Hijab Discrimination: It happened to me...

Discrimination is an action, treatment or outlook that is formed without just grounds or insufficient knowledge. Since the Hijab (headgear) is both a manifest sign of Islam and adherence to Islam, Muslim women are often vulnerable of being unjustly discriminated against.

It happened to me on Monday, August 18^th 2003 after having decided to apply for a cut-out job advertisement that said it required sales assistants, cashiers and packers in Carrefour Hypermarket. It was a great opportunity for me as I have been desperately searching for a job. I mentally prepared myself for the walk-in-interview all the while making sure my resume was with me.

I had been to the business district before but going there alone and thinking about what questions would be asked made the trip rather uncomfortable. I was only eighteen at that time and when I looked at the big, tall buildings and the people, I all of a sudden felt so small. Since I haven’t worked before I wasn’t that confident so I recited some prayers while making my way to the building.

As I got there, I saw a row of seats with people waiting for their turn to be interviewed. The lady at the reception glanced at me and then my resume and she muttered, “No working experience.” My heart sank when she said this but she nonetheless handed me a form to fill in.

I joined the people who were patiently waiting for their turns, entertaining themselves with their cell phones. I remembered I observed a lot at that waiting room. There was certainly a major difference between me and the people there as I was the only with the Hijab. But it was not like I was the only Muslim girl there, there were others too but they didn’t wear the scarf.

I also remembered being really tired of waiting as almost 1 ½ hours went by before my name was finally called up. As I was escorted into the other room I gasped in admiration as the place looked like a ballroom. As I approached the tables and chairs for the interviewer and the interviewee I began again to pray silently. I sat down opposite the man who was reading my resume. The man looked up and he smiled at me and I in turn returned a smile. The first few minutes of the interview session was easy and comfortable. I was very happy with the way things were going and thought I had the job.

 But then I was suddenly taken by surprise by his statement:

“We have a dress code here; you have to take off that headgear if you want this job. This is an international company, those Muslims girls who worked here, they also took off their headgears and they only put it on when going home.”

The world, like my heart, seemed to have stopped for a second. Everything had suddenly gone hazy. I tried to compose myself but I couldn’t help but just stare at him. I tried to find words and when I did, the words somehow became stuck in my throat. My hopes were dashed. I couldn’t get the job, and I knew that for certain. Fortunately, I did manage to compose myself enough to respond:

“No, I can’t go against my own religion. I can’t take off my hijab”

I could feel the cheerfulness drain out from my face.

The man smiled. I couldn’t make what kind of smile he was trying to convey. I just knew that he stabbed my heart with such a statement. If that was not bad enough though, the next thing he said ensured my heart stayed broken:

“You don’t want to consider?”

That was it. I just shook my head. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyelids. I didn’t look at him. I just stood up and left. I didn’t know where I was going, I just walked and walked. Then my cell phone rang and when I looked down, it was my dad. My tears just fell as I answered the call. My dad came to fetch me and when I told him what had happened, he got really angry and I was crying too. He said that we won't ever step into Carrefour again and we will boycott their goods.

It was my first time being discriminated against because of my hijab. My dad told me not to cry because there is nothing I should regret. By Allah, I did not regret anything but I was really shocked and hurt by how they treated me.

When I got home, I cried again. My family knew about the incident and they were there to comfort me. Every time when I recited Sura Al-Kafirun, I burst into tears as the incident kept playing in my mind. Then I realized that I was not the only Muslim girl to be discriminated against because of the Hijab. Many have been treated like this before me and worse too. They actually banned the Hijab in schools and even governments places. What has the world come to? What does my Hijab have to do with my work?

But having been through all that, by the grace of Allah SWT, I am now blessed with a job, a job which allows me to observe my Hijab and do my prayers in the office building, something that I could never have done two years ago.

Yet there is no doubt, the world is going through tremendous injustice but Alhamdulillah for Allah is our Witness.