The Politics of Controversy — Making sense of World Hijab Day
Yesterday marked World Hijab Day. The start of February is dedicated to a holiday not many know of but is always mired in controversy. World Hijab Day was founded by American Muslimah and proud hijabi, Nazma Khan eight years ago to celebrate her fellow hijabis and educate the public on Islam, Muslim women and the Islamic veil.
As a young girl, she moved from her native Bangladesh to the US, attending middle school in the Bronx, New York, aged eleven the only hijabi in her class. Khan was repeatedly made fun of and bullied by her class mates who poked fun of her attire by calling her ‘batman’ and ‘ninja’ often physically attacking her and attempting to pull off her headscarf on numerous occasions. The bullying didn’t just end there though, it included her male English teacher who was entrusted in her care and who according to her caused ‘so much pain’ and ‘low self-esteem’. In spite of this, she graduated High School with successful grades.
Her journey as a Muslim American though was not yet over. She came of age during 9/11 and as a college student, relived her High School trauma being called Bin Laden and a terrorist.
A decade later she launched stunning-hijab.com an online shop catering to hijabi women. The store became an instant hit and she received messages from women and girls around the world. One message particularly stuck with her, it came from a 14 year old school girl from the UK who confided in her on her own tumultuous hijab journey, how she was frequently spat at and a frequent target for bullies at school. This hit close to home for Khan and it became the seed that made her want to grow what eventually become world hijab day on February 1st 2013 into an internationally recognised holiday. Since then her holiday has received interest from politicians and activist, women all around the world, both Muslim and non Muslim who are eager to dispel myths surrounding the headscarf.
One can’t help feel inspired by khan journey but there are those who completely reject her message and the idea of hijab altogether. Enter #NoHijabDay spearheaded by Yasmine Mohammed an Ex-Muslim, the hashtag aims to get together women with similar backgrounds either Ex-Muslim or living in authoritarian regime where Islamic dress codes are imposed to share their #freefromhijab story. Which is on the same day as World Hijab Day.
This does present the dilemma of who’s right? The answer to that is neither. The truth is that is should be the choice of women to to wear hijab as much as it’s a choice for women not to. But out of the two arguments, to wear or not to wear, there seems to be one belief that reigns supreme and is more acceptable in society — that the Islamic headscarf is not a choice. Or rather can’t be- at least according to secular and non Muslim critics. It’s an inherently misogynistic article of clothing forced on Muslim women by a misogynist religion and therefore a symbol of women’s oppression. Full stop.
A belief also exploited by right wing populist of Europe and North America who often attacked Islamic dress to demonstrate that it’s foreign and alien, has no place in society and opposes western values. A ban on hijab worn in public spaces in France was even recently proposed by Marie Le Pen in January.
Discourse on the hijab and it’s place in society in the political sphere is a recurring topic which more often than not turns into hijabophobia. This piece of garment worn by women has been banned or partially banned by numerous countries since 1980 — Turkey, Tunisia, France, Belgium, Russia and Germany. Turkey and Tunisia, both Muslim majority both repealed the wearing of hijab in public spaces in 2013 and 2011 respectively. Misunderstanding of the headscarf still remains and is one of the reasons why Muslim women with headscarfs are the primary victims of Islamophobia and recent incidents of the stabbings of Muslim women by bigots unreported further highlight the importance of world hijab day.
Many anti-hijab activist often conflate patriarchy and general misogyny with the headscarf due to their personal experiences with it. We have to remember patriarchy and misogyny are not exclusive to any culture or region. But is unfortunately still widespread and it impacts are felt by women everywhere. It would be alienating Muslim women to suggest that they are ‘oppressed’ for the headscarf they bought with their own money when members of the public publicly mock and assault them. But when it’s White men attacking defenceless brown women in the street somehow that doesn’t warrant the same outrage or a riot from feminist groups. Yet there are also many women living in authoritarian regimes who have no say in how they can dress and are often met with violence or jail for refusing to wear the headscarf. This is one of the reasons why I’m frustrated with the lack of solidarity between the two.
Hijabies and Nojabies need to realise they have more in common than they think. Choice.