"No Hijab Day" Combats White-Washing of Religious Veiling

By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

For many in the Ex-Muslim community, February 1st is No Hijab Day.

The day was purposely marked on the same day as World Hijab Day, which started in 2013 to spread awareness and acceptance for Muslim women in society. According to Muslim public figures Asra Nomani and Maajid Nawaz, however, the holiday is a conservative campaign that gives the misleading idea that hijabs are always worn voluntarily.

This Ex-Muslim holiday also comes in response to a series of protests from 2017-19, where women in Iran protested the hijab laws enforced in the Islamic Republic. The topic of enforced headscarf laws quickly evolved into women’s rights protests.

For women like Alinejad Masih, an Iranian journalist working in the US who was the target of an attempted kidnapping by the Iranian government, the purpose behind No Hijab Day can be personal. In a video she posted to Twitter, she says, “In Iran, I was told if I take off my hijab, I will be hanged with my hair by God.”

In a press release about the holiday, Yasmine Mohammed, a Canadian human rights activist, stated, “As a person who had her childhood snatched away by the hijab at age nine and was threatened with death for removing it, I intimately understand the enormous pressure on women to wear the hijab… Most women can’t speak up, or they will suffer dire repercussions, but we can fight for them”.

If you like our posts, subscribe to the Atheist Republic newsletter to get exclusive content delivered weekly to your inbox. Also, get the book "Why There is No God" for free.

Click Here to Subscribe

Donating = Loving

Heart Icon

Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.

Or make a one-time donation in any amount.