THE WORLD HIJAB DAY
On February 1, millions Muslim and non-Muslim women wearing the hijab marched on the streets of 116 countries to mark the third anniversary of World Hijab Day.
In Nigeria the MPAC, along with more than 10 Islamic organizations, marked the event across the country to highlight the significance and status of hijab in Islam and promote religious harmony.
The World Hijab Day, held for the third consecutive year, is the brain child of a New York resident, Nazma Khan, who came up with the idea as a means to foster religious tolerance and understanding. Suggesting the event, Khan wanted to encourage non-Muslim women to don the hijab and experience it before judging Muslim women. She also saw the event as a best chance to counteract some of the controversies surrounding why Muslim women choose to wear the hijab.
MPAC used the ocassion of this year’s celebration to once again highlight the plight of students in Lagos State public schools and called on the Lagos State government to redress the lingering injustice; to encourage Muslim non-hijabis to try out the hijab for a day and to amplify the voices of many observant hijabis across the country that are either denied public services, harrased or discriminated against on the basis of their donning the head-cover.
Also, free MPAC publications on hijab were distributed to members of the public to increase public knowledge of the status of hijab in Islam and how millions have come to embrace it through free choice. Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
