A video of an Irish senator celebrating the hijab is being shared on social media with claims that “Ireland is set to make February 2 every year ‘National Hijab Day’ to celebrate Muslim women”.
But there are no records of Irish authorities officially introducing any such national day, and the senator in the video says the clip “misrepresents the intent and content” of her speech.
The video dates back to 2 February 2022 (2:02:55). It shows Senator Eileen Flynn referencing an “International Hijab Day” and saying: “Today I just want to celebrate the hijab, and it should be a national celebration within Irish society as well.”
Ms Flynn told Reuters: “To my knowledge, there is no officially declared ‘National Hijab Day’ in Ireland.
“However, World Hijab Day is an internationally recognised event celebrated in many countries, including by individuals and communities in Ireland.”
World Hijab Day is observed on 1 February and invites women from all backgrounds to wear the hijab for the day. The organisation behind it told Full Fact it did not have any official partner countries and was not aware of an Irish national equivalent observed on 2 February.
Ms Flynn told us: “I stand by the values of inclusion, equality and respect for all communities and I reject any attempt to use my words as a tool for hatred or division.”
Full Fact has contacted The Consulate General of Ireland and Houses of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) about a National Hijab Day in Ireland and will update this article if we receive a response.
Before sharing content that you see on social media, it’s important to consider whether it is genuine and comes from a verifiable source. Our toolkit can help you do this.