As you may or may not know, February 1st was World Hijab Day. It is a day meant to honor all of the beautiful Muslim women of the world that wear the hijab daily and represent Islam. With all of the disappointing events happening to Muslims nowadays, like Trump's Muslim ban, wearing the hijab becomes even more powerful.
Wait a second...what is a hijab? Is that the name of some Middle Eastern dessert? Is it that scarf that Muslim women wear to cover their shiny bald heads? Is it that towel Muslim women wear to make a fashion statement?
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No, no, and maybe (Just kidding!).
The word hijab (الحجاب in Arabic) is a word in Arabic that means "cover." It is a veil or covering that Muslim women wear as a form of humility and devotion to God. It is often misinterpreted as a symbol of oppression. However, it is the opposite. The hijab is a symbol of modesty and female empowerment for Muslim women. It serves as a daily reminder for Muslim women that they are in this world because of God and for God only. The hijab represents the importance of being humble in our appearance and character. It also acts as God's shield from things that can hurt us in the world.
Here are six of many famous Muslim women that wear the hijab that you might know and/or should know:
1. Ibtihaj Muhammad
The first Olympian of Team USA to compete while wearing a hijab. She played for Team USA's fencing team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. She won the bronze medal for Women's Sabre Fencing and has made history as the first hijabi Olympian. She serves as a role model for Muslim women that would like to become professional athletes.
2. Linda Sarsour
This Muslim political activist, public speaker and Executive Director of the Arabic Association of New York has changed mainstream media. The Palestinian-American was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has spoken at huge news platforms such as CNN and at a Bernie Sanders rally at Washington Square Park, New York City last year. She was also one of the main organizers of the Women's March on Washington in Washington, D.C. She is a revolutionary woman that is challenging labels made against the Muslim community and giving Muslims a voice in the media.
3. Dina Tokio
(One of my fave beauty/fashion bloggers!)
This British-Egyptian is a beauty and fashion blogger as well as a fashion designer. She has over one million followers on Instagram and over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube. She makes YouTube videos on fashion/style, makeup and hijab tutorials, entertaining events in her daily life and advice videos with her husband. She has her own clothing line called Dina Torkia and was an honored guest and immense inspiration for the first ever Istanbul Modest Fashion Week in 2016.
4. Malala Yousafzai
A Pakistani education, women's and children's rights activist, and winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. She rose to universal fame after she was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan. Her book, "I Am Malala," is about her inspirational story as a woman struggling to earn an education in Pakistan. After her rise to fame, she created the Malala Fund and movement #YesAllGirls, which is a charity devoted to giving girls around the world the ability to get an education. She has become a role model for girls and has made history as the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize.
5. Mariah Idrissi
This half-Pakistani, half-Moroccan 24-year-old British woman is the first model to wear a hijab in a fashion campaign for a world known company. She rose to fame after being featured in a video for the famous fashion company H&M. Since then, she has been signed to Select, a large-scale modeling agency, as the first model to wear a hijab. Her work has influenced magnificent companies such as Dolce & Gabbana to create clothing lines for women that wear the hijab.
6. Noor Tagouri
This 23-year-old Muslim-American is a motivational speaker and journalist pursuing to become the first news anchor to wear a hijab. She has her own clothing line called #TheNoorEffect in partnership with the company Lis'n Up. Its purpose is to highlight the social issues of sex trafficking and women's rights through powerful messages (the hoodie she is wearing in the second picture is from her clothing line). Noor has over 200,000 followers on Instagram and is the first woman to be featured in Playboy magazine wearing a hijab.
As a "non-hijabi," which is slang for a Muslim woman that does not wear the hijab, I aspire to confidently wear the hijab one day like the women mentioned above. I am so proud of my religion and all of the beautiful women in the world that wear the hijab. I look up to the women in my life that wear the hijab delightedly – women like my mother, grandmother, aunts, friends and many more. They make me respect the hijab and the women who wear it more every day. I hope this article gave you more insight on the hijab, eliminated its stereotypes, and/or influenced you to admire the women next to you on the bus, doctor's office or any other place, wearing a hijab!
