This story echoes my own personal thoughts on the Hajib wearing displays. Well intentioned, but the wrong message. Martin Harris
A women’s rights activist in Iran says her heart broke when she saw New Zealanders wearing the hijab in an attempt at solidarity following the Christchurch mosque attacks.
NZ Herald, Tuesday, 2 April 2019, 7:52p.m.
Jacinda Ardern made international headlines after she wore the hijab while meeting with Muslim leaders. (Photo / Kirk Hargreaves)
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist and journalist who hosts the website My Stealthy Freedom where women in Iran post photos without headscarves, admired Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s compassion, but was conflicted about the national display.
After 50 people were shot dead in two Christchurch mosques on March 15, photos of Ardern wearing a hijab went around the world, with many political commentators admiring her act of solidarity.
Alinejad, who has lived in self-imposed exile since 2009 and received death threats for her campaigning against Iran’s obligatory wearing of headscarves, told Reuters:
“I felt admiration that a prominent leader and women in New Zealand showed compassion to the Muslim community, but I also felt that you are using one of the most visible symbols of oppression for Muslim women in many countries for solidarity, and it also broke my heart. “That is why I call on them to show their sisterhood and solidarity with us, who are being beaten up, imprisoned and punished for fighting against compulsory hijab as well.”
Masih Alinejad
Alinejad has also founded White Wednesdays, a movement which saw many women take off their headscarves in protest of the “discriminatory law”.
