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BCMA Board of Women’s Council Vice Chair of Social Services presents: World Hijab Awareness Day 2nd Annual virtual Event – February 25th
3-23-2022
World Hijab Awareness was initiated by Sr. Nazma Khan in New York in 2013. She was harassed on the streets for wearing a hijab. This motivated to start education and awareness about the hijab.
Women are encouraged to experience wearing a hijab for a day. As this indicates that Muslim women are not oppressed as seen and judged by the west. Being a hijabi we are easily targeted for our visible minority status. There is racism and discrimination of Islamic dressing in school and workplaces. In Quebec, hijab and niqab’s were banned in government workplaces. A sikh woman in Quebec was banned for wearing a turban and thus she fought and became an advocate for religious dressings. She is the world sikh organization (WSO). She includes the turban and hijab.
A BC youth on public transit, Sr. Nour, who was assaulted, verbally disparaged for wearing a hijab. Her hijab pulled off. She was traumatized by the incident both physically and psychologically. Thus, she became the spokesperson with the RCMP hate crime division in the lower mainland.
In 2016 the RCMP diversity committee in the lower mainland opened recruiting and expanded uniform options for women to wear hijab.
6:00pm – Intro – Shabeen Khan Women’s Council Secretary welcomed and was the moderator for the evening
Sr. Bushra OBED commended with a Quran Tilawat and spoke briefly on the hijab/head covering from an Islamic perspective
Chair of Women’s Council – Sr. Mary-Joy Asin welcomed and addressed the audience on this special event. She proudly wears the hijab as the operating room technician at UBC
Shabeen – introduces Farida Bano Ali V/Chair Social Services
Sr. Farida Bano Ali
She was the former chair of the board of Women’s council and has served the BCMA for over 20 years in different portfolios. She worked as a RN/Reg. Psych. Nurse (UK). Her tireless advocacy of Women’s rights and social issues led her to receive both the 2014 Governor General’s BC Community Achievement Award and Burnaby City Mayor 10 Local Hero & Domestic Violence, mental Health and Child Abuse for community services. Farida became the first hijab wearing women to represent BC’s Canadian Citizenship & Immigration ceremony on Canadian Flag Day. A woman of Distinction nominee for community Championship in 2016 by YWCA. She’s an avid advocate for Muslim Foster children with MCFD. BC representative on the Federation of Canadian Muslim Social Services as Muslim foster children with the MCFD.
Sr. Shahina Siddiqui – Winnipeg
She is the founder of the Federation of Canadian Muslim Social Services – November 2014
Coast to coast representatives from each province
Author, speaker, educator, volunteer, executive director of Islamic social services – Association Winnipeg. She is a spiritual counsellor, building bridges between faith and culture.
She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal 2013, Canadian Red Cross humanitarian 2016 and honorary Doctorate of Law University of Manitoba 2019.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sr. Shahina in Winnipeg in the newly formed federation of Social Services coast to coast.
Sr. Fatima Nazeer
Family Counsellor, Public Speaker, Community Advocate
Director Muslim Advisory Committee for MCFD
Former Chairperson for Masjid Rahmah BCMA and Former Executive Board Director for women’s council BCMA
Former Programs coordinator and Facilitator SD36
Interactive Session:
1) Sharing individual experiences of Sisters in hijab – this platform is to encourage and empower sisters and youths to be comfortable and proud of who you are
2) Closing Dua – Sr. Fatima
Footnotes:
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