BY IRSHAD SALIM

Something oppressed, weak, illiterate, subjugated,...etc.?

Not so, says Selina Begum, who is no other person than London-based Asian News' chief reporter.

The hijab was the extent of her experience of Islamic dress - so what would wearing the full outfit really be like?

Selina, a Bangladeshi Briton by descent, volunteered to wear the veil (niqab) and spent a day trying to find it out herself in UK's busy Manchester city where Desis (Deshis) now make up over an eighth of its population.

According to Selina, though these are just some of the stereotyped labels associated with Muslim women who wear the niqab, the women who do wear it say it isn’t so.

Even though their own mothers did not wear the veil, in the post 9/11 era, many young Muslim women in Europe see covering their faces as an act of power and freedom, Selina stated.

One young Muslim woman told her she was refused service at a post office - the assistant remarked to a colleague that she was: “not serving that thing.”

Another woman told her how she had been in a Manchester city centre to shop when a bunch of yobs threw alcohol over her calling her a “terrorist bitch.” The woman said being drenched in alcohol offended her more than the vile words, Selina wrote.

So how hard is it to wear the veil and does donning the niqab engender positive feelings.

Says Selina, "I could not answer these questions simply because I had never worn the full niqab -- so I decided to find out by putting one on."

She then penned her experience and observations of that eventful day.

It was a warm Saturday morning...in Manchester, UK, where thousands of Desis (Deshis) from Kashmir to Bangladesh migrated during the 20th century and worked in its textile factories. It's been more than a generation now, but these Desis (Deshis) still stand out because of their cultural identity and religious manifestations.

Logging the details of her "veiled" day, Selina wrote in The Asian News:

"I combined a long flowing silk overcoat with the veil and immediately felt a transformation. The person in the mirror did not seem to be me - I was having an out of body experience! All I could see were eyes staring back at me. I began walking around the house to try and get a feel for my new image. But now for the great outdoors. I felt nervous before leaving my home. What if somebody attacked me? Niqabi wearers had advised me not to react to and walk away from any confrontation.

My first contact was with my neighbor who was putting his rubbish out.
“Hiya Brian,” I shouted at him. He looked back at me and then past my shoulder, I presumed looking for me, so I said, "It's me Brian." He looked puzzled. “What are you doing wearing that thing for?" he asked. Feeling automatically defensive I told him it wasn't a "thing" and explained my experiment. He said he hoped that I wouldn’t make it a permanent item in my wardrobe, smiled and walked back into the house. He obviously was not keen on my fashion transformation.

I got into my car and headed towards the Trafford Centre. Retail therapy is always fun and it was a place where I knew I would meet people from different communities and cultures. I found my vision was fine while driving but it was hard to breath with my nose and mouth both covered. I tried moving the veil to one side for a couple of seconds but eventually, defeated, I had to take it off.

I wondered how Muslim women in places like Bangladesh, Saudi or Pakistan managed in baking temperatures glad, for a moment, I was living in the UK. At the Trafford Centre I was to meet a friend called Noreen. Normally I walk straight into the shopping area without thinking but with the veil on I felt strangely uneasy. My pace slowed and involuntarily I began moving without confidence. I noticed a girl hand in hand with her mum looking in my direction. Her mother pulled her away and told her off for staring at other people. I wondered if the mum was really sympathetic or just fearful that I might do something?

Noreen was waiting in the food court. She is a scientist, has always worn the hijab, and took up wearing the niqab a year ago – a decision she says she wished she had made earlier. She didn’t look nervous and ignored the stares of which, there was quite a few. As soon as I joined her I felt a little bit more comfortable. I told Noreen how I was feeling, she said she too had felt nervous in the beginning, but now she just didn’t care whether people stared and often laughed it off.

Noreen had suffered weeks of verbal abuse after 7/7. It came mainly from white men in their 20s and elderly white people. She has been called Batman, ninja, was chased off from a bus in Manchester by yobs who threw beer on her and was once asked which terrorist organization she belonged to. Most of the time she said she didn’t feel like a victim but was sorry for the people causing the offence for being so ignorant and uneducated.

Standing together, we drew more attention from shoppers. There were more stares. I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought if I stared back people might think I was being hostile so instinctively I tried smiling but quickly realized they couldn’t see my smile.

People didn’t seem hostile I guessed they felt sorry for me thinking why on earth would someone choose to walk around all covered up? I asked Noreen for her opinion. "I don't judge girls who hardly wear any clothes and go round showing their bare legs, so why should people judge me for covering up?” she asked. "I feel comfortable like this and don’t feel the need to show other people how I look. There are some debates as to whether a woman should only cover her head and not her face or both, but I think it is up to the individual and how they feel. "In the beginning it was hard and people will stare but let them, if they want to ask me why I dress this way they are more than welcome to. Apart from the weeks following 7/7 I’ve not had much trouble. Honestly speaking it serves as a reminder that I'm Muslim and it helps me get close to God. Since wearing the niqab, I've become a lot more confident. Once you're covered up, people are forced to judge you not as you look as a woman but on your character.”

Neither her parents nor her peers encouraged Noreen to remove her face from public view. She was brought up to wear the hijab, the headscarf that covers the hair, neck and chest, but there was never an expectation that she would, as it were, graduate to the niqab. In a niqab, she told me, she got more respect from people. “They apologize if they swear in front of me. That's not usual.” She says that she deliberated for a whole year before finally deciding to wear the niqab.


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“I think the main thing that was holding me back was my job. It involved a lot of teamwork, and so I was constantly thinking, ‘How am I going to do group work with all these people?’ Then one day, I just woke up and thought, ‘Why am I letting people stop me? I'm not doing it for other people'."

We spent the morning shopping and gradually I stopped noticing the stares. I eventually forgot I was even wearing a niqab, though the breathing difficulties continued.

We then headed towards Manchester City centre and took a stroll along Deansgate to a cafe.

The waitress had a fixed smile for her customers which dropped when we ordered our coffee.

I smiled back and I think she noticed it in my eyes and her smile re-appeared.

"You always get that," said Noreen.

"They get a little frightened, but once you start talking most people realize we are just normal women.”

Eating out in public was quite difficult. I had to slightly lift the veil, quickly sip the coffee and then put the cup down.

As we walked out, I noticed a contact of mine, a Muslim Pakistani, walking by. I called out to her and when she turned back and saw two women dressed in the niqab, she thought she had misheard her name and started walking away.

So I called her again and this time she realized it was me and almost choked on the sandwich she eating.

Her first thought was that I had been brainwashed. I explained this was a one-day outing and she seemed relieved yet nervous of talking to us in public.

This made me angry, why should she be embarrassed? We said our goodbyes and moved on.

It was mid-afternoon and the day seemed to be going well until we walked past a pub. A group of middle aged men who had clearly had a heavy session came out. They saw us and started shouting "watch out there’s terrorists about".

My initial reaction was to look around and see who they were targeting and them realized it was us.

I started swearing at them in Bangla under my breath and Noreen just grabbed hold of my hands and pulled me past them telling me it wasn't worth it.

I was very mad. Immediately after 7/7 I remember walking by a pub. I was wearing western clothes and the young men standing outside just ignored me completely.

But when an Asian woman wearing a hijab and shalwar qameez walked past they sniggered at her asking if she was related to the bombers. I felt terribly guilty because she was harassed and I wasn’t.

Now I was in that woman’s shoes.

Back at Noreen’s house I took the niqab and felt relief I was able to breathe easily again. Noreen seemed pleased with my effort and asked if I would do it again?

My honest answer was no, though I felt much empathy for the women who did regularly wear the veil. These women are brave enough to step out of the house everyday and face a world full of people who do not understand them and are constantly judging them.

The constant stares, verbal and even physical abuse is something they have to cope with. Could I cope with that? No I couldn’t, I guess I’m not that brave.

Though Noreen does not see it as an act of bravery.

She said: “Covering is just a physical covering. It doesn't mean that you can't be a person.

“I pride in the fact that people are not judging me on the way that I look, but on who I am, they get to know the real me. Bravery for me is going out and saving lives, wearing the niqab is just an extension of my faith and of who I am.

“We need to educate people more. One lady told me at work that whenever she saw a woman in a veil, she would cross the road because she was so frightened. It's about exchanging information.”

I went home that night thinking we should all be free to dress as we pleased and to respect people’s wishes for choosing to live their lives a certain way.

We don’t go around feeling sorry for Catholic nuns, so don’t feel sorry for the niqabi sisters. We don’t go around judging bikini clad women on the beach for not wearing much so why judge a women who chooses to cover up?"

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