House panel approves bill declaring  February as ‘National Hijab Day’

April 20, 2017

The House committee on Muslim affairs, chaired by AMIN Partylist Rep. Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, approved House Bill 968 which seeks to declare the first day of February of every year as National Hijab Day. Turabin-Hataman, author of the bill, said wearing the hijab is every Muslim woman’s right. “It is not just a piece of cloth but it is said to be their way of life. In the Muslim holy book the Qur-an, it is obligatory upon every Muslim woman to guard their chastity and modesty," said Turabin-Hataman. Turabin-Hataman said the first observance of the World Hijab Day (WHD) was on Feb. 1, 2013. “It was founded by Miss Nazma Khan in 2013 with the idea to foster social awareness about why they wear hijab and wipe the stigmas attached to wearing hijab,” Turabin-Hataman said. The WHD has become an annual event encouraging Muslim and non-Muslim women to wear the hijab and experience the life of a Hijabis Woman for a day, according to Turabin-Hataman. In the Philippines, Turabin-Hataman said there are some universities who banned Muslim students from wearing hijab. “Some of these students are forced to remove their hijab to comply with the schools’ rules and regulations. Some students are forced to drop out and transfer to other institutions. These are clear violations of the student’s freedom of religion,” said Turabin-Hataman. DMS