London, July 13 (IslamOnline.net) – The pro-hijab conference held Monday, July 12, at the Greater London Authority, announced an international hijab solidarity day and an action plan to defend the right of Muslim women to take on the headscarf.

Titled the Assembly for the Protection of Hijab, the conference declared September 4, 2004, an International Hijab Solidarity Day because Muslim students across Europe will be back to school by then.

Participants also pledged to rally behind young Muslim girls, who are discriminated against in their western society because of their hijab.

The conference further unveiled a plan of action to build on the recommendations of the one-day conference, calling for educating people on the importance of hijab to Muslim women through seminars and media.

Abeer Pharaon, Pro-Hijab Coordinator, told IslamOnline.net that participants discussed "the hijab ban, its implications and its impact upon the European communities. As well as organizing the efforts of individuals and organizations in Europe and around the world."

She noted that the "assembly has received the support of many Muslim and non-Muslim organizations of different faiths and communities; as well as MPs [Members of Parliament] and MEPs [Members of European Parliament].

"This campaign is not for Muslim women only, it is for any one who believes that it is a Muslim woman’s right to wear hijab."

Hosted by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, the conference brought together 300 delegates, representing 102 British and international organizations as well as leading Muslim figures like Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and professor Tarek Ramadan.

Commenting on the banning of hijab in some European countries, including France, Livingstone said, "The Muslims of London should not face the same situation."

He stressed that "the only people who will benefit from the Hijab ban is the extremist rightists and the fascists. Those people previously targeted the blacks, targeted the Jews and targeted the Communists."

London mayor maintained, "If we allow this assault against Islam, who knows who will be next to be stigmatized and victimized."

This is not the first time that Livingstone hosts a conference on hijab, which has taken centre stage in Europe recently.

Last February, he defended Muslim women’s rights to wear hijab, sending a "good signal" for the rest of European countries, particularly France.

He underlined that "any form of discrimination against Muslims' religious freedom has the effect of stigmatizing them."

During Monday's conference, Livingstone pledged to make sure that employment in London is not based on ethnic backgrounds.

"We will be looking at the employment policies across the board in London and private firms to make sure they are not ignoring the ethnic minorities and the different religions in their projects and this is a project which we may talk about sometime," he told IOL on the sidelines of the conference.

"Islam doesn't force any one to act in violation of their own religion or creed, nor does it prevent him/her from practicing any of their prescribed rituals," he told the conference.

The veteran scholar said that Christianity and Judaism do call for modesty, saying Christians nuns are a case in point.

He regretted the hijab ban in France as a setback for the principles of the French Revolution: Freedom, equality and fraternity.

Qaradawi, also the head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), recalled that for long "Western secularism" remained neutral when it came to religion unlike "eastern secularism", which antagonizes religious people.

"It is clear that the Muslims are now visible and are going to be vocal; the Zionist movements here are very using the fear of the people and the question of the war against terrorism terrify Muslim speakers," he told IOL.

Ramadan urged Muslims to fully integrate into their western societies with unshakable belief in their causes.

"We are Europeans and Muslims and we can't be more Europeans and less Muslims. We have to be both at the same time," he said.

Ramadan added that "Muslims are against all sorts of compulsion" and even attempts to force women to wear hijab.

He stressed that by the same token "no one can take it off from a woman; it is her freedom to wear it or not.