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By Rajiv Shah
I didn't know that there could ever be a thing as World Hijab Day until I received an email alert from Maryam Namazie of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB), stating that several ex-Muslim women's groups had observed the same day—February 1—as No Hijab Day! According to Namazie, the day "was created on February 1 as a direct response to World Hijab Day" to "illuminate the coercive and oppressive realities of the hijab as a pillar of sex apartheid and a war on women."
The email alert includes a link that begins with the slogan: "Hijab Silences: Take off your Hijab and Put it on a Man." The link states, "For many, the hijab is not a choice but a religious requirement imposed by honor culture, toxic modesty norms, and legal or familial pressures. It is a visible marker of a broader Islamic system that restricts women’s rights and autonomy."I didn't know that there could ever be a thing as World Hijab Day until I received an email alert from Maryam Namazie of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB), stating that several ex-Muslim women's groups had observed the same day—February 1—as No Hijab Day! According to Namazie, the day "was created on February 1 as a direct response to World Hijab Day" to "illuminate the coercive and oppressive realities of the hijab as a pillar of sex apartheid and a war on women."
It further explains, "The religious origins of the hijab underscore its role in control rather than empowerment," pointing out that "historically, the hijab was used to differentiate between believing, free, and enslaved women." It adds, "Islamic teachings have instilled a culture of shame and submission, warning that women will be the majority in hell or face divine punishment for showing their body or hair."
Noting that the hijab is a legal requirement in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, while in Saudi Arabia "so-called reforms" have ostensibly loosened hijab restrictions, the link states, "women continue to be imprisoned for defying dress codes." In Western countries, it adds, "women from Muslim families often face intense social and familial pressures," leading to "grave consequences."
Supporting the "call for men to don the hijab on No Hijab Day," Namazie questions, "How many times have we seen a woman in a full burqa walking behind a man dressed in shorts and a T-shirt? ...Why is there never a men's modest clothing line sold at M&S or Dolce & Gabbana?"
She continues, "Modesty culture sexualizes girls from a young age and puts the onus on them to protect themselves. In her 2005 book Bas les voiles! (Veils Off!), Chahdortt Djavann argues that the psychological damage done to girls from a very young age by making them responsible for men’s arousal is immense."
The email alert also provides another link, where the three organizations behind No Hijab Day—Southall Black Sisters, One Law for All, and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain—state: "The framing of anti-Muslim racism as Islamophobia shuts down legitimate critiques of religion, which impact women’s and LGBT rights as well as free thought and expression."
They argue that the term Islamophobia should be dropped, as it provides a "conceptual framework for the Muslim right to challenge racism" while paradoxically being labeled as "Muslim racism."
The link states that the term Islamophobia should be understood in the context of the "rise of Islamic fundamentalism globally," which has occurred alongside "growing hostility towards migrants," with far-right and racist groups sharpening their "rhetoric and attacks on Muslims, specifically in terms of their religion."
Pointing out that Islamophobia should also be examined in the broader context of increasing religious fundamentalism across all faiths, the link argues that "Islamophobia shuts down legitimate critiques of religion, which impact women’s and LGBT rights as well as free thought and expression."
In fact, it asserts that proponents of the term Islamophobia "push Muslim women into ever-decreasing spaces, making it impossible for them to reject modesty and purity cultures, to question the hijab and other forms of religious dress, and to challenge aspects of their religion."
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