Joining millions of Muslim women worldwide, Indian women in Lucknow the capital of Uttar Pradesh state marked World Hijab Day (WHD) for the first time with a special celebration on February 1.
“I came to know about WHD through postings on social media. It is a brilliant way to spread awareness about Hijab and in a broader perspective about Islam,’ Ayushi Srivastava, who came to attend the event in Lucknow, told the Times of India, IRNA reports.
“It will let people know that Hijab is actually the freedom of women to express themselves the way they want to, contradictory to the ignorant and stereotypical notion about it.”
Organized by a team of young Indian women, Lucknow’s event is a part of the global celebrations of the third anniversary of the WHD that was marked in 140 countries around the world.
With dozens of handmade posters and banners decorating the streets, Muslim and non-Muslim women at the Bada Imambara were invited to try Hijab for a day.
“When somebody decides to wear minimal clothes, she is considered as modern and free but when another woman chooses to cover herself, she is deemed oppressed,” said Sarah Husain, a member of the World Hijab team in Lucknow.
“If I choose to wear the Hijab out of choice, even though I know it is in my religion, I will cover my hair, not my brain and my intellect.”
Led by an Indian fashion blogger, Farsheen Naqi, 22, organizers of the event aim to raise awareness about the Islamic headscarf and dispel misconceptions surrounding it.
“I joined this campaign to dispel the judgmental nature of people, to persecute prejudices we have for one another,” said 20-year old Heba Zahra. Everybody needs to be open about each other’s choices and opinions and more so tolerant towards all religions.
There are 140 million Muslims in Hindu-majority India, the world’s third-largest Muslim population after Indonesia and Pakistan.
