LONDON: Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid is using her platform to raise awareness of discrimination against Muslim women who wear hijabs.
The supermodel, 25, shared a series of posts to her Instagram detailing some of the struggles affecting Muslim women across the world today. She also shared the story of Hoda, a young hijabi who was attacked.
“In other forms of discrimination: I urge France, India, Quebec, Belgium and any other country in the world that is discriminatory against Muslim women to rethink what decisions you have made or are trying to make in the future about a body that is not yours,” the model wrote in the caption.
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She also called out people looking to police women’s ability to play sports or study while wearing the hijab. “To get an internship, most universities will say the only way to get one is to take off the hijab. It’s ridiculous and really shows how Islamophobic the world is without even acknowledging it,” she wrote.
The model emphasised that it is absurd for men to dictate women’s choices about their own bodies in the 21st century. “The egocentrics of a man to think for even for one second, that they have enough validity to make decisions for a woman in 2022, are not only laughable but actually sick in the head,” she added.
Quoting a friend and tagging them, Hadid said, “Taqwa Bint Ali said to me ‘You know, at the root of it all, all of this is just much deeper than Islamophobia; it’s pure sexism and misogyny. no matter the countries or the time men always want to control what a woman does and wears.'” She ended the post with a resolute “it needs to stop.”
The model also shared a photo captured by her friend captioned, “Although different forms of the hijab and head coverings are starting to make an appearance in fashion, let’s still remember the daily struggle, abuse and discrimination Muslim women face on a regular basis because of their faith and what they stand for.”
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In her third post, she demanded justice for Hoda, a hijabi who was attacked and abused.
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Hadid said in 2017 that she identifies as a “proud Muslim” and made sure to stand up for her “Muslim sisters.” She has been very vocal about Islamophobia and the rights of Palestinians as well.
