Hijab Option for London Policewomen

Metropolitan Police in London has accepted Hijab as a uniform option for Muslim women serving in the force. The announcement was made at a conference on the theme of “Protect and Respect: Everybody’s Benefit”. The move is seen as a further sign of official acceptance of Britain as a religiously diverse society where faith-related accommodations should be made for all individuals.

The Muslim media in Britain had argued for accepting Hijab as a uniform option just as the turban was accepted as a part of the uniform for Sikh policemen. Sikh motorcyclists are also allowed to wear a turban in place of a crash helmet. Muslim policewomen will now be allowed to wear headscarf and the ankle length gown. Muslim police officers will now be allowed to pray on duty, demand halal food and have altered meal schedules during Ramadan.

In the above picture two models Shahnaz Shashudin and Syria Hussain are modeling hijab uniform for women police constables in front of New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police.

http://www.islamfortoday.com/police.htm
___________________________________________________

Making hijab part of Victoria Police uniform

Constable Maha Sukkar yesterday became the first Victoria Police officer to wear a traditional Muslim hijab as part of her uniform.

The 30-year-old former graphic designer was supported by her parents, who flew in from her native Beirut for her graduation ceremony, and friends from the Muslim community.

"At first we were worried by how people would respond but we really admired her courage and she has been an inspiration to us," said her best friend, Aiesha Hussain, at the ceremony.

The navy, lightweight hijab, specifically designed for Constable Sukkar, has Velcro to enable its release should she get caught in a physical scuffle...

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/...
___________________________________________________

Jewish dad backs headscarf daughters

Laurent Levy is the father of two teenagers - Lila, 18, and Alma, 16 - who last week were barred from the Henri Wallon lycee in the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers.

He is a left-wing lawyer, highly articulate. And he is Jewish.

"Let us say I am Jewish by Vichy rules but not by the Talmud," he told me in a cafe in Montmartre where I met him with his daughters.

"Three of my grandparents were Jewish, but not the one that counts - my mother's mother.

"I have a historical identity as a Jew, but not a religious one. I am atheist."

Mr Levy has leapt with a passion to the defence of Lila and Alma - and of the right of all girls who wear the headscarf - to an education like everyone else....

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3149588.stm
___________________________________________________

The headscarf reaches new heights

Wearing traditional Muslim clothes has not slowed an Indonesian woman's climb to the top of her sport. Matthew Moore reports from Jakarta.

When she chalks up to cheat gravity in the climbing events in next month's Asian Extreme Games, Etti Hendrawati knows she'll be turning heads.

But unlike most of her peers, the 28-year-old Indonesian climber will stand out for the amount of clothes she's wearing rather than the lack of them.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/30/1075340838274.html
___________________________________________________

The Race of Their Lives

ATHENS, Aug. 20 -- In a nearly empty Olympic Stadium Friday morning, a woman wearing a track singlet over a traditional Muslim hijab, its white hood imprinted with the flag of Bahrain, set a national record in the 100-meter qualifying heats. So did a woman from Afghanistan, the first to represent her nation in the Olympics, who ran in loose-fitting pants and a T-shirt and finished 62nd out of 63 competitors.

A woman from the island nation of Kiribati who trains in bare feet on crushed coral set a personal best wearing shiny new track spikes. A woman from Somalia, who competed in long pants and with a traditional scarf over her head, finished in the slowest time of the morning, 14.29 seconds, more than three seconds behind the top finishers...

http://thestar.com.my/olympics/story.asp?file=/2004/8/22/olympics/8726514&sec=Olympics

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17835-2004Aug20.html
___________________________________________________

Still in the water

Egypt's greatest swimmer before she retired, Rania Elwani's love affair with water continues -- but there has been a career change. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab talks to the gold fish who has a new wish.

It is not easy being Rania Elwani and it is certainly not easy keeping up with her. One of the world's fastest short-distance swimmers until she retired two years ago, Elwani has kept up her torrid pace on land as well. Meeting her can be a small miracle, so packed is her schedule. The day begins at 6am with rowing, followed by classes at the Faculty of Medicine at Misr University for Science and Technology, lunch at home, hitting the books, some more training, more classes, working at her new job in the International Olympic Committee and, finally, bedtime. Time off to call her friends and visit relatives has become a luxury...

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/586/sp4.htm
___________________________________________________

US University Allows Athlete to Wear Hijab

CAIRO , September 15 (IslamOnline.net) – The University of South Florida has ruled that one of her Muslim athletes is entitled to wear hijab during basketball competitions.

After a meeting between university officials and representatives from the Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), the university allowed Andrea Armstrong to wear the Muslim headscarf during the basketball activities and to reinstate her athletic scholarship.

The University also agreed to work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to allow 22-year-old Armstrong to wear hijab during her team's matches in the new basketball season, CAIR said Wednesday, September 15, in a statement a copy of which was sent to IslamOnline.net...

http://islamonline.net/English/News/2004-09/15/article07.shtml
___________________________________________________

Aussie Muslim Women Footballers Can Play With Hijab

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 22 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Australia’s football federation has adopted a new rule allowing Muslim women players to wear hijab in the field.

The rule came after Muslim player Afifa Saad had lodged a complaint with the Victorian Soccer Federation (VSF) over the discriminatory decision of a referee to call off an April 27 match due to her hijab, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) Friday, May 21.

Saad was told she could not take part unless she removed her Islamic headscarf.

The VSF agreed that Ms. Saad, one of the Victoria state's most promising strikers, deserved an apology...

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-05/22/article05.shtml
___________________________________________________

Not Just a Piece of Cloth

Nurturing the ‘Inner Hijab’
Hijab is the most visual demonstration of a Muslim woman’s submission to Allah and her faith in Him, and out of reverence for the Blessed Month of Ramadan, many Muslim women decide to wear the headscarf for the first time. Putting on the outer covering is just the beginning; when we understand its purpose it becomes more precious...

http://www.themuslimweekly.com/fullstoryview.aspx?NewsID=FC674BF87DE7DEB7CC668F23
___________________________________________________


International Hijab Solidarity Day in London

More than 400 people demonstrate outside the French embassy in London against banning the Islamic headscarf or hijab in French state schools, Saturday, September 4, 2004. The protests, billed as "International Hijab Solidarity Day," were peaceful and police reported no incidences of violence. The rally came two days after the start of the academic year in France, which has banned the wearing of the hijab or any other overt religious symbols in state schools.





http://www.islamonline.net/english/alhadth/2004/09/04/article02.shtml
___________________________________________________

French School Expels Two Girls Over Hijab

PARIS, October 20 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - In the first case since the activation of the controversial law banning conspicuous religious symbols, two French Muslim schoolgirls were expelled from their school in eastern France over hijab.

Dounia and Khouloude, aged 12 and 13, both in seventh grade, were expelled Tuesday, October 19, from the Jean Mace school in the eastern French city of Mulhouse for refusal to take off their hijab, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

“The disciplinary council has decided to definitively exclude the two pupils from the school,” Reuters quoted Michelle Feder-Cunin, the school headmistress as saying...

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-10/20/article05.shtml
___________________________________________________

French cabinet backs scarf ban

The French cabinet has approved a law banning Islamic headscarves and other religious symbols in state schools.
The move comes before a parliamentary debate starting on Tuesday, which is expected to end in the law's approval.

The bill follows an official report on state secularism which was backed by President Jacques Chirac.

Large crucifixes, Jewish skullcaps and other signs of faith - probably including Sikh turbans - will also be banned if the proposals become law...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3437133.stm
___________________________________________________

French scarf ban comes into force

A law banning Islamic headscarves and other religious symbols from French state schools came into effect on Thursday, the first day of term.
So far, most pupils have been observing the law by removing the headscarf or other symbols before entering school.

The lives of two French reporters, held by Iraqi militants who want the ban scrapped, still hang in the balance.

The French government has refused to give in to the militants, who have threatened to kill the two.

But Paris is continuing a diplomatic effort to secure their release....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3619988.stm

___________________________________________________


Women vow to protect Muslim hijab

Muslim women have launched a Europe-wide campaign to protect their right to wear the hijab headscarf.

The international network Assembly for the Protection of Hijab, or Pro-Hijab, was formed in response to headscarf bans in France and parts of Germany.

Pro-Hijab aims to reverse bans already brought in and prevent more "abuses of democracy" being imposed.

"As Muslims we are proud of the hijab, we are not oppressed," said co-ordinator Abeer Pharaon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3805733.stm

___________________________________________________

Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week

Within the stodgy silhouette of Muslim dress, there appears little room for innovation. No necklines to plunge, slots to add, no hemlines to hike or waistlines to kink. That hasn't discouraged increasing numbers of fashion designers from tackling the ultimate challenge, however.

The straight-up-and-down featurelessness of the typical Muslim gown is in fact, the ideal canvas for a play of colours, textures, and patterns.

Designer Iva Lativah showed this heavenly foursome during Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week, and defied the oxymoron, Islamic glamour.

Silk satin was quilted and cut into a boxy jacket that fell wide over a slimmer, but still generous skirt. Sheer black gauze was used as an overlay on brilliantly coloured and patterned kimono coats, and the graphic weave and prints on fine silks were used as headscarves, in block panels for tabard frocks, or as light stoles hooked through the models elbows...

http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/12/1092102589391.html?oneclick=true
___________________________________________________

EU Rights Court Backs Turkey's Hijab Ban

STRASBOURG, June 29 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday, June 29, rejected a case lodged by a Turkish student who had been prevented from studying at a Turkish university for insisting to wear hijab.

Ruling on a case brought by Leyla Sahin, a medical student who was blocked from sitting admission exams at Istanbul University in 1998 and later denied permission to enroll in the faculty, the court ruled that Turkey had not violated her rights, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The court, which sits in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, claimed the ban on wearing hijab was based on principles of equality and secularity...

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-06/29/article05.shtml
___________________________________________________

Singapore headscarf ban faces lawsuit

The families of four Muslim schoolgirls who were suspended from their schools in Singapore for wearing Islamic headscarves are planning to sue the government.

Three of the girls - aged six to seven years old - were barred from school in February after a highly-publicised stand-off between the families and the city-state, which said the scarves flouted school rules.

"The directive given by the Ministry (of Education) to the school principals not to allow these three daughters, school children to put on their headscarves - it's unconstitutional," their lawyer, Sadari Musari, told Reuters on Monday.

The family of a fourth girl, barred from class in 1997, is also bringing a case against the state...

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1943999.stm
___________________________________________________

What If Hijab Is Banned in France?

“What will we do if legislation banning hijab (Islamic headscarf) in schools is issued?” This question is asked by many veiled French women and pondered by the different leaders of the Muslim community. The pressing need for an answer to this question is intensified whenever the Stasi Commission, which observes compliance with secularity in France , interviews a new guest about whether they support legislation barring girls from wearing hijab in schools. Unprecedented media coverage is being given to the views of the commission’s guests on hijab, secularism, religious signs, and the consequences of passing the ban law...

http://www.islamonline.net/English/artculture/2003/10/article03a.shtml
___________________________________________________

U.S. School District Changes Dress Code To Allow Hijab

WASHINGTON , May 20 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Muskogee Public School District in Oklahoma will change its dress code to allow a 12-year-old Muslim girl to wear Hijab after a settlement announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday, May 20.

"This settlement reaffirms the principle that public schools cannot require students to check their faith at the schoolhouse door," Alexander Acosta, assistant attorney general for civil rights, was quoted as saying by the CNN.

The government had filed a court complaint in March on behalf of Nashala Hearn, a sixth-grade student in Muskogee 's Benjamin Franklin Science Academy...

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-05/20/article07.shtml
___________________________________________________

French Sisters Take Hijab Case To Bookshelves

PARIS, February 20 (IslamOnline.net) – The story of Lila and Alma Levy began simply with being referred to the headmaster and ended – as tragically as simply – with expulsion from school.

The two sisters of a Jewish father and an Algerian mother were banned from Lycee Henri school in aubervilliers, Paris, for refusing to take off their hijab in October last year.

Now the two girls decided to take their experience to bookshelves with a book called Deux filles comme les autres (Two girls like others).

The students gave answers on such issues as love and sex, and expounded on how they wore hijab and the future of their gear, to be banned under the imminent law.

The anti-hijab bill was recently approved by the French Parliament’s lower house after President Jacques Chirac had given a televised speech in which he urged secularism be strengthened in the country...

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-02/20/article04.shtml
___________________________________________________

Hijaab is an Attitude, not a Fashion

Wearing the Hijaab isn't just a matter of simply putting a piece of cloth on your head, it is an attitude, a way of thinking and behaving, and accepting yourself for who and what you are. Basically it constitutes an Islamic way of life, it is a statement which indeed should portray a certain attitude.

A woman may indeed wear a long skirt and a scarf, but if she flirts constantly, then she can't be really described as wearing the Hijaab (Indeed clothes should be long, loose and not see through, after which any style of clothing is applicable). The whole idea involves conducting oneself with dignity at all times (that means running for the bus and boisterous behaviour in public is not a good idea!!). As previously mentioned, the Hijaab depicts a...

http://www.themodernreligion.com/women/w_hijab_attitude.htm
___________________________________________________

Star journalist embraces the hijab

An anchorwoman who appeared on an Arab satellite channel in a salmon-coloured Islamic veil has prompted a flood of calls to the station's switchboard.

Star Algerian journalist Khadija Ben Ganna - of al-Jazeera television - decided to put on the hijab one day before the Eid al-Fitr holiday that began on Tuesday in most Muslim countries.

Ben Ganna said she managed to "defeat the devil" after three years of mulling over the idea of wearing the veil, adding that she came under no pressure from the channel's management.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3237298.stm
___________________________________________________

Headscarf row erupts in France

A debate over the right of Muslim girls to wear headscarves to school is raging in France, with government ministers facing allegations of racism.

The arguments date back more than a decade, but were reignited last weekend by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who insisted Muslim women remove their headscarves for identity card photographs.

He was booed by a 10,000-strong gathering of Muslims, the Union of Islamic Organisations in France (UIOF).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2975689.stm
___________________________________________________

Wearing Hijab: Veil Of Valor

Muslim females talk about a lasting symbol of faith, pride

Alya Kazak had been thinking about wearing hijab, a scarf that would publicly identify her as Muslim, for a long time.

It was just a rectangle of cloth, plain and black. But it was heavy with symbolism -- a reminder of her faith, her modesty, her wish that strangers would be attracted by her personality and not her physical beauty.

So what if she worked in a Victoria's Secret selling cosmetics? Sure, there was a conflict there. But the life of an American Muslim is punctuated with cultural clashes. This one didn't seem any bigger than most.

http://www.freep.com/news/religion/hijab6_20011106.htm
___________________________________________________

Berlin Woman Designs 'Modern' Alternative To Hijab

Even as the headscarf row simmers in Germany, a Berlin Muslim has designed colorful alternative headgear that serves the purpose of a traditional hijab but looks like anything but. Finding takers is a problem.

On a sunny winter morning, Emel Algan drives up in a black Mini car to the office of her Islamic women's organization in Berlin's largely Turkish Kreuzberg district, her pixie-like face framed by a swath of striking pink fabric.

Indoors, Algan (photo) does a quick fashion show as she exchanges her cleverly-woven bright hood cum scarf for a jaunty shaded green silk hat with an attached piece of fabric that buttons under the chin and flows to the chest and a floral patterned bandanna-like creation that gathers in at the back of the head.

Now 22, Zaheera grew up in Gloucester and after attending Denmark Road School for Girls she is studying for an MA in management of human resources and works part-time as a youth worker.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/faith/2003/10/young_muslim.shtml
___________________________________________________

Chinese Muslims



Beijing, Muharram 14/Apr 19 (IINA), 2000 - The number of Muslims in China is estimated at 200 million at the moment. Muslim traders introduced Islam to China way back in 681 AD, and there are ancient mosques in China that are over a thousand years old.

The Deputy President of the Chinese Muslim Society told ALDAWA that there are 3,500 mosques in China at the moment, with the number of Imams standing at 4,000. He said that Muslims in China are now living in state of relief and openness, particularly for the last twenty years, adding that before that they were being persecuted and oppressed. He said now new mosques are being built, and the number of Muslims is on the increase in the country as a whole, with many Muslims attending mosques and prayers regularly....

http://www.themodernreligion.com/convert/china.html
___________________________________________________

Facts About Hair-Loss

Many Muslim women and many converts to Islam in particular claim to experience hair loss after adopting hijab (Islamic dress). Their normal reaction is to assume that hijab is the reason for this difficult condition and wonder how they may avoid losing their hair and still wear hijab...

http://www.islamicgarden.com/article1015.html

___________________________________________________

International Hijab Day

International Hijab Day: Thousands around the world demonstrated January 17, 2004, in front of the French embassies in their countries against France's decision to ban girls wearing the Islamic headscarf in public schools.

more pictures...











___________________________________________________


___________________________________________________



Far More Precious Than Diamonds and Pearls:

The following incident took place when Muhammad Ali's daughters arrived at his home wearing clothes that were not modest. Here is the story as told by one of his daughters:

When we finally arrived, the chauffer escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father's suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day.

My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground,covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get to them."

He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too."

___________________________________________________

Baby, it's all good! - A modern hijab poem

Author unknown

What do you see when you look at me
Do you see someone limited, or someone free
All some people can do is just look and stare
Simply because they can't see my hair
Others think I am controlled and uneducated
They think that I am limited and un-liberated
They are so thankful that they are not me
Because they would like to remain 'free'

Well free isn't exactly the word I would've used
Describing women who are cheated on and abused
They think that I do not have opinions or voice
They think that being hooded isn't my choice
They think that the hood makes me look caged
That my husband or dad are totally outraged
All they can do is look at me in fear
And in my eye there is a tear

Not because I have been stared at or made fun of
But because people are ignoring the One up above
On the day of judgment they will be the fools
Because they were too ashamed to play by their own rules
Maybe the guys won't think I am a cutie
But at least I am filled with more inner beauty
See I have declined from being a guy's toy
Because I won't let myself be controlled by a boy

Real men are able to appreciate my mind
And aren't busy looking at my behind
Hooded girls are the ones really helping the Muslim cause
The role that we play definitely deserves applause
I will be recognized because I am smart and bright
And because some people are inspired by my sight
The smart ones are attracted by my tranquility
In the back of their mind they wish they were me

We have the strength to do what we think is right
Even if it means putting up a life long fight
You see we are not controlled by a mini skirt and tight shirt
We are given only respect, and never treated like dirt
So you see, we are the ones that are free and liberated
We are not the ones that are sexually terrorized and violated
We are the ones that are free and pure
We're free of STD's that have no cure

So when people ask you how you feel about the hood
Just sum it up by saying, 'Baby its all good'

___________________________________________________

The Veil
(From the Sound Vision documentary Hijab: An Act of Faith)

They say, "Oh, poor girl, you're so beautiful you know
It's a shame that you cover up your beauty so."
She just smiles and graciously responds reassuringly,
"This beauty that I have is just one simple part of me.

This body that I have, no stranger has the right to see.
These long clothes, this shawl I wear, ensure my modesty.
Faith is more essential than fashion, wouldn’t you agree?"

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.

They tell her, "Girl, don’t you know this is the West and you are free?
You don’t need to be oppressed, ashamed of your femininity."
She just shakes her head and she speaks so assuredly,
"See the bill-boards and the magazines that line the check-out isles,

with their phony painted faces and their air-brushed smiles?
Well their sheer clothes and low cut gowns they are really not for me.
You call it freedom, I call it anarchy."

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.
Lift the veil from your heart and seek the heart of purity.