Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
NEW DELHI—Wading into the Hijab debate, Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid has called the world for Islamophobia and discrimination against women wearing headscarves.
“In other forms of discrimination: I urge the world that is discriminatory against Muslim women to rethink what decisions you have made or are trying to make in the future about a body that is not yours,” the model wrote on Instagram.
“To get an internship, most universities will say the only way to get one is to take off the Hijab. It’s ridiculous and shows how Islamophobic the world is without acknowledging it. In regards to these new bills that are either in the process of being passed or have already,” she added.
Hadid said it is absurd for men to dictate women’s choices about their bodies in the 21st century. “The egocentrics of a man to think for even for one second, that they have enough validity to make decisions for a woman in 2022, are not only laughable but sick in the head,” she said.
Quoting a friend, she said, “Taqwa Bint Ali said to me, ‘You know, at the root of it all, all of this is just much deeper than Islamophobia; it’s pure sexism and misogyny. No matter the country or time, men always want to control what a woman does and wears.”
The model also shared a photo captured by her friend. “Although different forms of the hijab and head coverings are starting to make an appearance in fashion, let’s still remember the daily struggle, abuse, and discrimination Muslim women regularly face because of their faith and what they stand for. To each woman’s body, stand their own opinion on what they should do with it. That is NO ONE’s decision except for theirs,” she said.
Earlier, former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim, who quit showbiz to rediscover her relationship with Allah, said Hijab is not a choice but an obligation in Islam.
“The inherited notion of Hijab being a choice is an ill-informed one. It’s often either a construct of convenience or ignorance. Hijab isn’t a choice but an obligation in Islam. Likewise, a woman who wears the Hijab is fulfilling an obligation enjoined upon her by the God she loves and has submitted herself to,” said wrote on Instagram.
The Hijab controversy started early this year when some Karnataka colleges banned Hijab-clad girls on the campus. Students staged a protest against the Hijab ban.
Zaira said she wears the Hijab with gratitude and humility, resents and resents, and resists this entire system where women are being stopped and harassed for merely carrying out a religious commitment.
“Stacking this bias against Muslim women and setting up systems where they should have to decide between education and Hijab or to give up either is an absolute injustice. You’re attempting to compel them to make a particular choice that feeds your agenda and then criticizing them while they’re imprisoned in what you’ve constructed. There is no other option to encourage them to choose differently. What is this if not a bias with people who confirm it is acting in support of it?” she asked.
Last month, a writ petition was filed in the Karnataka High Court against the Hijab ban. The judge referred the matter to a larger bench. Last week, the court restrained all the students from wearing saffron shawls, scarves, Hijab, and any religious garments in the classroom.
Zaira Wasim regretted that Hijab row is being used to create a facade of empowerment’. “On top of all this, building a facade that all this is being done in the name of empowerment is even worse when it is quite exactly the opposite of that. So sad,” she said.
Zaira quit acting in 2019, saying that it “threatened” her relationship with her faith.
