#JeSuisHijabi aims to foster dialogue on Islam in Canada

After the Paris attacks and subsequent hate crimes against Muslim women in Canada and elsewhere, an Islamic cultural group has launched the #JeSuisHijabi campaign to promote tolerance and educate non-Muslims about the religion.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at has set up booths across the country, handing out information on Islam and giving women the opportunity to try on a hijab, the traditional headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

Many have joined in the campaign via social media, tweeting pictures of themselves in hijabs or publishing messages of support. Muslim women who wear the headscarf are known as hijabi.

Click here to see a photo gallery.

“It’s really essential for us to use our voice and help Canadians better understand the Muslim identity,” said Ahmadiyya spokeswoman Hena Malik.

While the organization is international, Malik said the #JeSuisHijabi campaign is made in Canada.

She said it was important to open a dialogue with Canadians about Islam and what the hijab represents for the women who wear it.

“We’re Canadian just as much as everyone else,” she said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Malik said that women choose to wear the hijab for a variety of reasons, and that it’s not about patriarchy or oppression as critics have charged.

“For us it’s a form of worship and spirituality,” she said.

“It’s after a careful contemplation of our faith, and it’s a completely personal matter.”

She pointed to the fact that modesty has long been a part of religious traditions of all kinds.

The Virgin Mary, for instance, is most often depicted with a head covering that some consider a hijab.

“Modesty isn’t exclusive to Muslim women,” she said.

Malik said the response to the campaign, only the latest in a series of initiatives Ahmadiyya has undertaken, has been phenomenal so far.

“These campaigns continue to remind us how great Canadians are,” she said.