New documentary: Hijab – The Light Behind the Veil
Categories: Latest News
Monday April 18 2011
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The Herald paper carries a feature on a new campaign launched by Muslim women who wear the veil (in all its manifestations: hijab, jilbab and niqab) to educate Scots on their reasons for wearing it. |
From the Herald:
“Glasgow-born Samina Ansari and her loved ones were assaulted because she was wearing a traditional Islamic hijab, which covers the hair, but not the face.
“It happened last year, when Ansari, her husband and their baby were driving along a main road. The gang, armed with bricks and chains and accompanied by a snarling dog, surrounded the car, shouting “get the Paki bastards” and “go back to your own country”, before attempting to smash the car windows.
“Samina locked the doors while her husband frantically dialled 999, fearing for the safety of the baby in the back seat. One man brought the chain down on to the windscreen, while another tried to smash in through the passenger window.
“Luckily, the young Muslim mother was able to speed off when the men moved away from the front of the car.
““It was racist,” she said. “But it was also Islamophobic. It only lasted a minute-and-a-half, but the trauma lingered for months. I felt too scared to go out walking with my baby in a pram. It was horrible.”
“It is to counter this view that Samina Ansari and the charity she works for, Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, have made a documentary, Hijab – The Light Behind the Veil, to promote their reasons for wearing the hijab and describing the prejudice they face for donning a veil on a day-to-day basis.
“In Scotland, William Baikie was jailed last year after pulling the veil off a Saudi woman in Glasgow Central Station and tossing it to the floor. The victim, Anwar Alqahtani, 26, was so traumatised that she became too scared to leave her house.
“Despite this, Baikie became a hero to the far right who labelled him the “first European prisoner under Sharia law”.
“Peer behind the veils worn by European Muslim women and there are thousands of nervous faces, anxious about their futures and their place in society.”
To watch Amina’s video visit: www.mwrc.org.uk