Recognizing World Hijab Day, Supporting Muslim Women in the United States
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 Jan2025
· Recognizing World Hijab Day, Supporting Muslim Women in the United States
· Not To Put Women Under Pressure": Iran On Not Enforcing Strict Dress Code
· Iran Arrests 10 Bahai Women, Without Arrest Warrants, In ‘Shocking’ Raids, Group Says
· Empowering Women: sAIdaty 2025 Launches with AI Trainingin Dubai and the UAE
· Thousands Protest In Ethiopia Against A Hijab Ban In Schools
· UK Minister, Hamish Falconer, Reaffirms Commitment To Women’s Rights In Afghanistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/world-hijab-muslim-us/d/134411
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Recognizing World Hijab Day, Supporting Muslim Women in the United States
Photo: nea.org/neatoday
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By: Mary Ellen Flannery
January 22, 2025
Muslim students in the United States—from middle school through college and university—are experiencing harassment, discrimination, and bullying at scary rates, surveys show.
On college campuses, 49% of Muslim students experienced harassment or discrimination due to their Muslim identity, they told the Council on American–Islamic Relations-CA in 2024. More than one in three felt targeted by professors; more than half by their peers.
Among middle and high school Muslim students, 47 percent report feeling "unsafe, unwelcome, or uncomfortable" at school because of their identities. One in four say they've heard a teacher or other adult at school make offensive comments or act in a way offensive to Muslims. For students who wear hijabs, it's especially threatening: about a third say their hijab has been pulled off or touched in an offensive way.
This is what Islamophobia looks like—and it stems, at least in part, from a lack of awareness, understanding, and empathy among non-Muslim people, suggests Nazma Khan, the founder of World Hijab Day.
Since 2013, World Hijab Day has provided an opportunity for non-Muslims to support Muslims and share their experiences by simply wearing a hijab. This is not an act of cultural appropriation; it's an act of cultural appreciation, Khan notes.
"What if women from all walks of life, irrespective of their religion or faith, walk in my shoes by wearing the hijab for just one day?" says Khan. "Then perhaps these women will understand that it's just a piece of cloth we wear. Then perhaps these women can be our allies when somebody is bullied on a train."
Learn more about the who, when, where—and most importantly, the "why" behind World Hijab Day.
WHO?
Non-Muslim women, including NEA members.
WHEN AND WHERE?
February 1, in more than 150 countries.
HOW?
The simplest way for educators and students to participate in World Hijab Day—and show support for Muslim girls and women who are discriminated against for wearing a hijab—is to cover their hair with headscarf.
Other suggested activities in World Hijab Day's activity guide for schools and colleges include:
Increase awareness through social media. Post your @WorldHijabDay selfies using the hashtags #HijabisUnsilenced& #WorldHijabDay.
Work with your school or college to host an inclusivity workshop, a panel discussion, or guest speakers.
Write individual notes of support to faculty, staff, parents, and students who wear hijabs.
WHY?
When Khan was 11, in the 1980s, her parents brought their family to the United States, seeking a better life for Khan and her siblings. Taken in by relatives in the Bronx, the six of them slept in a spare bedroom, sharing a twin bed on the floor. "We had each other. We had faith," she recalls.
While Khan's father sold newspapers on the sidewalks of Manhattan for a quarter each, Khan navigated the streets of the Bronx. At her new middle school, she was the only child in a hijab. "I saw my mother, my sisters, my grandmother, wearing the hijab and they looked so beautiful to me, like royalty. I wanted to look like them," she recalls.
On the street, people gawked. In school hallways, her classmates shoved her against lockers, even spit on her. They made fun of her accented English. One ripped off her hijab. "The last thing I want to tell my parents is that I'm being bullied. I don't want to make them sad," she says. "I don't want to disappoint them."
She persisted, eventually attending college in Manhattan. And then, on Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists attacked, killing 3,000 people. "After 9-11, I'm a visible Muslim woman in New York City," she recalls. At best, people moved away from her. At worst, they moved toward her, threatening her. She managed to graduate, without attending the ceremony, and then waited—and waited—as her every job application went unanswered.
Khan started selling hijabs online, around 2009, because she didn't really have any other options. A former biology major, "I was a terrible busineswoman," she says. But she had the instinct to create a Facebook page for her business and suddenly, she was at the center of a growing community of Muslim hijabi women, sharing their stories of how wearing a hijab made them a target of violence and discrimination.
"I got this message from a 14-year-old girl in the United Kingdom who told me, 'I went to class today and this boy pulled off my hijab and spit gum in my hair,'" Khan recalls. "It hurt me. It really, really hurt me. It was like a flashback to my struggles in high school. That was a defining moment in my life. I was like, 'I need to help this girl, but how do I help this girl who lives across the world from me?'"
Today, World Hijab Day has been recognized by lawmakers in states as varied as Oklahoma and Michigan, and it has expanded to include inclusivity workshops that Khan offers to educators and parents.
"The whole goal is to dismantle Islamophobia," she says.
Source: nea.org
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/recognizing-world-hijab-day-supporting-muslim-women
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"Not To Put Women Under Pressure": Iran On Not Enforcing Strict Dress Code
Jan 22, 2025
Iranian Vice President Mohammad JavadZarif said on Wednesday his government had put off enforcing the country's strict Islamic dress code in order "not to put women under pressure".
Covering the neck and head and dressing modestly became mandatory for women in Iran following the Islamic revolution that overthrew the US-backed Shah in 1979.
"If you go to the streets of Tehran, you will find women not covering their hair. It's against the law, but the government has decided not to put women under pressure," Zarif told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He said President Masoud Pezeshkian "did not implement the law, with the consent of the head of parliament, the head of the judiciary and others in the National Security Council".
He said "we are moving in the right direction", acknowledging that "it is not enough, but it is a step in the right direction".
In September 2023, Tehran approved what is officially known as the "Law on Supporting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab".
It imposes tougher penalties on women who refuse to wear the mandatory hijab and significant fines and prison sentences for those deemed to be promoting "nudity" or "indecency".
The bill was initially meant to be referred in December to Pezeshkian, who has expressed "reservations" about the text, citing numerous "ambiguities".
Earlier this month, government spokeswoman FatemehMohajerani said the bill had been "delayed" over some of its provisions, which "could have had serious social consequences".
In late 2022, Iran was rocked by a wave of mass protests following the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress code.
The months-long unrest resulted in hundreds of deaths, including many security personnel, and the arrest of thousands of demonstrators.
Source: .ndtv.com
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/not-to-put-women-under-pressure-iran-on-not-enforcing-strict-dress-code-7535977
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Iran Arrests 10 Bahai Women, Without Arrest Warrants, In ‘Shocking’ Raids, Group Says
22 January 2025
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Iran Arrests 10 Bahai Women, Without Arrest Warrants, In ‘Shocking’ Raids, Group Says
22 January 2025
Iranian authorities today arrested 10 women members of the Bahai community, a representative group says, warning of escalating repression against one of the country’s biggest non-Muslim religious minorities.
“Security forces arrested 10 Bahai women, without arrest warrants or prior notification, in a series of shocking home raids,” the Bahai International Community (BIC), which represents at the United Nations the interests of faith members worldwide, says in a statement.
It says security agents scaled walls, coerced neighbours, and even posed as utility workers to force entry into the women’s homes, “subjecting them to distressing and invasive searches.”
The women face charges including participation in conducting “deviant” educational and propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law.
“The Iranian government has once again shown its true face,” says SiminFahandej, BIC representative at the UN in Geneva, calling the raids “yet another senseless act against women who are completely innocent.”
“Their so-called ‘crime’ was to serve their local communities, and now the Iranian government has detained them in violent home raids,” she says.
Source: timesofisrael.com
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/iran-arrests-10-bahai-women-in-shocking-raids-group-says/
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Empowering Women: sAIdaty 2025 Launches with AI Trainingin Dubai and the UAE
22-01-2025
The Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) in collaboration with Oracle has launched sAIdaty 2025, the second edition of a ground-breaking training initiative aimed at empowering women in Dubai and the UAE by imparting advanced AI skills.
This initiative follows the previous successful version, which saw 500 women equipped with foundational AI knowledge. The current iteration broadens its reach, focusing on advanced applications, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation strategies, positioning women to leverage AI effectively in diverse professional landscapes.
Leading industry experts, including Oracle professionals, will guide participants through specialized training modules spotlighting cutting-edge AI practices and real-world applications. This program underscores a joint commitment to skill enhancement, fostering an inclusive AI-driven future aligned with the UAE's global leadership goals in technology.
Source: devdiscourse.com
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/3235353-navigating-the-challenges-of-responsible-ai-implementation
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Thousands protest in Ethiopia against a hijab ban in schools
23-01-2025
ADDIS ABABA - Muslims gathered in Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray, protesting against the ban imposed on school girls on wearing hijabs, despite the court order restraining authorities from mistreatment.
Schools in Axum banned the wearing of hijab by girls, despite the court order and directive by the Tigray Regional Education Bureau which regulates learning in institutions within the northern state of Ethiopia.
The rally, organized by, Tigray Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, took place at Romanat Square in Mekelle under the banner: “She will learn while wearing her hijab.”
“Our daughters are still being denied access to education despite clear rulings from the court and directives from the education bureau,” said Sheikh Adam Abdulkadir, President of the Tigray Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, during the protest, adding, “This is deeply concerning in a region where Islam has been part of the culture for centuries," Addis Standard reports.
Sheikh Adam Abdulkadir said the protests were guided by numerous inquiries and discussions, adding that until now, “the issue remains unresolved, and our daughters are still being denied access to education.”
“A year ago, Muslim students tragically lost their lives with their hijabs along with their people, and now they must learn their education wearing their hijabs,” he said.
Demonstrators voiced their concerns peacefully, he said, adding that the protests were calm and respectful. Muslim women and girls are required to wear hijab as enshrined in their religious doctrines.
The protest follows months of unresolved grievances, including the exclusion of Muslim grade 12 students in Axum from registering for national exams earlier this month due to wearing hijabs.
The Axum City District Court had previously suspended the directive prohibiting Muslim students from wearing hijabs in schools and summoned five schools to respond to the allegations, the Addis Standard reports.
Mustafa Abdu, a lawyer participating in the rally, told Addis Standard that the primary aim of the protest was to ensure Muslim students can return to school while wearing their hijabs.
“There is no legal justification for forcing them to choose between their religious beliefs and their education,” he said, adding that “they have the right to attend school while wearing their hijabs, and that’s why we are demonstrating.”
Source: garoweonline.com
https://www.garoweonline.com/en/world/africa/thousands-protest-in-ethiopia-against-a-hijab-ban-in-schools
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Recognizing World Hijab Day, Supporting Muslim Womenin the United States
By: Mary Ellen Flannery
January 22, 2025
Muslim students in the United States—from middle school through college and university—are experiencing harassment, discrimination, and bullying at scary rates, surveys show.
On college campuses, 49% of Muslim students experienced harassment or discrimination due to their Muslim identity, they told the Council on American–Islamic Relations-CA in 2024. More than one in three felt targeted by professors; more than half by their peers.
Among middle and high school Muslim students, 47 percent report feeling "unsafe, unwelcome, or uncomfortable" at school because of their identities. One in four say they've heard a teacher or other adult at school make offensive comments or act in a way offensive to Muslims. For students who wear hijabs, it's especially threatening: about a third say their hijab has been pulled off or touched in an offensive way.
This is what Islamophobia looks like—and it stems, at least in part, from a lack of awareness, understanding, and empathy among non-Muslim people, suggests Nazma Khan, the founder of World Hijab Day.
Since 2013, World Hijab Day has provided an opportunity for non-Muslims to support Muslims and share their experiences by simply wearing a hijab. This is not an act of cultural appropriation; it's an act of cultural appreciation, Khan notes.
"What if women from all walks of life, irrespective of their religion or faith, walk in my shoes by wearing the hijab for just one day?" says Khan. "Then perhaps these women will understand that it's just a piece of cloth we wear. Then perhaps these women can be our allies when somebody is bullied on a train."
Learn more about the who, when, where—and most importantly, the "why" behind World Hijab Day.
WHO?
Non-Muslim women, including NEA members.
WHEN AND WHERE?
February 1, in more than 150 countries.
HOW?
The simplest way for educators and students to participate in World Hijab Day—and show support for Muslim girls and women who are discriminated against for wearing a hijab—is to cover their hair with headscarf.
Other suggested activities in World Hijab Day's activity guide for schools and colleges include:
Increase awareness through social media. Post your @WorldHijabDay selfies using the hashtags #HijabisUnsilenced& #WorldHijabDay.
Work with your school or college to host an inclusivity workshop, a panel discussion, or guest speakers.
Write individual notes of support to faculty, staff, parents, and students who wear hijabs.
WHY?
When Khan was 11, in the 1980s, her parents brought their family to the United States, seeking a better life for Khan and her siblings. Taken in by relatives in the Bronx, the six of them slept in a spare bedroom, sharing a twin bed on the floor. "We had each other. We had faith," she recalls.
While Khan's father sold newspapers on the sidewalks of Manhattan for a quarter each, Khan navigated the streets of the Bronx. At her new middle school, she was the only child in a hijab. "I saw my mother, my sisters, my grandmother, wearing the hijab and they looked so beautiful to me, like royalty. I wanted to look like them," she recalls.
On the street, people gawked. In school hallways, her classmates shoved her against lockers, even spit on her. They made fun of her accented English. One ripped off her hijab. "The last thing I want to tell my parents is that I'm being bullied. I don't want to make them sad," she says. "I don't want to disappoint them."
She persisted, eventually attending college in Manhattan. And then, on Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists attacked, killing 3,000 people. "After 9-11, I'm a visible Muslim woman in New York City," she recalls. At best, people moved away from her. At worst, they moved toward her, threatening her. She managed to graduate, without attending the ceremony, and then waited—and waited—as her every job application went unanswered.
Khan started selling hijabs online, around 2009, because she didn't really have any other options. A former biology major, "I was a terrible busineswoman," she says. But she had the instinct to create a Facebook page for her business and suddenly, she was at the center of a growing community of Muslim hijabi women, sharing their stories of how wearing a hijab made them a target of violence and discrimination.
"I got this message from a 14-year-old girl in the United Kingdom who told me, 'I went to class today and this boy pulled off my hijab and spit gum in my hair,'" Khan recalls. "It hurt me. It really, really hurt me. It was like a flashback to my struggles in high school. That was a defining moment in my life. I was like, 'I need to help this girl, but how do I help this girl who lives across the world from me?'"
Today, World Hijab Day has been recognized by lawmakers in states as varied as Oklahoma and Michigan, and it has expanded to include inclusivity workshops that Khan offers to educators and parents.
"The whole goal is to dismantle Islamophobia," she says.
Source: nea.org
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/recognizing-world-hijab-day-supporting-muslim-women
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UK Minister, Hamish Falconer, Reaffirms Commitment To Women’s Rights In Afghanistan
By SetaraQudosi
Jan 22, 2025
Hamish Falconer, the United Kingdom’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, declared on Wednesday that defending the rights of Afghan women and girls remains a top priority for the British government.
In a video statement, Falconer sharply criticized the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, describing their policies as “unacceptable.” He pledged to convene key stakeholders, including United Nations officials, to explore ways to address the issue in a manner that serves the interests of all Afghans.
“Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls’ secondary schools are closed,” Falconer said. He emphasized that the U.K. will continue to hold the Taliban accountable for their actions.
Falconer further condemned the Taliban’s recent bans on women pursuing medical education and their attempts to reinstate restrictions on women working for non-governmental organizations. He underscored that the Taliban cannot expect support or engagement from the international community unless they implement significant policy changes.
Over the past three years, Afghan women and girls have borne the brunt of the Taliban’s increasingly restrictive policies. Girls are prohibited from attending school beyond the sixth grade, and access to universities has been denied. Women and girls are also required to have a male guardian when leaving their homes, further curtailing their freedom.
The British government’s statement comes amid growing international outrage over the erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan. “We will not turn away,” Falconer said, reaffirming the U.K.’s commitment to advocating for the rights of Afghan women and girls.
Source: amu.tv
https://amu.tv/152747/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/world-hijab-muslim-us/d/134411