Naheen

"While I was entering [the bus] some person decided to pull my hijab. I remember the months afterwards, I wouldn't grab the bus." — This is Naheen's story.

Nov 25 marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime and approximately 70% of reported violent incidents committed against visible minorities occur within a public place. Naheen from Ottawa, was attacked on a bus and her hijab was pulled off. She avoided public spaces for months and stopped taking the bus. She also stopped wearing the hijab. There is great shame in the Muslim community for those who take off their hijab. "Women taking off their hijab may have experienced a hate crime or Islamophobia and we should not judge them so harshly," says Naheen, while recounting her experience and journey of hope and resilience.

Filmed by Yazmeen Kanji and edited by Nesa Huda.

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About the Hate2Healing Campaign
Recognizing the strength of storytelling, CCMW launches a unique Hate2Healing anti-hate social media campaign to mark October’s Islamic Heritage Month. The campaign comprises 15 videos from diverse Muslim women, girls and non-binary people coming together to speak about their lived experiences of hate, racism and Islamophobia. The campaign aims to start the healing and recovery process for many survivors of hate by encouraging them to share their stories and start talking about their experiences both online and offline.