“Allah is the Protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them into light …” – (Koran, 2:257)

The above ayat is one of my favourites. I compare it to the state of the world today. Clearly we are living in some perilous times. It seems one cannot escape the dismal forecast.

This could be depressing; to constantly be hearing of the impending doom and gloom lurking everywhere; wars and rumours of wars, global warming, famine, earthquakes and the list goes on.

But, this verse is meant to assure us that if we continue to have faith through all of the trials, tribulations and what seems to me a hopeless plight, should one keep the faith, Allah, the Protector will lead us out of the depths of darkness and lead us valiantly into light, safety and hope.

This week, Berkeley Institute spearheaded “Worldwide Hijab Day”, which was a resounding success, with awareness of the mysterious hijab being unveiled. Women worldwide celebrated World Hijab Day (WHD) on February 1 to raise awareness of Muslim women’s discrimination and reassert the head covering as a fundamental right.

What must be stressed here is, according to the teachings of the Koran, there is no compulsion in Islam. Muslims just like other doctrines are given free will to make choices.

Allah says in the Holy Koran: “There is no compulsion in religion, the right direction is clearly distinguished from the wrong.” (2:256)

Faith is a personal issue and each person must be allowed to find their own path in life. They have to make their own decisions as to whether they believe or not. There is no room for force or coercion. Free will is the only option.

There are many who would say this is not so, but indeed it is. There are some sects and so-called pundits who would beg to differ. Some people, especially leaders it seems, tend to add as gospel their own ideologies, restrictions and spin on religion.

This is why it is imperative that one studies for themselves and learns their religion. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said in his last sermon on Mount Arafat: “I leave behind me two things, the Koran and my Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.”

The World Hijab Day movement, which was launched in 2013, is the brainchild of a young woman, Nazmah Khan, a Bangladeshi New Yorker. Nazmah wanted to foster freedom of religious expression and cultural understanding by inviting women from all walks of life to experience the hijab for one day on February 1 annually.

There is so much more to the hijab and we invite you to Victoria Park today from 12pm to 2pm to learn more about the hijab and to mingle and get to know each other better.

The struggle continues and we unceasingly pray for justice and peace to all those who are effected by war and injustices. Let the ceasefire begin now.

Bermuda, as salaam alaikum (peace be unto you).

• Linda Walia Ming is a member of the Bermuda Hijab Dawah team, a group of Muslim women who reside in Bermuda and have a goal of educating the community about the religion of Islam