Scribblings of 09 ...

Pink The ColoUr Of SolidarIty ...

If you happen to walk into AL Falaah College in Durban, on the 28th of November you would have been greeted by a cheery sight of little Muslimahs all donned in different shades of pink hijab and their feet in the cutest pink pumps, and young boys with a colourful array of toppies. Walking around your town you would have been sure to catch sight of many Muslimah’s looking very bright. While around the globe saw hundreds of Muslimah’s shed their normal hue scarf for the bright cheery pink colour.

This is not some new hijab fad or a ritual for the welcoming in, off the colourful season, but the participation of women in an initiative called Global Pink Hijab day. If you have not heard of this day, where have you been as October was Breast Cancer Awareness month. Our Muslim sisters decided to join hijab’s in support of this campaign.

Pink Hijab Day began with a small group of high school girls in the small town of Columbia, Missouri, and the event now has thousands of participates all over the world.
The event takes place the last Wednesday of every October. Participants in Pink Hijab Day encourage the curious to ask questions about hijab, as well as promote breast cancer education, and donate to various Breast Cancer Foundations.

”Pink Hijab Day is intended to shatter stereotypes of Muslim women, as well as raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research”, the Muslim Professional Network (MPN) stated. Muslim women, as well as their counterparts of other faiths across America, Egypt, Botswana, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Trinidad, UK and South Africa observed “Global Pink Hijab Day” by donning pink headscarves. “The MPN in partnership with ABSA Islamic Banking promoted the Day within the corporate sector... by handed out pink scarves in workplaces.”

Al Falaah College was one of the schools which brought this initiative to their classrooms for the second consecutive year, as the school felt they wanted to “inspire learners into doing their bit for the awareness of cancer”. A creative way of teaching by implementation added enough practicality with fun to make the day a phenomenal success. “Learners were asked to donate monies to participate in this campaign, and the proceeds were donated to an organisation which strives in the fight of cancer”, educator Rehana Sayed shared during our chat.

It was just not the learners who got involved in the day, the educators were not left behind, dressed in the pink inspired hijab , educators were treated to “high tea” were a female gynaecologist addressed them on the importance of breast self examination as well as illustrated the procedure that should be done every month.
Educators also had a chance to chat to her on different issues one on one.

Using creativity learners paired together to form a pink ribbon, a highlight of the day for many. This initiative “Brings Currents Issues into the "classroom” and is vitally important as it keeps our youth educated, informed and "in tuned" with the world around them. Using imaginative ways to do this ensures that the "current issues” are not easily forgotten but remembered through the initiatives taken.” This event would surely not be forgotten easily as creativity was one of the key elements in this campaign.

Global Pink Hijab day was intended to initiate dialogue, promote education about the Islamic headscarf and most importantly raise breast cancer awareness.





(PubLished in Inews 09)

Togeather In PinkNess :)