The hijab is one aspect of Islam
We see it as an empowerment
We want to be valued for our mind
for our opinion, for our intelligence but
ultimately this is how we choose to dress
My name is Aisha, I am 32 years old
and I come from Glasgow
I have been Muslim for 14 years and I have
been wearing the face veil for seven
There were two things that stood out to me
that Boris Johnson said. The first one was that it’s
“Ridiculous to choose to walk around like a post box”
And: “Schools and universities
should be able to ask women to remove their
face veils if they turn up looking like bank robbers”
My first reaction was that I wasn’t really surprised
He could’ve said that he doesn’t understand why Muslim women
dress the way they do. He could’ve said
“I think schools and universities have the right to ask women to
lower their veils” without mentioning
“post box” and “bank robbers” I feel that this was said
for his own personal gain Personally,
I am not offended by what he said,
because in order to be offended I have to
value his opinion and I don’t
But the problem with what he said is
is that because of his position he does have influence
It is not about having an opinion against the
hijab or niqab… It is about stating it in a
way that is disrespectful. I have no problem
explaining why I wear the hijab but I won’t
entertain any talks if the conversation is met
with disrespect. Hijab or niqab does
not prevent me from doing what I love to do
I am a teacher, I’m a mum of four
I’m also a Masters degree student and I am also a YouTuber
What he doesn’t realise, or maybe he does
is that comments like this impact communities
It encourages division It encourages fears
of the unknown. This separates communities,
it doesn’t bring them together This is a problem.
What we do need to do is give people the rights
they have over us. And that is the right
to respect, the right to freedom
of practising their religion or their freedom not to
practise their religion, and the right to feel safe
I understand that this is not the ‘norm’ for most
people in the UK. But because you don’t
understand it doesn’t mean that you have the
right to say: “This shouldn’t be allowed”
The hijab is one aspect of Islam
It is merely a piece of cloth. It does not prevent
me communicating. It is an act of worship
and self-expression. It is an act of modesty
We see it as an empowerment
We want to be valued for our mind
for our opinion, for our intelligence but
ultimately this is how we choose to dress
No one should be in control of how we
choose to dress but ourselves. Women wearing niqab
are some of the strongest women I know
On a daily basis they face snide comments and
sometimes even face physical abuse
I personally have been physically assaulted outside
I have been called names for wearing the head scarf
I have been called names for wearing the face veil
I deal with stares. Not looking
But stares, on a daily basis
I am always very aware of my surroundings because
it is now the ‘norm’ to not feel completely safe
If we don’t stand together against bigotry then
communities will never progress
We have to understand that we will never be the same
and that is absolutely fine. Being different should
be absolutely normal. If we all treat each
other in this manner then comments like
Boris Johnson’s will mean nothing
Hijab does not prevent me from communicating
Hijab doesn’t prevent me connecting with my community
Hijab doesn’t prevent me from giving you respect
for being different. Hijab doesn’t prevent me
from giving you the respect that you deserve