Zaineb Abdulla wants you to know about the "hijab grab."
The Chicago-based vice president of nonprofit Deaf Planet Soul (DPS) posted a self-defence video on Facebook in November, teaching women with hijabs how to defend themselves from attackers.
"Learn to defend against a bigot grabbing your hijab from behind. In this post-election hate-crime spike, self defense [sic] is more important than ever. Practice this move until it becomes muscle memory and teach your body to react before thinking," she wrote on her Facebook page.
Following the U.S. election, reports say hate crimes in the country, especially towards religious and racial groups, have been worse than post-9/11 crimes, USA Today notes.
In the video above, which has more than 3 million views, Abdulla uses sign-language (there's also a narrator) to show a step-by-step move on how to protect yourself if an attacker grabs your hijab from behind.
Abdulla was also asked by the Middle East Eye to write an op-ed on the intersectionality of deafness and being a person of colour following Donald Trump's win.
"With Trump’s election, the religiously, racially, and ethnically diverse DPS board saw the immediate need to create a special self-defence response – what became the hijab grab escape — for those wearing the hijab and incorporate hate crime awareness into the seminars," she wrote.
She adds while the video itself won't work for all women, it's a start.
"The videos are necessary not only for the practical application, but for the symbolism they encapsulate: they went viral almost immediately after posting mainly because Muslim women are no longer willing to be victimised [sic] by bigots whether, verbally, physically or emotionally. We are standing up and standing together."
Watch the full video above.
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