World Hijab Day celebrated

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - World Hijab Day, created in 2013 to encourage women of all religion and background to wear the hijab in support of Muslim women, was celebrated with events in several countries.

Launched by a Bangladeshi woman named Nazma Khan, it takes place on Feb. 1 each year and is celebrated worldwide.

In Indonesia's capital Jakarta, women gathered to stress the need for solidarity among people in the world.

Speaking in Jakarta, World Hijab Day's Malaysia organizer Murshidah Said said all the people in the world should ignore the differences of race, religion or language.

"Judging people by their faith is wrong," Said said. "We always gather around with non-Muslim people too. Our aim is to break down the prejudices against the hijab."

In Malaysia, an event was organized in the city of Shah Alam to highlight the importance of the hijab in the Muslim world.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, a Women with Hijab Movement association member, Bkay Nair, said she was not a Muslim but still took part in the movement "to prove that having negative thoughts about the hijab is wrong".

"To prove my stance, I wore a hijab today. I think that wearing hijab is not a wrong thing. Muslim women use hijab for their faith," she said.

A Muslim convert, Shaly Nzeita, also shared her thoughts on wearing the hijab and being proud to be a Muslim.

"When I read the Holy Quran, I found answers. I wanted to take part in this movement by saying why I converted to Islam," she said.

In Bosnia Herzegovina, a march took part in the city of Velika Kladusa.

The march, organized by the Religious Affair Directorate of Bosnia and Herzegovina, saw many women participating.

Asmira Miljkovic Nadarevic, a coordinator in the directorate, said in a speech: "This organization was organized to break down the prejudice against hijab.

"This is our way of living. Nobody should be able to take this away from us."

In the Kenyan capital, the Nairobi Muslim Students Association of the University of Nairobi and Muslim women held a procession across the central business district.

The women called on Kenyan schools not to harass girls for wearing hijabs in school.

“Despite a Kenyan court directing the Ministry of education to ensure that Muslim girls face no discrimination in school nothing has changed, many schools say that hijabs are not part of the school uniform, we need to stop the discrimination on religion,” Asha Mohammed one of those who marched told Anadolu Agency.