World Hijab Day (WHD) is a day when Muslim women all around the world stand together in solidarity for their sisters. The hijab is not only a physical covering that Muslim women wear to follow their religion; it also embodies sisterhood and empowerment. WHD was on Feb. 1.
Wearing hijab is a choice made by millions of Muslim women around the world who choose to cover themselves and create a special community based on uplifting other women.
WHD was founded in 2011 by Nazma Khan, a Bangladeshi immigrant. In her TEDx talk titled “How I Turned My Pain into A Global Movement,” she describes her heart-wrenching experiences of coming to the United States at 11 and facing the brunt of society’s hatred for the symbolic garment that she chose to wear.
“I felt every obvious and subtle stare, whisper, cold shoulder, name-calling, and laughter behind my back,” Khan said.
After facing relentless bullying, she started asking people on her social media page to send her their stories about their experience wearing hijab.
“At that moment, I realized I wasn’t the only one facing discrimination for wearing the hijab, but my sisters in different parts of the world were being discriminated against…following the hijab as well,” Khan said.
Khan started a movement from her pain and decided to found World Hijab Day, a nonprofit described as, “A global movement to encourage religious tolerance, cultural understanding and international solidarity,” on their website.
“Through awareness, education and empowerment, we are committed to dismantling bigotry, discrimination and prejudice against Muslim women,” they state.
When I first learned about WHD 2 years ago, I felt unequivocally supported and seen for my identity. My identity has always been met with confusion growing up. I first started wearing the hijab during COVID, so I wasn’t necessarily exposed to hatred and bigotry for practicing my beliefs. However, when the pandemic ended, I was judged by classmates and community members alike.
I can clearly remember last summer when a woman I didn’t know approached my sister and me at the park and launched a spiel about how we are ‘forced to wear our hijab.’ Many people have questions about why I wear my hijab, but some mock it without understanding what it represents. I found that I started oversimplifying my identity to avoid having to explain myself to people who couldn’t or wouldn’t understand. WHD has given hijabis like me a day to feel better understood and represented.
World Hijab Day is a day not only for 1.8 Muslims worldwide, but a day for every woman to celebrate their modesty and foster a sense of sisterhood. As many Hijabi girls like to say: “Hijab is my crown.” World Hijab Day unites us across borders, cultures and ethnicities.
World Hijab Day creates a community of sisterhood that travels across borders to bring us together. That is why it is a day for everyone to celebrate.
