World Hijab Day aims to educate others and end prejudice surrounding Muslim people
Women all over the world are invited to experience the Hijab on Wednesday thanks to a global movement started by a Muslim woman living in New York.
Muslim women are hoping Wednesday, Feb. 1 which is World Hijab day, will help others understand the meaning behind the headscarf.
The Sisters of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) are teaching others how to wrap a Hijab and they’re inviting Canadian women from all cultures and religions to try one. Ammara Syeda said it’s an opportunity to learn.
“You can try a hijab. You can ask us any questions that you might not ask someone on the street who’s wearing a hijab because you might feel a bit hesitant to do that. So this is a safe space to ask any questions about the hijab and try it on for yourself to find out what you look like, what it feels like,” Syeda said.
The Hijab is a visible symbol of the Islamic religion and the hope is this initiative will help end prejudice against Muslims.
The Islamic Circle of North America said the best way to address Islamophobia is through education like World Hijab Day. The Government of Canada is taking steps toward education as well by appointing it’s first ever representative for combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby.
“It’s really about coming together, promising solutions and ensuring that a Canadian Muslim anywhere in this country can feel safe,” Elghawaby said.
“She’s in one of the highest offices in Canada and she’s working to combat Islamophobia and she wears a Hijab. That has never limited her opportunities,” Syeda said.
According to The Sisters of Islamic Circle of North America, representation is important and non-Muslim women can help make Muslims feel safe by taking a photo in a Hijab and posting it online for everyone to see.
People can visit www.towardspeace.org to find out how to can get a free Hijab in your city.
In Regina, the ICNA Sisters are giving away twenty free Hijabs on World Hijab Day and will also teach you how to put it on.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Opposition parties affirm call for interference inquiry, amid questions over MP Han Dong
Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
'Scream as loud as you can': 5 boys rescued from NYC tunnel
Five mischievous boys had to be rescued after they crawled through a storm drain tunnel in New York City and got lost, authorities said.
Asteroid to hurtle past Earth closer than the moon this weekend
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
Number of Canadians receiving EI at record lows, down 44 per cent from last year: StatCan
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits are at record lows and down 44 per cent from last year, new figures from Statistics Canada show.
Indigenous sisters developing video games to revitalize Mohawk language
Two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save their ancestors' first language by developing video games young and old can play.
Here are the locations of the first 12 new Zellers stores
Zellers has opened the first of 25 new locations within Hudson's Bay stores across the country. The Canadian retail chain launched 12 stores in Ontario and Alberta Thursday, along with a new e-commerce website.
South Carolina's top accountant to resign after US$3.5-billion error
Embattled South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom will resign next month after a US$3.5 billion accounting error in the year-end financial report he oversaw.
Via Rail revisiting inclusion policies after Muslim man told not to pray at Ottawa station
Via Rail says it is working to improve its diversity and inclusion policies after a Muslim man was told not to pray at the Ottawa train station.
RCMP arrest suspect in Montreal on terrorism allegations after tip from FBI
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested an 18-year-old man from the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal on Thursday morning in connection with allegations of terrorism.
Saskatoon
-
'Notoriously untransparent': Sask. budget to reduce surgery backlog has no plan behind it, expert says
Saskatchewan has no real strategy to perform more surgeries, according to a health policy analyst.
-
Saskatoon Lighthouse: Court overturns decision that called for director's removal
A 2021 court order to remove Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. director Don Windels from the organization has been overturned by the Saskatchewan appeal court.
-
Over 4,000 Sask. residents caught for speeding and other driving offences in Feb., SGI says
Police in Saskatchewan wrote 4,251 speeding and aggressive driving tickets in February, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
Winnipeg
-
Man fatally injures dog, sets shed on fire: RCMP
Selkirk RCMP have arrested and charged a man after he allegedly killed his dog, smashed out the windows of a home and two cars with an axe, and set fire to a shed on his property.
-
'It was pretty busy': Vendors optimistic about the future of Winnipeg's downtown
With the sale of Portage Place in the works, more people living and working in downtown Winnipeg, and a full slate of events planned for the summer, vendors and stakeholders think the future looks bright for the city's beleaguered core area.
-
Winnipeg council votes to rename Bishop Grandin roadways
Winnipeg's city council has voted unanimously in favour of renaming several roadways currently named after a bishop remembered as one of the architects of the residential school system.
Calgary
-
Man and woman accused in violent Anderson CTrain Station robberies facing charges
Calgary police have arrested two people accused in a series of violent robberies at a southwest CTrain station, all of which involved weapons.
-
Bring on the nostalgia: Zellers celebrates grand re-opening in Calgary
Dozens of Calgarians lined up in excitement Thursday morning at Sunridge Mall to be among the first to experience the grand re-opening of Zellers.
-
Semi-truck crashes into overpass, closing 2 lanes of Deerfoot Trail
Two lanes of Calgary's Deerfoot Trail are closed to southbound traffic at 32 Avenue N.E. after a semi-truck hauling a excavator hit an overpass.
Edmonton
-
Ballistics confirm link between Pizza Hut, Edmonton police shootings
Edmonton Police Service investigators believe the 16-year-old boy who fatally shot two EPS officers is the same person who shot a Pizza Hut employee.
-
Details of regimental funeral for Travis Jordan, Brett Ryan announced
Additional details have been released about the funeral for Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan.
-
Tap water still safe despite 'musty' smell in spring: Epcor
As the snow melts away in Edmonton, water treatment plants in the city are getting ready to handle streams and extra sediment making its way into the river.
Toronto
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Ontario aims to balance budget in 2025 despite largest spending plan in province's history
The Ontario government says it is on track to balancing the budget by 2025 despite having the largest spending plan in the province’s history.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Ontario pharmacists to be given new prescribing powers
Pharmacists in Ontario are being given the power to prescribe new medications.
-
No major COVID bailout for cash-strapped Toronto in Ontario budget
Toronto has been left in the lurch by Queen’s Park after the 2023 Ontario budget revealed little in the way of a financial rescue for the cash-strapped city.
Ottawa
-
Via Rail revisiting inclusion policies after Muslim man told not to pray at Ottawa station
Via Rail says it is working to improve its diversity and inclusion policies after a Muslim man was told not to pray at the Ottawa train station.
-
Here's what you need to know about day one of President Biden's visit to Ottawa
Ottawa police and the city of Ottawa have warned residents and visitors will see an increased police presence across the downtown core on Thursday and Friday, and there will be "significant traffic and transit disruptions" during the visit.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Ontario aims to balance budget in 2025 despite largest spending plan in province's history
The Ontario government says it is on track to balancing the budget by 2025 despite having the largest spending plan in the province’s history.
Vancouver
-
Number with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals rises again as BCCDC tweaks wastewater reporting
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. rose again this week, reaching its highest level since mid-January.
-
‘We’re not living, we’re just existing’: Roadside rest stop becomes makeshift trailer park for homeless
Weary travellers pulling into roadside rest stops in Abbotsford might be surprised to discover parking lots turned into makeshift trailer parks for those experiencing homelessness.
-
'Think Brita filter but a thousand times better': New UBC water treatment zaps chemicals
Researchers out of the University of British Columbia have developed a new treatment designed to remove "forever chemicals" from drinking water for good.
Montreal
-
Friends trying to reassemble Camille Maheux's photography after death in Old Montreal fire
Friends of Camille Maheux are trying to assemble some of her life's work. The 76-year-old photographer was killed in the Old Montreal fire and her photographs and negatives were destroyed.
-
RCMP arrest suspect in Montreal on terrorism allegations after tip from FBI
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested an 18-year-old man from the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal on Thursday morning in connection with allegations of terrorism.
-
Negotiations underway to eliminate 'Roxham Roads' in Canada: source
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could designate all 8,900 kilometres of their shared border as an official crossing under the Safe Third Country Agreement.
Vancouver Island
-
Victoria man's 85 convictions highlight links between brain injury, homelessness, crime
A Victoria man’s life of crime has turned into one of survival, hope and advocacy amid ongoing conversations in the community about how best to tackle public safety matters.
-
Missing man from West Shore found safe weeks after disappearance
Mounties in Langford, B.C., say a man who was reported missing last month has been found safe.
-
Vancouver Island military search and rescue crews train with U.S. Coast Guard
Crews from 19 Wing Comox are back on the ground after attending a week of specialized training in the United States, learning special techniques to get in and out of extreme ocean waves.
Atlantic
-
N.S. government includes record-high health-care spending in 2023-24 budget
The Tim Houston PC government remains firm in their promise they'll fix the health-care system by spending more taxpayer money on health than any previous government before.
-
Snow and rain will continue into Thursday night for the Maritimes
The rate of snow and rain falling in the Maritimes will pick up late Thursday afternoon into evening as a weather system makes its way across the region.
-
'I've lost everything': Homeowners lose everything after rural Shepody, N.B. home destroyed by fire
A couple in Shepody, N.B., has lost everything after their home was destroyed by fire Wednesday afternoon.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury murder trial nears conclusion, closing arguments Monday
The second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright resumed briefly Thursday morning, with the defence formally wrapping up its case.
-
North Bay liquidation store aims to bring treasure hunts to discount shopping
The co-owners of a new liquidation store in North Bay, Samuel Quesnel and Chloé Boivenue, say they want to bring a treasure hunt shopping experience to the city.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Ontario aims to balance budget in 2025 despite largest spending plan in province's history
The Ontario government says it is on track to balancing the budget by 2025 despite having the largest spending plan in the province’s history.
Kitchener
-
Welcome back Zellers: Cambridge location opens amid wave of nostalgia
The resurrection of Zellers is officially underway with the Cambridge location opening its doors to eager shoppers who lined up ahead of the store's official reopening.
-
Suspicious fire causes $100,000 in damange to old bowling alley in Cambridge
A fire at the former Dickson Bowl in downtown Galt has caused significant damage to the building.
-
‘Catch the Ace’ fever in Hagersville shows no sign of slowing down
There were long lineups in Hagersville on Thursday as ‘Catch the Ace’ fever returned to the streets.