Muslim girls as young as three have been pictured wearing a hijab to embrace their religion early and respond to Islamophobia in the wake of Ramadan celebrations in Sydney's west.
Muslim community spokesperson Keysar Trad said although wearing a hijab is not religiously obligatory until puberty, young children are starting to put on a headscarf to show 'they're comfortable in being who they are'.
Mr Trad said his own daughters decided to wear a hijab at the ages of three and six, but one has daughters has recently taken it off after being 'peer pressured to look the same as everyone else'.
'It made me feel society had hurt my babies so much they felt pressured to change the way they dress,' Mr Trad told Daily Mail Australia.
'It was heartbreaking to see my children subjected to this.'
Mr Trad said although in some cases parents may indirectly influence their children to wear a headscarf, the decision was usually left up to the children themselves. [Daily Mail] Read more
