All posts tagged: hijab

Muslim women are suing jails and police over hijab removal at booking. And winning.

Muslim women are suing jails and police over hijab removal at booking. And winning.

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — More Muslim women across the United States are turning to the courts to challenge prison and police policies that force them to remove their hijabs for booking photos, arguing the practice violates their religious freedom and leaves them exposed to lasting harm. In the last two months, at least five such cases have been filed or settled. Attorneys say the lawsuits do not reflect a new problem so much as a new willingness to fight. A growing track record of successful cases from Minnesota to New York City has emboldened Muslim women to come forward about their experiences.  “A lot of Muslim women realized, ‘Oh, this is something I can complain about. I felt like it violated my rights. I knew it felt wrong, but I didn’t know that I could actually try to get these pictures destroyed,’” said Aya Beydoun, a staff attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations who has litigated several of these cases in recent years. And arrests at pro-Palestine protests have also brought more visibly Muslim women into …

As Quebec’s secularism laws threaten religious identities, Ontario schools embrace them

As Quebec’s secularism laws threaten religious identities, Ontario schools embrace them

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — On a chilly March evening, my children and I, dressed in traditional attire — an abaya and hijab for myself, Pakistani shalwar kameez for my kids — walked hand in hand to my daughter’s public school in Ontario, Canada. We were greeted by hand-painted signs reading “Ramadan Kareem,” a phrase wishing others a blessed and abundant Ramadan, in both English and Arabic. Balloons, lanterns and extra-large marquee light-up letters spelling “RAMADAN” decorated the entire gymnasium, where a banquet was set up to celebrate the holy month for the many Muslim students and families who bring vibrancy to the school community. And not only Muslim families attended — school staff and friends hailing from different backgrounds broke bread together. One Muslim teacher loaned her best dresses to her non-Muslim teacher colleagues so they could be adorned just as glamorously to be a part of the festivities.  This welcoming community vibe is representative of not only Ramadan and Islam, but also of the school itself. It’s one of many ways Ontario’s public schools celebrate religious …

‘Muslim women are not afraid to be seen’ – the power of the printed hijab | Fashion

‘Muslim women are not afraid to be seen’ – the power of the printed hijab | Fashion

Published by Sam Flores

There’s a common sentiment among my hijab-wearing friends: a plain black headscarf is the equivalent of putting your hair in a slickback bun. A slickback bun is classic, timeless and polished – it can go with almost anything. But, it can also look a little tired. I love bold prints, and it isn’t just me. A friend of mine gravitates toward leopard prints and pashmina-style scarves, a nod to her Kashmiri heritage. And it’s not only an aesthetic choice – for many hijab-wearing women, patterned scarves feel like a push against the idea that Muslim women should blend in. Loud and proud printed hijabs are having a full-throttle revival. At London fashion week last weekend, hijab-wearing models appeared in jewellery-adorned scarves, inspired by traditional Yemeni fabrics, at the show of British-Yemeni designer Kazna Asker. Florals, tartans, polka dots, and graphic motifs fill my TikTok feeds. Keffiyeh-inspired designs sell out within hours. For gen Z Muslim women in particular, the printed scarf has shifted from something coded as “too much” to a deliberate part of an …

NSS supports ‘No Hijab Day’ discussion in Leicester

NSS supports ‘No Hijab Day’ discussion in Leicester

Published by Sam Flores

Ex-Muslims have shared their stories of being forced to wear the hijab at an event in Leicester supported by the National Secular Society. The event, which took place on Sunday 1st February to commemorate ‘No Hijab Day’, was hosted by Leicester Secular Society (LSS) and featured a panel of five ex-Muslim women from around the world. No Hijab Day aims to highlight that millions of women worldwide are forced to wear hijab, often under threat of violence or even death. This includes Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian Kurdish woman who died in 2022 after being viciously beaten by Iran’s ‘morality police’ for not wearing ‘correct’ hijab. The event prompted protests from Islamic groups, which accused LSS of being “Islamophobic” and said promoting No Hijab Day is “offensive”. The protests prompted LSS to arrange extra security for the event, which was funded by the NSS. Hijab is “tool of control” ‘Khan’, who left Islam in 2013, said wearing the hijab was “not a choice”. Raised in Pakistan, she was forced to wear a burqa …

Iran using drones to enforce hijab law

Iran using drones to enforce hijab law

Published by Sam Flores

A Friday report by the United Nations says Iran is using advanced technology, including drones, facial recognition and a citizen-reporting app to crack down on violations of its mandatory hijab laws. A key element of the effort is the government-backed Nazer app, which enables the police and “vetted” members of the public to report alleged violations by women in vehicles, including those in ambulances, mass transit and taxis. The report describes the app as allowing users to upload the vehicle license plate, location and time of an alleged violation. It then, according to the report, alerts police. Then, according to the report, the app “triggers a text message (in real-time) to the registered owner of the vehicle, warning them that they had been found in violation of the mandatory hijab laws, and that their vehicles would be impounded for ignoring these warnings.” According to the report, authorities are using drones in Tehran and the southern part of the country to monitor hijab compliance in public areas, as well as new facial recognition software said to …