarves from competing at the Olympic Games breaches international human rights laws and exposes the discriminatory hypocrisy of French authorities and the craven weakness of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),” said Amnesty International in a new report published ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.

Anna Błuś, Amnesty International’s Women’s Rights Researcher in Europe, said that banning French athletes from competing in sports is a mockery to the first gender equal Olympics: “It’s really important that big international organizations, such as ours, express their solidarity with Muslim women, because they have very often — really particularly in France, but also in other countries — (been) subject to negative stereotypes, demonization, homogenization of what it might mean to them to wear hijab.”

Among the beautiful and talented outspoken hijabi athletes you will not be seeing at The Olympics are French-American basketball player, Diaba Konate, and Australian boxer, Tina Rahimi, just to name a few. FYI, join the movement.

Rahimi wrote in a post, “No matter how you look or dress, what your ethnicity is or what religion you follow We all come together to achieve that one dream. To compete and to win. No one should be excluded.”

Konate told the media, “My heart is broken by France’s Olympic hijab ban.”

Furthermore, Vogue has so graciously highlighted hijabi athletes’ opinions on the recent hijab ban:

Syrian Olympic runner Rahaf Khatib, told Vogue, “It’s simply because we exist, we are strong, powerful, and beautiful. We deserve to be represented fairly and we are here to demand a seat at the table, or make our own spaces.”

American Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad told Vogue, “I choose to wear hijab in accordance with my beliefs as a Muslim, and also because it is a reminder of my connection to my faith.”

Mountaineer, who climbed Mount Everest and Olympic runner, Manal Rostom, told Vogue, “I’m hoping if we raise enough awareness, we won’t be having the same conversation come Olympics 2028.”

How did the IOC reply to Amnesty International’s letter? By writing, “Freedom of religion is interpreted in many different ways by different states.” If you ask me, it sound contradictory to their actions.

The controversy surrounding hijab has not stopped, but it must stop with us. Otherwise, we risk our children growing up while facing oppression due to their choice of clothing and the limitations that may follow. Power to the #Handsoffmyhijab movement!

About the Author:

Rumki Chowdhury is the Editor of the World Hijab Day Organization. She holds a Masters of English Literature from the Queen Mary University of London and a Bachelors in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey. She holds the honor of being an award-winning published author and poet who has experience in the worlds of publishing, media and academia. Moreover, she is married and is a blessed mother of three daughters.

The post The IOC Compromises Its Principles with Hijab Ban appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Only recently, did we hear about a French journalist who called out Moroccan footballer, Nouhaila Benzina, and her choice of wearing hijab during the FIFA World Cup, as “regressive.” However, FIFA lifted the hijab ban in 2014.

The only thing regressive is going back to the days of colonialism and segregation, which people have fought so hard against and still find themselves battling to preserve. The 1960’s civil rights movement in America, for one, fought the segregated “Coloreds Only” signs on bathroom doors, school doors and hospital doors, among other public sectors. With the French government’s ruling on the “abaya ban” for students in state schools, perhaps this is heading toward or rather…heading backward: “Muslims Only?”

The abaya is a long-sleeved, ankle-length, loose-fitting dress so how does one know the difference between a normal maxi dress compared to an abaya? There’s only one way, really…the hijab. As long as a woman is wearing a modest dress with a hijab, she is scrutinized by the French Police.

According to sources including Al Jazeera, to enforce a ban on abayas in the classrooms of public schools, 14,000 educational personnel are expected to be trained by the end of the year and 300,000 by 2025. Meanwhile, Loubna Regui, President of the ELF-Muslim Students of France, tells Al Jazeera that the ban clearly targets immigrants and is “inherently racist.” She is not alone in that opinion; according to France24, Clementine Autain of the left-wing opposition France Unbowed Party, denounced the ban describing it as “policing of clothing,” “unconstitutional” and against the founding principles of France’s secular values; she goes on to say it is an “obsessive rejection of Muslims.” The founding principles that Autain refers to are part of a declaration at the top of the French Constitution: “The French Republic is indivisible, secular, democratic and social.”

Who was it that proposed this ban? Gabriel Attal is his name. He is a French politician of the Renaissance Party who served, since July, 2023, as Minister of National Education and Youth under Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

“When you enter a classroom, you should not be able to distinguish or identify the students’ religion by looking at them,” Attal told the TF1 television channel on Sunday, August 28, 2023. According to Attal, the abaya is “a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the republic toward the secular sanctuary that school must constitute.”

In response, The French Council of the Muslim Faith released a statement that the abaya is not a religious garment and that the government should not take it upon themselves to decide what is considered religious and what is not: “Unless all long dresses are banned altogether in schools, for students and teachers, regardless of their faith, it will be impossible to apply a measure specifically targeting the abaya without falling into the trap of discrimination and arbitrariness.”

Reuters, News18 and Al-Jazeera have quoted French sociologist, Agnes De Feo, who said, “It’s going to hurt Muslims in general. They will, once again, feel stigmatized. It’s really a shame because people will judge these young girls while it (the abaya) is a teenage expression without consequences.”

France is the first Western country to have started banning clothing and successfully so. It all began with the burkini, then the burqa, then hijab and now abaya. Other countries have followed in France’s footsteps including Switzerland and Germany. As of July 15, 2021, the Highest Court of the European Union banned hijab in the workplace; this means that an employer is legally permitted to dismiss any employee who has refused to remove the hijab when asked to do so.

“The abaya has no place in our schools, no more than religious symbols,” proclaimed Attal. “Schools must, at all costs, perhaps even more than any other institution, be protected from religious proselytism, from any embryo of communitarianism, or from the refusal of our most important common rules.”

Attal faces the challenge of distinguishing an abaya from a maxi dress, a risk of seeming discriminatory and breaking the four principles that the French Republic are expected to uphold and the misconception that an abaya is a religious garment when it is really a cultural one.

Sources:

–https://www.cbsnews.com/news/france-ban-islamic-abaya-pupils-attempt-convert-islam/
https://twitter.com/CfcmOfficiel/status/1696098111645454444

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/28/world/europe/france-ban-abaya-robes-schools.html

https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/085_disc.html

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230827-french-education-minister-announces-ban-on-islamic-abayas-in-schools

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/28/france-abaya-ban-how-far-will-clothes-police-go

About the Author:

Rumki Chowdhury is Editor of World Hijab Day Organization. Moreover, she is a professional editor and an award-winning published author and poet. She has an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, a BA in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey and an English Subject Teaching Degree from Gävle Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. She speaks Bengali and Swedish fluently! She has years of experience in the media and publishing worlds. Rumki lives with her husband and their three daughters.

Instagram and Facebook @rumkitheauthor

Twitter @rumkichowdhury

The post FRANCE BANS THE ABAYA appeared first on World Hijab Day.

“My hijab is not your business,” said Olympian, Ibtihaj Muhammad. She posted a social media selfie, holding up a sign featuring those exact words. Ibtihaj was referring to the recent law, banning French athletes from wearing the hijab.

Moreover, the majority of the French Senate mercilessly continue showing their hostility against hijab-wearing Muslim women, in the guise of  general legislation against “all religious symbols.” It all began in 2011 with the French ban on face veils or niqabs. That metamorphosed into the banning of burkinis, a full-body swimsuit with hijab attached to it, in regions like Villeneuve-Loubet,  Cannes and Sisc on the island of Corsica.From the ban on niqab and then, the burkini, the French Senate began targeting the hijab in 2021 when they banned hijab for girls under the age of 18. Eventually, other European countries followed in their footsteps until finally, the EU’s highest court ruled that any employer has the right to ask his or her employee to take off the hijab and if that employee refuses, their services can legally be terminated. It did not stop there, however, after 160 votes beat 143 votes, the French right-wing political group passed a new amendment, banning athletes from wearing the hijab as of 2022.

In response to the above, Ibtihaj wrote on her social media post, “The French football federation already bans women from wearing the hijab in official matches as well as at competitions it organizes. This is what happens when government and officials (in France, India, Quebec, etc.) mask their discrimination with legislation. Religious freedom is a human right and we must protect it at all costs. We must stand together and vehemently denounce discrimination in all its forms. We will not be silent as discriminatory governments  revoke the freedom of our sisters. Every woman should have the choice to wear what she wants and the opportunity to play sports, regardless of her faith.”

Al Jazeera asked the Olympic organization committee whether or not they would be implementing the new rules for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the committee did not comment. Regardless, the fear and worry still hovers above us.

“Challenging us on hijab only strengthens our resolve to wear it. Together we fight,” wrote Ibtihaj on her post.

Ibtihaj Muhammad won the Olympic bronze medal in 2016 and is a 5-time Senior World medalist and World Champion. She made history being the first hijabi American and the first Muslim American woman to win the Olympics. She is also a published author, entrepreneur, speaker and activist. Her achievements even inspired the first mattel hijabi Barbie. Ibtihaj Muhammad continues to be a ravishing example of history in the making and we stand with her when we say, “My hijab is not your business!”

How you can help raise awareness:

1. Donate to the World Hijab Day Organization this Ramadan. Your contributions will help our efforts to end hijab discrimination globally! One who gives alms during the month Ramadan will be multiplied in rewards to 10 until 700 folds. Don’t miss this opportunity! Donate here! 

2. #FastForUnity: Fast for a day, two, ten or all 30 with Muslims to experience how Muslims fast and go on a spiritual journey of self-reflection and self-discipline.

3. #Hijab30: Wear the hijab for 30 days in Ramadan to take a stand to end discrimination against women in hijab and respect individual choices.

4. #HearOurHistory: May is “International Muslim History Month.” Take this opportunity to learn more about Muslim men and women from the Golden Age up until now, who have shaped humanity as we know it.

Tag us @worldhijabday

About the Author

Rumki Chowdhury is the Editor of the World Hijab Day Organization. She is an award-winning published author. She has an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, a BA in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey and an English Subject Teaching Degree from Gävle Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. She speaks Bengali and Swedish fluently! She has years of experience in the media and publishing worlds. Rumki lives with her husband and their three daughters.

https://www.rumki.com/

Instagram @rumkitheauthor

Facebook @rumkitheauthor

Twitter @rumkichowdhury

The post Olympian Calls out French Senate on Athletic Hijab Ban appeared first on World Hijab Day.

It isn’t my right anymore to choose the way I want to dress for work, anywhere in Europe.  On July 15th, 2021, the verdict on the “hijab ban” came directly from the European Union’s Highest Court.

The article that followed, from Al Jazeera, read as follows, “European Union court rules companies may ban Muslim employees from wearing a headscarf under certain conditions. The European Union’s top court has ruled that employers may forbid the wearing of visible symbols of religious or political belief, such as headscarves.”

That shocked me to the core. As a Muslim woman who chooses to wear a headscarf or hijab at work, I realized that my employer could decide to ban me from wearing my hijab, at any day. I felt angry about this fact; I felt cheated by the EU! I felt the need to ask some questions:

How can a piece of cloth invoke so many opinions in others and give rise to fears? Why should others have a right to tell me what I can and cannot wear? How is this any different from the Muslim communities that are quick to judge women for not wearing hijabs in a manner deemed correct according to most Islamic scholars? What do people see when they see me? Do they see me, for me?

Sadly, people don’t easily see my degree in engineering, a Masters in International Business, a work experience spanning across many countries for over a decade. Instead, they selectively see an extra piece of clothing, my hijab, with prejudice. I took so much pride in living in a country that is a member of the European Union. I even put my trust in their highest court.

I can give you many examples of symbols casually worn by people and which are also being dismissed. What is religion other than one’s beliefs, practices or lifestyle? What are all the tattoos that people sport and are admired for, if they are not something that they believe in, practice or live with? What about the individual haircuts or hair color, ever-changing clothing trends and/or body piercings? What about cults? Where is it all coming from if not from internal beliefs? People dress according to their comfort and preference, for self-expression. Does it matter if these personal beliefs are coming from a religion or a culture? Why selectively pick out religions or rather, mostly, one religion? What about turbans? What about a nun’s veil? Why…really…just…mainly…only…hijab?

In other words, what if I said that my hijab wasn’t a religious garment; rather, I just think that wearing a headscarf is as cool as wearing a headband? I wonder if that would be more acceptable for the EU.

Visibly–Muslim women have always been easy targets, be it due to “White Savior Syndrome” or Islamophobia. And yet, women across cultures and centuries have been wearing a headscarf or veil in different forms, be it a chador, dupatta, chunri, khimar, shayla, hat or scarf. The definition of modesty has been changing over time and I agree the modest dressing of visible Muslim women is different compared to modest dressing of European or American Women. But, aren’t we talking about diversity, inclusion, acceptance and tolerance for which the European Union stands tall for…ahem, stood tall  for, or does that exclusively, only apply to women fitting into a whole other definition of diversity and inclusion in an unpublicized document somewhere? Evidently, it states on the official EU website, “The EU Platform of Diversity Charters embodies the European Commission’s long-term commitment for diverse workplaces and inclusive societies.”

I am diverse. I want to be included, but my definition of who I am, shouldn’t be the same as what others think I should be or what others think I should look like. We apparently cannot accept and tolerate each other based on our choice of clothes, in closed spaces or in public spaces, including the professional environment. However, nobody should be concerned with anybody’s personal choices unless they are harmful to others. Following the EU’s highest court ban on hijabs, I wonder what we can tolerate or what we are allowed to tolerate in life.

About author 

Sana Khan is a Motivational Speaker, Writer and Coach. Moreover, Sana has attained her engineering degree from Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology (now a Deemed University) and Dr. APJ Abdul Kamal University (former UPTU) in India. She has an MA in International Business from EAE Business School in Barcelona Spain and UPC Catalunya, Spain. Sana has recently written a motivational eBook entitled, “Dreamcatcher Framework.” She has also co-authored a spiritual anthology called, “Pause and Pen.” When she is not reading or writing, Sana prefers to nature-walk or sip coffee with her husband and son in Belgium.

Website: www.talkwithsana.com
YouTube and Facebook @TalkwithSana
Instagram @Sanakrblogs

The post To The EU’s Highest Court: I Have Questions about “The Hijab Ban” appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Isn’t it odd that people tend to have a lot of opinions about and police what women wear? It’s almost as if it’s a distraction tactic to take attention and resources away from solving actual problems in the world. Also, it’s nothing more than exhibiting power over groups of people, and taking away their autonomy. In the same week we saw the EU legislate that hijabs can be banned in the workforce, the Norwegian women’s volleyball team were slapped with a fine for not playing in bikini bottoms. How can you champion women’s rights, but then also create barriers for them to have access to education, work, and sport? When German female gymnasts opted for full body leotards during this year’s Olympics, and praised for their decision, I couldn’t but help but think of how Muslim women who choose to cover themselves aren’t afforded the same treatment.

I understand that these laws and legislations are coming from a place of promoting secularism, to fight against the rise of extremism. However, I can’t help but note the glaring disparity in the treatment of Muslim women. I am also not entirely sure how someone choosing to wear their religious attire is seen as promoting extremism. If we can agree that seeing a nun in public isn’t considered as her pushing her ideologies down our throats, I fail to see how this is applicable to others. Make it make sense to me, please. The opposite is also true: women shouldn’t be forced to cover up to be considered acceptable in society. Frankly, if you disagree with me… I don’t care. A person’s worth is not, and should not, be measured by what they wear.

I’ve worn the scarf for almost a decade now. It was always something I wanted to do. On January 1st 2012, with the help of a friend, I stepped out into public as a hijabi. My first interaction in public that day was a woman accosting me at a McDonald’s parking lot, calling me a “towelhead.” Since then, I’ve had people verbally harrass me on public transport, and have even been groped when out with friends or my husband. Fast forward to July 1st 2021, where I’ve had to make the difficult decision to take off my scarf due to persistent health issues. One of my first interactions in public was a man ogling my breasts… as a 7 month pregnant woman… walking in the mall whilst holding my husband’s hand. My point is, it didn’t matter what I wore. It certainly wasn’t seen as me pushing my ideologies on anyone, nor was it seen as a deterrent for them to attack me.

So why do we care so much about what women wear or don’t wear? Why do we place so much importance on dictating on what women should or shouldn’t wear? Why do we fail to educate people instead?

The post Make it make sense appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Top European Union court has ruled employers are allowed to ban employees from wearing the headscarf in the workplace. The ruling appeared after two women were asked to leave their jobs or ‘take off’ the hijab at their workplaces in Germany.

Instead of protecting and advocating for fairness, freedom of expression, the ruling sides with business corporations unwilling to allow Muslim women to express their religion. The racism in the judicial systems towards Islam and the continually alarming rulings do not protect the Muslim women in Germany who choose to wear the hijab. According to an official government survey, the Muslim population in Germany has risen to around 5.5 million.

Many sisters wear the hijab as it has a deep value behind it. The choice of wearing it is free, not forced… NEVER once has it been marked permissible to force a woman to wear it. No, we weren’t “abused” to wear it. You don’t have enough knowledge about the veil, but let me inform you. It’s a symbol of peace and power as well as protection and a reminder for me when my eeman (faith) is low; I recognize where I belong…

Women in hijab are capable of doing anything and everything that any other person can, and no one can change that. We excel in our careers and hold leadership positions in countless industries. We participate in sports, from the club level to professional. We’ve had hijabi olympians shatter stereotypes with their Olympic medals. We go to the beach dressed modestly and enjoy ourselves just as much as any other woman or man.

And having hijabi representation matters to young girls growing up, wishing to pursue various fields while practicing their faith.

France has been especially Islamophobic when it comes to this—barring Muslim women from wearing modest/full-coverage swimsuits to the beach. Nudist beaches can exist, but we can’t cover ourselves? Make it make sense!

When are we going to stop targeting the hijab when society has no issue with a Jewish kippah or a nun’s veil? If you’re Islamophobic, just say that. Don’t twist it into something else and put the blame on Muslim women. This is the reality of the Muslim world.

Oh Muslims! Stop calling for “The world” to speak up for us.  It’s purely a Muslim issue. Let’s stand up for our rights and for every oppressed human being, or for a just cause irrespective of caste, creed, or religion for Allah has informed us that the Ummah of the Muslims is a witness to the mankind.

The post Why is the world so obsessed with controlling women and what they wear? appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I did a poll a few days back trying to understand why my hijab could make someone uncomfortable. I was triggered by the recurring news of the hijab bans, the latest one being the EU’s top court allowing employers to ban it in the workplace, especially where there is face to face interactions with clients.

Through my poll, I understood that even though hijab could overwhelm, annoy or even confuse people, rarely anyone I know is threatened by it.

Hijab is a very basic piece of clothing for a Muslim. We shouldn’t be questioned, let alone be banned from wearing it. Imagine if one day a culture bans people from wearing footwear, sun hat or clothes altogether because it makes someone uncomfortable. We would be outraged because we cannot be denied the right to choose how much to cover ourselves in public. Understand the same outrage from hijabis all over the world every few months with such bans.

This is just a little reminder to everyone.

Hijab isn’t a threat to you. It is however a threat to those patriarchal institutions that cannot have a woman decide anything for herself. Such institutions are powerful enough to control your ideologies too, unfortunately. So think hard about the reason you don’t like a hijab.

And if you just dislike a hijabi for being a Muslim, that’s a discussion for another day.

Even so you shouldn’t stand for denying us our basic rights just because you can’t stand me. Don’t you agree?

In any case, try to approach a hijabi kindly about your apprehensions. Most would love to clarify your doubts. However, some might feel they don’t owe it to explain to anyone and that should be okay,  too.

The post Why does my hijab make you uncomfortable? appeared first on World Hijab Day.

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.