BROOKLYN – In an effort to educate people on hijab, a group of African American Muslim women in Brooklyn, New York hosted a hijab fashion show at Brooklyn Ballroom in Bed-Stuy on August 5, BrooklynNews12 reported.
“We hope to send a different message about our Islamic cultural fashion choice,” Nissa Greenley, one of the show organizers clarified.
“It’s our way of life–we believe that covering is part of our beauty and some people believe it’s oppression but it’s not.”
For designers at the event like Zubaidah Abdul, it was an opportunity to show that women have options with modest Islamic clothing.
She says her line is all about color and stepping outside the box. Abdul says her goal is to make curvier woman feel confident in their skin.
For those who attended, it was also an opportunity to show their children what their fashion choices mean to their Islamic culture.
“I want her to see this,” said Jannah Bayyan, a mother who brought her daughter to the show.
“When she sees women feeling confident in their hijab, she’ll want to be part of it when she grows up.”
Islam designates hijab as a mandatory aspect for Muslim females after reaching the age of puberty. It’s worn for modesty and privacy. Modesty in the holy Qur’an concerns both men’s and women’s gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia.
Compared to Western Europe, there have been relatively few controversies surrounding the hijab in the US, and Muslim garb is commonly seen in major American cities.
Islam is the third largest religion in the US after Christianity and Judaism. According to a newer estimate in 2016, there were 3.3 million Muslims living in the US, about 1% of the total American population.