World Hijab Day 2024

Read a powerful, moving blog from our Communications Lead Uroosa S. , as she raises her voice to reclaim the narrative this year on World Hijab Day .

The past few years have been heavy for women in Hijabs. From burning Hijabs as a form of resistance, to watching thousands of hijab-clad women fleeing a war-zone, we have surely held our own hijabs close, or maybe even wanted to push them away – disassociate with the heaviness they bring. In the run up to this year’s World Hijab Day, I trawled through a number of personal essays and accounts and found myself exhausted and overstimulated by the political affiliations attached to a headscarf. I began to think about how I relate completely with all these women, their words really resonate with me and my own experiences, but instead of feeling seen or empowered, I felt drained. I am tired and fed-up of the hijab being forced as a political tool to empower women, to enslave women, to protect from the male gaze, to reject sexualisation, to defy norms, to rebel and so on. While the Hijab may indeed do all of these things and more, this World Hijab Day I feel I want my hijab to be what it was meant to be. Not a symbol of resistance, not a token of oppression and control, but a means to my higher purpose – a way to come closer to God and farther from the whims of this temporary world.

Counter to many beliefs, my faith does not teach me to cover myself in a hijab in an attempt to dim myself, hide away or be ‘less’. I want to take my hijab out of the public and political forum and remind you all that it is actually a deeply personal commitment to my faith which I am entitled to make and maintain without having to feel like a spokesperson for the 800 million or so Muslim women in the world.

There's beauty in the simplicity, in the personal stories of why we choose to wear the hijab. Some may find in it a profound sense of belonging, a connection to a rich and diverse community that spans the globe. Others may see it as a form of spiritual discipline, a daily reminder of their faith and the values they strive to live by. And there are those for whom the hijab is a declaration of identity, in a world that often seeks to erase or homogenize cultural distinctions. All of these reasons are completely valid but overall it is so important to reclaim the narrative, about stating, in no uncertain terms, that my hijab is first and foremost for me and my relationship with my Creator.

Hijab stories are as diverse as the women who wear the hijab, and they deserve to be heard without the overlay of political agendas or societal debates. This is not to say that we shouldn’t acknowledge the challenges. Not every woman has the freedom to wear or not wear her hijab as she wishes, and for some, this choice comes with risks—discrimination, misunderstanding, and even violence on both ends of the spectrum. These issues are real and deserve attention and action. However, addressing these challenges doesn't require politicising the hijab itself – it calls for a deeper look and remedying the intolerance and prejudice that lie at the heart of these issues. Fighting Islamophobia, xenophobia, racist tropes and stereotypes.

On this World Hijab Day, the theme is #VeiledInStrength; I wasn’t sure about this - it didn’t sound right to me and I even reached out to the World Hijab Day team for some more clarification. The response they sent reminded me that strength is a multifaceted force and that by wearing a hijab every day, despite the negative connotations and risks attached to it in the UK, we are quietly showcasing high-levels of resilience and self-determination. Resilience and self-determination in the face of adversity are just two of the things my Hijab has blessed me with. It has taught me the discipline, commitment, thoughtfulness, empathy and more than anything else it has taught me love for myself, my faith and my Creator.

See the hijab for what it is to many of us—a deeply personal expression of faith and identity. Honour the choices of individual women, supporting their right to wear their hijab as they see fit, and recognising the myriad meanings it holds for them.

As we celebrate this day, let's remember that at its core, the hijab is about a woman's direct relationship with God. It's a reminder that in a world where we are constantly bombarded with messages about how we should look, what we should wear, and how we should act, there is immense power in choosing to define ourselves on our own terms, in alignment with our faith and our personal values.

As much as we are all #VeiledInStrength, I personally look forward to a time when wearing a hijab will be a painless and uncomplicated act.