Muslim teen leads call for hijab emoji: 'We must be represented'

Proposal designs for a headscarf-wearing emoji are shown. (Aphelandra Messer)

Apple's iOS 10 update introduced dozens of new emojis aimed at making text conversations more inclusive, but a student from Saudi Arabia says the update still lacks representation for women who wear hijabs.

Rayouf Alhumedhi, 15, is now leading an online push to create an emoji of a woman in a headscarf, so Muslim women can see themselves represented in the popular texting tool. Alhumedhi, who lives in Germany, says the headscarf emoji is necessary for "millions of women across the globe."

The teen has already drafted a proposal for the new emoji, with the help of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and several other tech industry influencers. The proposal is addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and the Unicode Consortium, the body that approves all new additions to the emoji library.

"We applaud Unicode for the diversification of emojis in recent years," the proposal says. "However this does not mean it should stop now. With the amount of difference in this world, we must be represented. We are here to discuss the addition of a headscarf emoji."

Alhumedhi argues in her proposal that the headscarf emoji is effective for expressing "religious feelings," and that certain sects of Christianity and Judaism might also find it useful.

"The hijab symbolizes modesty, privacy and religious identity," the proposal says. "Women all across the globe choose to wear the headscarf because of its evident indication of their faith and identity."

The proposal recommends creating the emoji in multiple skin colours, the same way other face emojis are currently represented. It also suggests adding a headscarf emoji to represent devout Muslim men.

Reddit co-founder Ohanian offered his support for the proposal in an Instagram post on Tuesday, calling the hijab a "glaring" omission from the emoji library. "As a white American man I've greatly benefited from the different perspectives I've found on communities like r/islam (on Reddit) where people are speaking freely about being marginalized," he wrote. "Emoji may not seem like a big deal, but it's one more way for a lot of people to feel acknowledged and represented – and that's a good thing."

Alhumedhi participated in an Ask Me Anything on Reddit Tuesday, in which she faced a barrage of attacks suggesting the hijab is a symbol of oppression. "Can you explain how headscarfs and hijabs are not part of patriarchal constructs that oppress women?" one user asked.

Alhumedhi responded by saying she feels "liberated" when she wears her hijab, "because I'm in control of what I want to cover." She added, in a separate response, that the headscarf makes her feel powerful.

"I enjoy the power to control what I choose to show the world."

The teenager said the hardest part of the process has been handling all the attention. However, she said it was relatively easy to get the proposal off the ground.

"All the resources exist, you just need to find them," she wrote. "This is not 1990, you are capable of doing anything with the power of your computer."

The current Unicode emoji library includes a turban emoji for men, and one for women that was added in the iOS 10 update.

The iOS 10 update added dozens of alternate-gender emojis to the existing library, including female versions of the detective, construction worker and police officer emojis, and a male version of the dancing bunny costume emoji now available. Apple also added a rainbow flag to the library, as a measure to represent members of the LGBT community.