Pink Hijab Day is a global event that aims to shatter stereotypes of Muslim women and raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
It is held on the last Wednesday of October every year. Women of all faiths across the world participate by wearing pink hijabs (headscarves) and ribbons, and raising funds for breast cancer organisations.
Pink Hijab Day is a global event that aims to shatter stereotypes of Muslim women and raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
It is held on the last Wednesday of October every year. Women of all faiths across the world participate by wearing pink hijabs (headscarves) and ribbons, and raising funds for breast cancer organisations.
“Thousands of women in South Africa die of breast cancer, so this is a good of way of making women aware and raising funds for research,” said Amina Ebrahim, a student at Rhodes University who promoted the event in Grahamstown and assisted others across the country.
“It is also a good way of challenging the myths about Islam and Muslim women,” she added. Hijab is an Arabic word that literally means ‘cover’ and usually refers to the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women.
Islam requires men and women to dress modestly, and for women this includes covering the hair. Covering the face (niqab) and wearing black garments is not a requirement of Islam, but a cultural practise largely found in certain Arab and south Asian countries.
Many young Muslims around the world, especially in Muslim minority countries, are choosing to wear the hijab to express their faith.
The term ‘Hijabi’ is not an Arabic term but is what most English speaking Muslims call someone who wears the hijab.
“Pink Hijab Day allows for Muslim women to break the stereotype that hijab is forced on us and that it needs to black,” said Ebrahim.
“This is an expression of faith and solidarity with those suffering from breast cancer.” She said that even young women need to be aware of the dangers and testing should be encouraged for all.
There is no sure way to avoid breast cancer but if detected early enough, the risk of fatality is drastically reduced.
The initiative was started two years ago by Hend Al-buri in the USA and this year initiatives across the country were organised by the Muslims Professionals Network (MPN), the Muslim Students’ Associations and many others.
In Johannesburg, the MPN and Absa bank distributed pink scarves to offices and distributed material on breast cancer awareness.
The Voice of the Cape (VOC) radio station in Cape Town hosted a fundraising event at the Good Hope Centre for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA).
The VOC reported that the event was dedicated to the memory of Shireen van der Ross, a woman who supported the campaign last year but died of the disease in January.
