We had a wonderful event in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia introducing many skeptical women to the joy of wearing hijab. After the event we received the following message from one of the participants:

Dear friends, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for inviting us to learn more about you at your World Hijab Day event. No amount of research could equate to a moment of human experience and I was reminded of this yesterday. While I was excited to attend your event to broaden my knowledge, I was admittedly hesitant to try on a hijab, firstly, because it was new and different to anything I had worn before but also because I did not want to be disrespectful or subtract any importance from the reasons why you wear yours by wearing one when it may not hold the same significance for me.

After some informative discussion and a little convincing I decided to take a chance and try one on. I was pleasantly caught off guard by how donning the hijab made me feel and the experience was surprisingly moving. I have often admired the fashionable aesthetics of the hijab but now that I better understand the reasons for you choosing to wear them, my eyes are more open to their more meaningful beauty and I now, more than ever, think it is wonderful that you are able to express yourselves in such a lovely way as wearing your hijab. Thank you again for sharing this opportunity with the Wide Bay community. As a Mother and Teacher of young children I recognize how important it is to nourish young minds by teaching them to understand and celebrate our differences and I am pleased that I brought my son along with me. He may have only come along for the “dress ups” but he has also learned, in a natural and casual way, that we accept one another and that our differences are an interesting and beautiful thing to be cherished. I certainly hope to attend more events like this in the future. You have done a magnificent job in promoting awareness of your community. I wish you peace, understanding and respect.

Pictures from the event:

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This would be the first time where I actually stood up for a cause that I believed in 100%. I am born a Muslim yet the essence of Islam I have begun to grasp only recently. I have grown up in Saudi Arabia and came to India for my graduation in 2011. Believe me when I say this, there is a gross amount of ignorance amongst the Muslims themselves regarding the hijab.

I did this small [World Hijab Day] campaign in my college campus. Being a Sunday was relatively less crowded but the experience has been life changing. I stood in areas where people would come by more, and most just passed us with barely a glance, Muslims included. In fact, one of them was a hijabi herself and yet refused time for us. This isn’t surprising, given that people here have an ‘everything goes’ attitude. Some of them started their own discussion instead of approaching us directly.

Yet all hope was not lost. People slowly started coming up to us and asking us what a hijab was about and what the world hijab day was. An incredible response with some girls voluntarily asking to wear the hijab and get their pictures clicked for this awareness program. Slowly but steadily, through awareness programs and lectures and education, I believe we can help people acquire tolerance for one another, which is so crucial right now in our times. An initiative like this is truly commendable. Thanks for celebrating the hijab!

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