Resource: World Hijab Day

Hello delegates!
I hope your preparation for conference is going extremely well! On behalf of the dais of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, I am looking forward to reading your position papers and getting to learn more about how all of you think and research!

In this post, I wanted to share with you an article about a specific celebration of World Hijab Day, an annual event founded by activist Nazma Khan in 2013, in Ireland, that exalted the choice of Muslim women worldwide to wear hijabs as a proud demarcation of their religion.

Currently, the debate rages on as to whether hijabs are a form of religious repression on the part of the Islamic patriarchy and teachings of the antiquated caliphate, or whether the actual wearing of hijabs represents Muslim women’s right to autonomy of their bodies. This article (linked included below) challenges the stereotypes levied against Muslim women and seeks to challenge the notion that hijabs are as outdated and sexist as Western philosophy has made them out to be.


When reading this, I want you to ponder a couple questions, and comment your answers and/or thoughts in the comments below. What role does Western ideology play in affecting the representation of Muslim women and their rights in modern culture? From the stance of your own country, what do you see as the function of the hijab in your own society? From your country’s perspective, what is your view on the intersection of policy and religion?
Hope this offers you some insight, delegates! See you at conference!

Best,

Dhruv Mandal

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