Non-Muslim women don hijab to express solidarity

As more women don scarf to show support, the reaction is divided

A global event termed, 'World Hijab Day' has taken the media by storm, inviting women of all faiths to post pictures of themselves wearing a hijab.


Founded three years ago by New York resident, Nazma Khan, the event has encouraged many women from around the world to wear the hijab to understand the experiences Muslim women have.

“I was called ‘batman’ and ‘ninja’ by classmates at my New York City high school because I wore the hijab. I realised this has to be the result of ignorance,” Khan recalled, saying that “It is ignorance that makes us hate.”



Nazma invited people to wear the hijab for one day to better understand what it was about. Mothers, children, lawmakers and others from all over participated in the event, posting photos of themselves in a hijab and sharing their experiences.

“Inshallah (God-willing), my daughter or niece will not go through what I went through,” Khan said. “This time is worse than 9/11. I’m more scared now than before," she added.

Amina Sanchez, president of the Muslim Student Association at Normandale, is among those who welcomed the hijab solidarity acts.

“We want others to understand who we are and what we stand for,” she said. “Even though there are a lot of Muslims in Minnesota, there are still misconceptions about why we wear it. We’re a peaceful people and we would like to be able to walk down the street and not be afraid,” she explained.

However, the event has also been criticised by some Muslim women, who think it amounts to “hijab tourism” as it does not offer an authentic understanding of the struggle faced by hijabis.



On the other hand, some non-Muslims argue that it endorses a monolithic view of a faith community whose members don’t agree that women should wear head coverings. And for some western feminists, the hijab goes against their idea of liberation.

Despite this, such acts of “hijab solidarity” are on the rise.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has worn a head scarf when meeting with leaders of the city’s Somali-American community. And a professor at a Christian college in Illinois just resigned after a backlash over her choice to wear the scarf.

William O Beeman, director of the anthropology department at the University of Minnesota, isn’t surprised that people are taking a public stand defending Muslims.

“Any time that it is perceived that people are facing discrimination, there will be sympathetic people who will do their best to show solidarity with them,” he said.

He compared the hijab solidarity movement to a young cancer patient who loses his hair after chemotherapy. His friends may shave their heads to show him that he is not alone in his fight. “That’s a very natural human tendency,” Beeman said.



Here are some of the photos that have been shared on World Hijab Day’s Facebook page:

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/WorldHijabDay/photos/a.420727711336709.97826.338099332932881/980836761992465/?type=1&theater"]

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/WorldHijabDay/photos/a.420727711336709.97826.338099332932881/980834955325979/?type=1&theater"]

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/WorldHijabDay/photos/a.420727711336709.97826.338099332932881/980837671992374/?type=3&theater"]

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/WorldHijabDay/photos/a.420727711336709.97826.338099332932881/980224732053668/?type=3&theater"]

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/WorldHijabDay/photos/a.420727711336709.97826.338099332932881/980022148740593/?type=3&theater"]

Many also took to Twitter to show support for the global event.

https://twitter.com/maruumaa/status/694364320134598656

https://twitter.com/ayahpapayah/status/694383218435297280

my fav hijab moments 👳🏾#WorldHijabDay pic.twitter.com/lQVKQ7B1zp

— sad eggplant (@raneemisabbos) February 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/Andr33zy_/status/694398190381056000

happy #WorldHijabDay 😇 pic.twitter.com/5wqU3aDIsJ

— marz (@marwafitini) February 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/whackkat/status/694421104035655680

This article originally appeared on Star Tribune.