MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Feb. 3 (PIA) --- Government workers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) including officials gathered Saturday morning, February 1, at the region’s seat to join people from across the globe in celebrating the World Hijab Day.
The women, regardless their religious affiliation, wore hijab in show of support to Muslim women who, by choice, don the hijab or any other prescribed dress for them.
Now on its second year, the World Hijab Day is observed in more than 50 countries worldwide to help end discrimination against Muslim women who wear hijab. It was espoused by Nazma Khan, a Bangladeshi-American woman who thought of encouraging women from all over, especially the non-Muslims, to wear hijab for a day to foster religious understanding and tolerance.
The ARMM government organized a fun run and a seminar to highlight the celebration. All women participants were encouraged to wear hijab.
Delsa Culango, a non-Muslim employee, said she supports Muslim women who wear the hijab particularly those who do it by choice.
“We should respect, and not discriminate, people for what they believe,” she said.
Sitti Djalia Hataman, Anak-Mindanao Partylist representative, is one of the advocates of the World Hijab Day in the country.
Hataman, herself a hijabi, said she knows by experience what it’s like to be discriminated for wearing hijab and for being a Muslim.
At a seminar on hijab and discrimination arranged by the ARMM’s Department of Tourism, Hataman brought the audience to tears as she narrated some of her personal experience and told them “marami mang diskriminasyon ang dumating, magsusuot ako ng hijab at hindi ko ikakahiyang Muslim ako.” (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/PIA-10)
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