Amid the hijab row, hijab and burqa shop owners in Mumbai and Malegaon have witnessed a steady rise in demand for the garment by young Muslim girls and their parents. Abdul Wahid, a third-generation owner of the New Sabah burqa shop in Malegaon’s Anjuman Chowk, said, “The recent events, in which the identity of those wearing hijab is being questioned, have led young women to defend the practice even more staunchly.” Malegaon recently observed ‘Hijab Day’, where over 30,000 women had assembled at Kallu Stadium, to show their solidarity for the headscarf. 

Annual Day celebration at an English medium school in Malegaon. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi