“What are you wearing underneath?”
“You can’t be a feminist and be wearing that.”
“Go back to your own country!”
“Are you a terrorist?”
“Islam is so oppressive.”
I don’t know what Islam you’re even talking about B.”
“Are you a ninja?”
Do you want me to show you what a ninja does?
I think it’s more offensive to actual ninjas…
I have been called “ninja” many a time.
Because we have no actual skills at all.
But I did take kickboxing.
I wish I was.
It would be so sick innit.
“Ninja” is not the trend at the moment, it’s more of the “Terrorist” one.
And the thing is, when people stare, I don’t mind because I’m like, ok it’s something
different.
I just smile.
How do you smile?
Ok, “Are you being forced to wear that?”
Are you?
I think that’s a common question.
I like curiosity, that’s a nice thing.
But the element of ignorance, just really annoys me.
It’s so much better to just say, “Oh, why do you, why do you wear that?”
Open questions are beautiful.
Modesty is a really big part of our religion.
Hijab is basically like, covering.
We describe this as a niqab.
The headscarf is a hijab.
But what we both are wearing, the whole thing, is called hijab.
I think some women are actually having to fight to be able to wear it.
And the truth is we are a minority within a minority.
Maybe in other countries people are being forced.
Because what happens is people see Muslim women.
And Muslim women in Sudan, Muslim women in Saudi, Muslim women in Nigeria, Muslim women
in Canada.
We’re not a monolith culture.
Why is it that we’re all connected to the rest of the entire world and have to answer
to the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world.
“You’re so lucky you don’t have to wear make-up.”
To be honest, yes.
I mean I do wear make-up, you just can’t see it.
I never wear any make-up, ever.
The niqab is so practical.
I just put my face veil on and just go.
Less time, isn’t it.
Once upon a time I used to cake.
I have come across lots of niqabis, and everyone is at different levels, at different stages.
I had the Naked palette, I had Anastasia palette.
Literally, you name it…
I saw this really really really funny thing in someone’s like, yearbook.
She was a niqabi and under her little description she said, “I only wear this to give you
other girls a chance.”
“Go back to your own country!”
Oh child, you didn’t say that to me!
To Canada?
I was born here, where am I going?
I wouldn’t have anywhere to go!
I’m Pakistani and I’ve never been to Pakistan.
Do you appreciate British values?
I have fish and chips, I can make a good fish and chips.
I can make a wicked batter, without beer.
I use sparkling water.
What about the peas?
You’ve got to have peas.
No what about the curry sauce?
When it’s a problem, something happens.
But when you want your curry, when you want your samosas, when you want your glitter,
when you want to put bindis on your forehead to go to Wireless Festival, it’s all good.
Were you born in Whipps Cross?
Yeah.
Let’s go back there bruv.
This is going to rile you up.
“You can’t be a feminist and be wearing a burqa.”
If anybody was to say that to me they would be like, “Oh she is the biggest feminist
you can find.”
I’m treated like the Queen in my home.
And every woman should be treated like that.
It doesn’t make sense to me because you’re sitting here and saying, “Oh but you’re
oppressed, we want to help you and want to do this.”
But you’re not letting me do what I want to, you’re not letting me be free.
Yes there are some cultural practices that, maybe oppresses women.
But there it’s cultural, it’s never been Islamic.
No it’s not.
If feminism is about a woman making her own choices, then this is one of them.
And by the way, we don’t undermine a woman who does not wear the face veil or the hijab,
at all.
I respect her completely.
No way.
Yeah.
“Don’t all your photos look the same?”
I think I have the same face, it should look the same.
Ooh.
I have an Instagram feed right, and it’s banging.
I take photos without my niqab on.
Yeah we get dressed up, we curl our hair.
I am into the fifties vintage dresses.
We put make-up on, we look good.
A lot of people kind of say, “Oh you look the same, how can you tell this person from
that person?”
It’s the eyes, we all have different eyes Yeah.
And that’s how you know it is.
And that’s how you know when the friendship’s true.
When you can tell who they are through the niqab.
“What are you hiding there?”
A bomb.
There are so many people who are wearing clothes.
They’re wearing jackets, they’re wearing hoodies.
Does everybody have a bomb underneath?
This bomb thing, it has been said to me many times.
ISIS will come for me, do you understand?
Exactly, exactly.
They don’t care.
They don’t care about if it’s Tom, Dick or Harry.
If it’s me, or if it’s some Fatima or Bilal in the street, they will go for them
as well.
I remember, you know when something happened in the media, instantly as soon as a conversation
came up when people wanted to talk about it, I became ready to defend my religion.
That’s not okay.
It’s not our problem.
We don’t know why they did it, and it’s got nothing to do with us.
You know people come and ask me, you know “Why did your people do that?
Why is ISIS like this?”
I don’t know!
I’m not ISIS!
“Your people” as well.
They’re not my people, we’re not boys.
I assure you I’m not hiding anything, honestly like, I have a life to live.
Speak to me, listen to my laugh yeah.
That’s the first thing you need to do to know I can’t harm you.
“Why would you wear that?”
That’s a question I like, and I respect.
I am wearing it for God.
It’s my own spiritual journey…
Because in the end of the day, this is just a piece of cloth…
It’s an act of worship, and I love doing it.
And I live it.
But it’s why it that gives me purpose.
It’s is who I am, this is my identity.
Yeah there has been times in my life when I considered taking it off.
I do appreciate in this country, that we do have the right to be able to wear it.
The stares I get, the comments I get in the street.
But it had also to do with my own Muslim community, where I struggled.
It’s not just Muslim women who are modest.
They’re are so many different religions and different types of people who practice
modesty in different ways.
This is something that I feel, whenever I do it, I feel that spiritual thing in my heart,
and it just boosts me up.
I’m getting palpitations.