People gather in Phoenix to mark World Hijab Day
Feb 1, 2017, 4:07 PM
(KTAR Photo/Kathy Cline)
(KTAR Photo/Kathy Cline)
PHOENIX — People of multiple faiths gathered in Phoenix on Wednesday to mark World Hijab Day, designed to celebrate a woman’s right to wear a headscarf in public.
The event began in 2013 and is celebrated in 140 countries. A hijab is a veil a woman wears in public or the presence of men, outside of her immediate family. It is typically associated with Islam, but is worn in other cultures as well.
Victoria Washington, a black Jewish lawyer who attended Wednesday’s announcement, said her rights are compromised when Muslim women are attacked or jeered for wearing hijabs.
“[Muslim women’s] right to wear a headscarf is my right to wear a headscarf,” she said. “Jewish women wear hair scarves too, as an expression of our faith and modesty.”
Hijabs are traditionally worn by women as a requirement of their respective faith, though not every woman wears one.
Deedra Abboud, a Scottsdale lawyer, said people do not have to wear a headscarf to show support for those who do, especially those who may be targeted because of their hijab.
“This is about standing up and saying, ‘Our women should never be attacked, no matter how they’re dressed,’” she said.
