COMMENT: If Iranian feminist was here she would understand - Donna Miles-Mojab

The wearing of a hijab by Jacinda Ardern and other non-Muslim women in the wake of the terror attacks is not an endorsement of Iran's stance on them, says Donna Miles-Mojab. Photo / SNPA

Iranian New Zealander Donna Miles-Mojab responds to blogger Masih Alinejad who has criticised those who wore the hijab in sympathy for victims of the Christchurch massacre.

Dear Masih,
I don't blame you for not understanding. You were not there to feel the love. You were not there to see the grief, the tears, the pain and the palpable collective burden of needless loss.

I was there, Masih, and confident that the scarf that covered my head on the day of the National Memorial Service in Christchurch was not a symbol of tyranny and oppression but a symbol of togetherness, compassion and aroha.

Of course, you are right to oppose the compulsory enforcement of hijab in our home country of Iran and elsewhere - but you should not minimise the element of free choice in the decision of those New Zealand women, including me, who opted to don a hijab as a visible display of support for the Muslim community affected by the terrorist attack.

And what better way to politically deweaponise the hijab than using it in the way my grandmother did whenever she felt the need - as a way of bringing solace and spiritual comfort. I felt the women of New Zealand did a great job of "grandmotherising" the hijab.

So Masih, do not dilute or confuse your message. It is not the hijab that is the enemy, nor the women who freely choose to wear it. The real enemy is systematic and institutional systems of oppression that present themselves either under the guise of democracy or under plain authoritarian or theocratic rule.

Masih, do not be heartbroken. Take heart in how beautifully and compassionately the people of New Zealand, men and women, have responded to this cruel act of barbarity.

I have no idea whether our Prime Minister would choose to cover her hair or not should she ever find herself visiting Iran in the future - but for now, most of us are very proud of the respectful and empathetic way she has responded to this biggest event in New Zealand's modern history.

Most of us are also happy that the women who freely choose to wear the hijab in our country now have the protective eyes of ordinary New Zealanders watching over them.

As for me, I shall continue to write and speak out against compulsory hijab in Iran at the same time as opposing the compulsory banning of burqa in places like France and Belgium.

I think we both agree that the two need not be mutually exclusive. We know covering less does not lead to liberation of women then why assume that covering more automatically leads to their oppression?

I salute the women who wore the hijab at the recent public events in New Zealand. They stood shoulder to shoulder in sisterhood with the victims of the attack. In my humble opinion, such a gracious act of solidarity, in our increasingly divided world, deserves praise, not scorn.

*Donna Miles-Mojab is an Iranian-Kiwi freelance writer living in Christchurch.