Hijab means to cover one’s self and is worn by Muslim women as a sign of dedication to their faith and a sign of modesty. I felt that wearing the hijab helped me become more confident in my own worth. I have enormous strength, courage and integrity. Therefore, it never was, is or will be a sign of oppression for you. For me, it’s about hidayat (God’s will) making hijab a choice.

According to the Quran (33:59), “Oh, Prophet tell the wives and the daughters and the believer women to draw their jilbab close around them, this will be better so that they are recognized and not harmed and God is the most forgiving, most merciful.” According to Arabic dictionaries, jilbab means a long, overflowing gown. Another verse in the Quran (24:31) states, “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity and do not reveal their adornment except what is already shown, and draw their khimar over their neck.” The khimar was a fancy silk scarf.

Hijab does not  prevent a woman from acquiring knowledge or from contributing to the betterment of human society. Historically, women have also greatly contributed to Islam, in every profession and in every sector of society.

Personally speaking, wearing the hijab gives me the freedom to give consent of attention to my physical appearance.  It’s up to me what I choose to do with my body so the hijab is my right and it gives me my voice. If someone wants to wear hijab or dress modestly, an essential practice of Islam, preventing them from doing so is against their fundamental and constitutional rights, including in India where I reside.

Despite Muslims being the second largest religious population in India, hijab has been misappropriated as something degrading and regressive over the past decade. They can also be deprived of their fundamental rights like education such as the case of Karnataka, India, where girls cannot pursue or further their education because of their choice to wear the hijab. Nevertheless, India’s constitution provides everyone with the power to practice and propagate one’s religion. As long as it does not interfere or degrade other religions, everyone is at absolute freedom. It is pertinent to mention here that the right to wear hijab is one of the many protections granted by the constitution and the Indian judiciary. So, owning our identity should not be an issue for anyone. If the constitution empowers us, nothing should take that away from us. I knew a different India growing up and it’s only a matter of time before things get more out of hand than they already are.

Overall, the wearing of a hijab does not impede a woman from learning new things or from making contributions to society. A woman who wears a hijab has the potential to be the best boss, worker, friend and councilor. I wear the hijab to show that I am a proud Muslim and I wish to be recognized for my hard work and achievements. Alhumdulillah!

About the Author:

Batool Fatima Choudhary is a student of Teach and Civil Engineering from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Find Batool @Chowdhary.batool via Instagram

@Batoolchoudhary via Twitter @Chowdhary Batool Fatima via Facebook

The post THE WOMAN BEHIND THE VEIL appeared first on World Hijab Day.

India has a very rich history and heritage when it comes to diversity, from the Aryans crossing over to the Himalayas and then, to the Dravidians. Moreover, its varying religious groups coexisted together for thousands of years!

Up until the last decade, after the demolition of the Babri Mosque resulted in riots, India did not witness any major confrontations between Hindus and Muslims. However, in the last few years, there has been an extreme rise in Islamophobia, leading to the current debate on the hijab ban.

Take, for example, The Citizenship Amendment Act of India 2019. The revised and edited version of this 1955 Act permits Indian citizenship eligibility to illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians coming in from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan on or before Dec. 31st, 2014. The world, thanks to major media sources, now knows this Act as “The Anti-Muslim Act.”

I remember growing up attending college with no problem regarding my hijab. However, in the past month, Karnataka, which has a population of about 7.9 million Muslims, imposed the hijab ban. We were all shocked by this and this led to nationwide protests.

“The Current Karnataka Hijab Row” came after a college claimed to ban the open display of all religious symbols, but authorities are ignoring the Sikh headgear, the Christian crucifix and the Hindu sindoor. Instead, they are focusing on the Muslim hijab, whereby they shamelessly force Muslim girls and women in hijab, both students and teachers, to take off their hijabs before entering. Even the Constitution of India (Article 25 & 26) gives every citizen the right to practice their religion freely. Therefore, to change the rules, one must also change the laws.

Furthermore, there are open racial slurs and invitations for mob lynchings, even by current politicians of the Right Wing Organizations of India. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are turning a blind eye.

Anti-Nationals and “Muslim Sympathisers” in government, choose to remain silent out of fear of losing majority votes; after all, democracy is about how the majority rules, right?! Moreover, 90% of all the Major Mainstream Media are peddling the government narrative and propagating Islamophobia, blatantly and with no accountability whatsoever.

However, there are the few social activists and journalists who are raising their voices, but are hounded by central agencies or an army of Online Islamophobic trolls, as a result. Therefore, we have various international media and human rights organizations, publishing reports on the state of the minorities affairs.

We cry and our hearts bleed for our sisters who are forced to remove their hijabs to get an education and to make a living for their families.

Dr. Gregory Stanton, founder of “Genocide Watch,” who also predicted the genocide in Rwanda long before it happened, said, “We are warning that genocide can very well happen in India.”

Today, in India, I wonder if I will be able to practice the steadfastness of Khadijah (رضي الله عنه) or the hope and resilience of Hajar (رضي الله عنه). I just pray that Allah chooses what is best for us so that I can raise daughters in this India I no longer recognize…this “New India.”

About the Author

Mariam Bint Salman Sayed is the World Hijab Day Organization Ambassador in India. She resides in Mumbai and is actively following the hijab ban threats under the Indian government. She is an entrepreneur and a student of political science and Islamic Theology. Fitness is her passion just as much as educating others on the true Islam.

The post MY HIJAB IS MY SHIELD IN THIS “NEW INDIA” appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Articles 25-28 of the Constitution of India professes the freedom of practicing and peacefully promoting one’s religion, there is no State religion and the State is required to treat all religions impartially and neutrally.

I grew up in a small Indian town where there was a lot of diversity, religious tolerance and communal harmony. This is not the India I knew and grew up in, where religious shouts such as “Jai Shree Ram” are hurled at a single Burqa-clad girl walking to her college, where such words are used to intimidate her into removing her hijab, where Ram is a symbol of patience, endurance and righteousness?

In the last few days, we have come to recognize 19-year-old Muskan Khan, from Karnataka, India, who showed no fear when she was freckled by a visibly violent right-wing anti-hijab mob. People across the world are standing in solidarity with her and applauding her courage, as seen by social media posts about her. She defies the stereotype of hijabi girls as being weak, oppressed and uneducated.

In an interview with a news channel, she said she has the right to education and to wear whatever she wants because of the country’s laws. “They’re keeping us from studying because of a piece of cloth, Sir,” she added, indicating her headscarf.

For a little while, the words hung in front of my eyes before piercing my heart. I noticed legitimate anger and immense strength on Muskan’s face; people now know her as the lioness that roared her way through the bullying group. This group was stopping girls from entering their colleges because a handful of individuals dislike the hijab. I couldn’t help, but think, How cruel is that and what does one call this: racism, discrimination, hatred, injustice, just plain bad luck or all the above? What is the definition of oppression when one accuses another of being forced to wear the hijab and then, forces them to remove it?

Women in India and around the world are denied their fundamental human right to dress modestly in accordance with their religion because they do not meet the country’s recent secularism requirements.

Isn’t it clear that the hijab was never the issue? It was always about a certain faith and your apprehension about it. This is called, “Islamophobia.” To all those who are “Islamophobic,” now that you’ve identified the core of your issue, address your personal fears in a more productive and peaceful manner rather than taunting random girls in hijab who only wish for an education, also their right as citizens of India.

About the Author

Sana Khan is a Motivational Speaker, Writer and Coach. Moreover, Khan 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. Khan 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, she prefers to nature-walk or sip coffee with her husband and son in Belgium.

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

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