A Dutch union is backing support for a new group, campaigning under the name “Headscarf Brigade,” which plans to campaign for the place of women’s religious freedom in Dutch life and work. Goals of the new group include campaigning for equal opportunities for Muslim women in the workforce, supporting their freedom to adopt the headscarf or hijab, and challenge those employers who engage in discriminating against their religious freedom of expression. “The idea is really to show that we exist, after that to start dialog,” says Headscarf Brigade administrator Nora el Jebli. El Jebli emphasizes that Muslim women shouldn’t grovel in a victim role. “We don’t want to be seen as pathetic.” But she thinks that women with a headscarf shouldn’t have to accept unequal treatment. “There is discrimination, particularly in higher positions.”
