A day in hijab

Feb 02

Web Only

A day in hijab

Women wear headscarves to promote tolerance on #WorldHijabDay.

Supporters of Islamic political party Jamat-e-Islami rally to mark World Hijab Day (Veil Day), in Lahore, Pakistan, 04 September 2012. EPA/RAHAT DAR

What is it like to wear a hijab? Women around the world - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - are embracing religious tolerance to mark World Hijab Day by wearing the traditional head covering.

Here are some highlights from around the web:

View the story "A day in hijab" on StorifyA day in hijabWomen wear headscarves to promote tolerance on #WorldHijabDay. Storified by The Stream· Fri, Feb 01 2013 14:40:56World Hijab Day Feb. 1st 2013WorldHijabDayOrganisers of World Hijab Day asked women to share their experiences of "a day in the life of a hijabi" through social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. @WorldHijabDay also posted women's updates throughout the day.42 countries are partaking in #WorldHijabday! Flyer translated in 20 diff. languages. Achieved all these in just 8 days! Alhamdulillah!World HijabDay“I'd like to b able to stand up for my dear Muslim friends who might face discrimination frm time to time specifically bcoz they wear hijab"World HijabDay" I wish to show solidarity with the local women who embrace #hijab, and to walk a mile in their shoes.” [Cedar, USA, Wiccan] #WorldHijabDayWorld HijabDayI'm supporting understanding, tolerance, and my family and friends that are of the Islamic religion. I love all of you! <3 #worldhijabday #love #psychepageendearmentcadmiumcheyThis <a href="https://www.facebook.com/susan.allen.77964?group_id=338099332932881" class="">Susan Allen</a> another amazing friend of mine and also Christian. She is just way too nice. She works in burger king and she is that nice that one customer bought her laptop once :) <br> Words are not enough.... We Muslims sisters love you Sue :)إيسرات جهانBlogspotI admit that I felt a little silly walking around campus with my scarf wrapped around my head. But that's what social experiments are all about! And how many of the women in my parents' neighborhood (which has a large population of immigrant families from Muslim countries) feel the same sort of awkwardness walking around Salt Lake in their beautiful hijabs? Beyond that, are there some that even feel afraid of becoming the targets of anti-Muslim hostility or violence?bigpeoplescissors.blogspot.comSome women wrote about the discrimination they perceived from others based on their clothing, including one woman who put on a face veil - or niqab - for the day.
I decided to wear Niqab for #WorldHijabDay people are acting like im oppressed.. im getting mean looks.. why is there this stigma?SaalihahOne non-Muslim woman from Australia described a time when a man passing by swore at her because he thought that she was wearing hijab. @MariamVeiszadeh replied:@neurofluff it's cool that you tried it! It's horrible that you were treated like that though.Gives you insight re what we have to deal withMariam VeiszadehOthers who participated were more sceptical, or reported some frustration from the experience:Not sure if I believe in this. Women should be free to remove the veil as well as free to wear one. #worldhijabdayabbyemery1I managed to get a picture, but as much as I support everyone, I need a way to do this without triggering my claustrophobia! This one did not work!Robin EverrittWell! It took me a YouTube tutorial, 20 minutes, and a teaspoon of frustration BUT I finally got it on!!! I feel BEAUTIFUL! #worldhijabdaylauren_ofsfplMuslim women who regularly wear hijab also contributed to the conversation, explaining why they wear the traditional head covering. We are the flags of Islam, wear your hijab with pride and do it justice. Respect yourself and others always. #WorldHijabDayArousa Hijab is our choice, it is not forced upon us. its our decision to wear it, we do it to protect our beauty. #WorldHijabDayEvokePeaceI'm amongst other millions of muslim sisters who chose to wear the Hijab and were not forced #WorldHijabDayZa|ஐ|RaOthers were more critical of the event, highlighting the problems they saw with it:
If #WorldHijabDay highlights harassment faced by hijabis, then let's also have #NoHijabDay for those #Muslim women harassed 4 not wearing itYasmeen FatimaThe criticism also included tweets like the one below, in which @Arousa says those participating for just a day are missing the point by revealing their hair to non-family members:
If you're wearing it one day and not another, revealing your hair to non mahrum you haven't understood its true essence #WorldHijabDayArousa Sara Yasin writes in a blog post from last year's World Hijab Day: This isn't — and shouldn't be —- simply about protecting the hijab. What's most important is not to protect the act of wearing hijab as a human right, but actually protecting the right of an individual to be able to safely make that choice. This means that when we're critical of veil bans, we should also be critical of countries that force women to cover as well.jezebel.comThough most of the participants were women, some men did not hesitate to show solidarity as well: #WorldHijabDay is proof the Hijab stigma is an irrational racist desease, and the cure is a little open-mindlessness.http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21283301Sayed M. Almodarresisolidarity with my hijabi sisters, always a reminder for us brothers to strive for modesty.instagram.comDoes this count for #worldhijabday ? I think we should all do our bit. I was not forced either. http://pic.twitter.com/u4Hypc6eAdil RayIt's 1st of February and #WorldHijabDay. How do I look? Say mashaAllah bro! #HijabDay http://pic.twitter.com/viBYFh7AMozlamic