GMSA hold World Hijab Day Celebration

The Ghana Muslim Students Association (GMSA) on Saturday embarked on a peaceful march through the some principal street of Accra. The march which started at the Accra Girls Senior High School at about 7am, and lasted for two hours, took the marchers through the Mamobi-Nima Highway to the Ring Road, and through the Kanda Highway, and back to the starting point. The march was to celebrate World Hijab Day (WHD) for the first time in the country, and aimed at creating awareness of the use of Hijab by female Muslims in the country. The Association is celebrating the day in Accra with a peace march, and public lectures in Kumasi and Tamale. Mr Abdul Mumin Faisal, President of the Greater Accra Regional branch of GMSA, said Hijab is the pride of female Muslims, and that its use must be practised as such. He said there was an erroneous perception about the use of Hijab by female Muslims, and for that matter, Muslims must educate their female children on the use of Hijab. Ms Halima Sadia Siedu, Treasurer of the Association, said the wearing of Hijab by female Muslims was a sign of modesty, purity and an understanding of the Islamic Religion. She said these indirectly stop female Muslims from some certain acts of indisciplined behaviour, and also protect their dignity as female Muslim. The WHD celebration was initiated a decade ago by Nazha Matan, a Bangladeshi-American who was discriminated against in her school in the United States of America for wearing Hijab.