Methodist Hospital partners with hijab company to create inclusive hijabs for staff, patients

Hilal Ibrahim started volunteering at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park when she was 14 years old.

“When I volunteered, a lot of women would wear white hospital blankets on their heads because there just wasn’t anything else available,” Ibrahim recalled.

That was 10 years ago.

She now works at the hospital, and over the years she’s noticed a significant need when it comes to hijabs, the head covering worn by some Muslim women.

“If you are a nurse in ICU, or surgery, or labor and delivery, you don’t want a scarf that is slipping off constantly; likewise, if you are a patient, you want something that is comforting,” she said.

She created her own company, called Henna and Hijabs, and on Thursday unveiled the first-of-its-kind partnership with her exclusively designed hijabs for sale at the hospital gift shop.

“It’s breathable, it’s flexible, it holds well for the hospital setting for both patients and employees,” she said.

Every hijab is made in Minnesota and comes with a special partnership tag.

“It’s designed to not be in their way when they are doing their work, and so it serves multiple purposes,” explained HealthPartners Chief Human Resources Officer Anahita Cameron.

HealthPartners said it is honored to offer the hijabs to a more diverse community working in health care.

“I am hopeful others will follow in our footsteps and also look for ways to make their teams feel included,” Cameron said.

Encourged by the response, Ibrahim said the whole experience has been humbling.

“It came from a place of sincere passion and I’m just honestly excited,” she said.

Money raised from sales of the hijabs will help fund health and education programs for staff and patients at Methodist Hospital.