u/Di-Methyl-Hg

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Original Poster of the above post: Here ( Click Me)

The case of 18-year-old Ryan al Najjar raises an uncomfortable question that often gets lost in debates about the hijab: can something genuinely be called a choice when refusing it can result in threats, violence, or even death?

A Dutch court sentenced Ryan’s father, Syrian national Khaled al Najjar, to 30 years in prison in absentia, while her brothers Muhanad and Mohamed received 20-year sentences each for their roles in her 2024 murder.

According to the court, Ryan was killed because she rejected the strict Islamic values imposed on her by her family. She had reportedly told police multiple times that she feared her father and brothers, had been threatened and assaulted, and had been placed in protective care on several occasions since 2022.

The killing was particularly horrific. Ryan was bound and gagged with approximately 18 metres of duct tape before being thrown alive into a shallow pool in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve, where she drowned. Her father's DNA was found on the tape and beneath her fingernails. He subsequently fled to northern Syria and later admitted killing his daughter in a letter to De Telegraaf.

The case exposes a contradiction in the simplistic slogan “the hijab is a choice.” In an ideal world, a woman should absolutely have the right to choose whether she wears a hijab. But a choice made under family pressure, threats, coercion, social punishment, or fear of violence is not meaningfully equivalent to a free choice.

The driver died, 2 passengers are in critical condition.