COTABATO CITY (February 6, 2023) –During the 42nd episode of the program Bangsamoro YoutHours: “An Avenue for the Youth to Speak”, on Thursday, February 02, Mohaddisa Muhammad Pak, BYC’s Gender and Development (GAD) focal underscored that wearing hijab “should not only be observed during commemorations rather it should be worn on a regular basis as part of fulfilling one’s religious obligations.”
Ms. Mohammad Pak refers to the World Hijab Day, a celebration that is observed in order to recognize the efforts of Muslim women in adhering to the Islamic practices by wearing the hijab while living a modest and dignified life.
In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the commemoration is spearheaded by the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC).
“Hijab is not just a piece of cloth, but a major part of our faith. It suggests our identity as Muslims,” said Ms. Mohammad Pak, emphasizing the significance of wearing the hijab.
“It is also a day to encourage women of various origins and beliefs to try on the hijab in order to have an understanding regarding our culture and religious identity since we are often misunderstood by many as religious extremists,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bangsamoro Grand Mufti Abu Huraira Udasan addressed some concerns on the observance of world hijab day, noting that such occasion is “bid’ah” or religious innovation — something unacceptable in Islam.
The Mufti responded, “I hope that everyday will be hijab day, so that everyday, our Muslim women will use [and wear] hijab.”
Hijab generally refers to head-coverings worn by Muslim women in public. However, in its deeper meaning, it is the principle of modesty and includes behavior as well as dress for both males and females.
It should also be noted, that Muslim scholars emphasized hijab as wearing loose clothes that do not reveal or describe any part of the body.
“The purpose of clothing is to prevent fitnah (temptation), and this can only be achieved if clothes are wide and loose. Tight clothes, even if they conceal the color of the skin, still describe the size and shape of the body or part of it, and create a vivid image in the minds of men,” said Sheikh Muhammad Nasiruddin Albani, via IslamQA, on conditions of wearing hijab.
This year’s observance of World Hijab Day carries the theme “Progression, Not Oppression”, and with the hashtag #unapologeticalhijabi.
Bangsamoro Youth Hours streams every Thursday, 4 PM to 5 PM at the Facebook pages of Bangsamoro Youth Commission and Bangsamoro Media Productions and airs at GABAY Radio FM 97.7 MHz radio station in Cotabato City. (BYC PR Unit/AAA)
