In a country as large as the United States, there are always people around of different ages, backgrounds, and religions even in the workplace. Sometimes it’s less obvious as to what a person’s religion is, but other times it’s as clear as day. The most obvious is seeing a Muslim women wearing a hijab (head-covering)  or abayah (loose over-garment). A hijabi, a Muslim woman that wear the hijab, is especially obvious when she’s dressed modestly and is also surrounded by women in pencil skirts.

Hearing whispers as you walk by is often a regular occurrence for a hijab wearing girl. People often look at you different and like you don’t belong. So much research has gone into discrimination, especially that of a Muslim woman. A recent study has shown that 69% of women that wear hijab have said they face some sort of discrimination, while only 29% non-hijabis have faced discrimination. I’m not saying that 29% is a small number or insignificant, but when compared to the 69% it’s obviously a lot less. That’s over half of the hijab wearing population, which means that it is likely that about every 2 out of 3 hijabis have felt some degree of discrimination in their time of wearing the hijab. A lot of discrimination is based on the lack of education people have about Islam and what the hijab actually is. They believe terrible things they read and hear, so in the end they believe that Muslim women are the face of all of the bad things shown and said. A major place of discrimination is at the workplace. Many women face it more there because of how different they look compare to their colleagues. Being discriminated against isn’t a small thing. It can mentally break a person down from the inside, and it being in a place that one attends regularly and professionally works makes working hard.

As a woman who has worn hijab for over 7 years I can definitely say I have been on the short end of the discrimination stick. As a senior in high school I worked as an instructor at a math tutoring center in a small town in south Texas. Well, my town was filled with closeminded conservatives that didn’t take kindly to people of other religions. While I never had any problems with my colleagues, I often heard terrible remarks and received rude stares from my students’ parents. I realized there was nothing I could do to stop people from seeing me the way they did. My hijab is a part of me, so if it’s not accepted then neither am I, right? I learned to ignore negativity and focus on teaching the children the best I could. And on the other hand, my students had no problems with me or my religion. They choose to embrace our differences rather than emphasize or hate them.

Discrimination is not always rude stares or remarks; it includes actions too. While my boss was understanding and didn’t care if I wore my hijab, that is not always the case. Many hijabis are denied jobs because of their preference to don the hijab. One woman even went to court against Abercrombie & Fitch when they refused to hire her based on her hijab. Well, in the US under the freedom of religion stated in the Bill of Rights, they had no valid reason to deny her the job due to her religious preference. She, of course, went on to win her case in the Supreme Court and set precedent for future cases. During the case, Justice Scalia said, “An employer may not make an applicant’s religious practice, confirmed or otherwise, a factor in employment decisions.” While this precedent was set in US, similar things happen in other countries. For example, in the UK, studies have found that Muslim women with a college education are less likely to be chosen for a job against a non-Muslim woman with the same level of education. Additionally, Muslim women also receive less replies based on their resumes. It is important to fight for what is right. Based on name-blind recruitment, it is more likely for a person with a “white sounding name” to get a job over someone with an ethnic name. Muslim women already have a negative mark towards them just based on their names. Something as simple as a name can hold them back before an interview is even scheduled. It is great to know that the law in the US is also on our side. Every hijabi needs to know that she has rights. The laws, listed on the ACLU website, are as follows:

Some attacks go as far as physical abuse. Women are beaten up badly just because they wear a hijab. On a lesser, yet still important note, women are threated and hear verbal abuse. Some women have their hijabs ripped off of their heads just to spite them. There are news reports often showcasing the many attacks against a woman wearing a hijab. Many women endure this regularly because co-workers or bosses think less of them. Muslim women are also treated differently during job interviews. The Independent found that 1 out of every 8 Muslim women is asked illegal questions during interviews compared to 1 out of every 30 non-Muslim women. Questions about family and kids that have nothing to do with what the interview is for. They also found that 1 out of every 4 employers hesitate to hire a Muslim woman based on her religious followings. Due to the negative perception created for the hijab people try to avoid having hijabis around them.

Discrimination against hijabis is obviously not only in the United States. Basically where there are hijabis in the world there is discrimination against them. There are cases all over like in the UK, Germany and France. In some countries there are even laws forbidding the hijab or other modest coverings. According to a study on multiple European countries, it was found that Muslim women face a “triple penalty” of discrimination. They not only face what all women face against men, but also on the basis of race and religion. In 2016 in France a reporter was disrespected because she wore a hijab and reported about terrorist activity. Other news sources questioned as to why she was allowed to report because of her hijab. Cases come up all over European countries often. TRTWorld reported six cases in detail, and went on to say that the majority of cases go unreported. Many women keep their experiences to themselves so they aren’t harassed by others or are embarrassed of their encounters. In a changing world, people are more and more diverse, so some people don’t know how to react or what to make about it. Some Americans believe that people of other races and religions don’t belong among them. They dislike that Muslims are working amongst them at work, and are at the same professional level as them.

Discrimination of Muslim woman is a phenomenon that has unfortunately happened for a long time. People see us differently because we choose to wear hijab and cover modestly. The best way to handle the situation is to be the bigger person, and ignore the negativity around you. If you end up in the position where you are being discriminated against in the workplace make sure to report it and know what your rights are. People always say, “I wish I could help.” Well now you can! World Hijab Day wants to set up job training programs for Muslim women to help them conquer the professional world while wearing the hijab. We need your support to help hijabis all over the world get jobs and progress in their professional careers. The time to help is now. As a fellow hijabi, I’m personally asking for your contribution to this amazing cause.

Please donate here: http://www.launchgood.com/worldhijabday

Sources:

“American Muslim Poll.” ISPU. N.p., 15 Mar. 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

Bhatti, Maqsood, and Abed Ahmed. Trtworld.com. TRTWORLD, 26 July 2016. Web. 9 Feb. 2017.

“Discrimination Against Muslim Women – Fact Sheet.” American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Easton, Mark. “Muslim Women Most Disadvantaged, Say MPs.” BBC News. BBC, 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

Fenton, Siobhan. “British Muslim Women Face ‘double Bind’ of Gender and Religious Discrimination, Report Warns.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

Liptak, Adam. “Muslim Woman Denied Job Over Head Scarf Wins in Supreme Court.” Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 1 June 2015. Web. 9 Feb. 2017.

“Muslim Women‪ Are the First to Pay the Price for Islamophobia in Europe.” Muslim Women‪ Are the First to Pay the Price for Islamophobia in Europe. FEMYSO, 30 May 2016. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

The post Discrimination: When and Where Will It End? appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I am originally from Sudan but grew up in Abu Dhabi – UAE. I started wearing hijab when I was 15 years old. For me it was just the natural thing to do. I went to do my undergrad in Electrical Engineering in Sudan then I came to the US for my master’s. In my first semester at the University of Alabama in Huntsville,  was September 11 and everyone freaked out. My professor called me every day to make sure I was okay.  

Some  of my friends and family asked me to remove my hijab to be safe but my thought was I am safe! How can you not be safe when you are worshiping God? If my time to go today then it’s my time whether I wear hijab or not. It is not going to change my destiny so I never removed it. However, I went through a lot of harassment.  I remember in Kinkos when I was trying to print out my project, the lady who worked there refused to help me! Oh man I made a scene by complaining to her manger in public ( it was crowded ) and demanded my right to be served like anyone else or explain to me why are you treating me this way? Of course, the manager apologized in public to me and gave all my service for free. 

When I finished my master’s in Electrical Engineering in Alabama, I joined the oil field as a field engineer with a title called MWD ( Measuring While Drilling). I was working offshore for Schlumberger.  Honestly,  for this position, the female percentage was 30% ( if I remember correctly) but doing it with hijab and going through all the water surviving training with full cloth was a challenge. One thing I learned was you are what you present;  if you present confidence, people will treat you with respect. Of course, hijab affected me in many ways.  First, I cannot be rude to people regardless how I feel because then it won’t be oh! this lady is rude.  It will be the girl with the scarf is rude or Muslims are rude. I learned to be in my best behavior. Also, I learned to work harder than everyone else because everything I do represents Islam, not me.

Years passed by and I moved from Schlumberger to another company ( Baker Hughes) and finally to Halliburton. When Halliburton called me for a Field Engineering position called Directional Driller,  I thought they made a mistake as it’s known that no one hires females for this position but I answered the call and went to the interview in Casper, WY. I got the job on the spot.  I was the second female they hired for this job and the second female to have this job in USA.  And of course, the only Muslim with a scarf over her head. I worked in remote areas and it was very challenging.  Some people really hate Muslims and for them, I was the devil walking in heels. But doing my job better than everyone else and knowing my rights, I put everyone in their place and became the go-to-person when there was a problem.  After one year in the field with Halliburton in ND, they moved me to the office here in Houston, Texas to develop the first Well Design Course the company ever had. Shortly afterwards, I became the Houston Training Manager to train all Field Engineers globally.

I also became the company’s voice for female and diversity and was the keynote speaker in many events to inspire women to become engineers. 

Did I mention I am half way through getting my private pilot certification?  

One thing I want to tell every hijabi woman is that hijab does not put you down.  In fact, you put yourself down when you treat hijab as a heavy piece of cloth instead of feeling it as a natural part of who you are. And for Muslims who think the only way to melt in the western society is by dress like them, your dream is so small because no leader was ever a follower.  A leader is the one who stands differently in the crowd. People respect those who respect themselves.

And for my friends from other religions, I want to really thank you for your love and support. 

And for the ignorant, well may God bless your heart and lighten your soul with the truth one day.

The post Sky is no longer the limit for this hijabi Engineer appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I wore hijab for the first time in the seventh grade and I have been wearing it ever since. It only took that one deciding moment to impact my personality so deeply that I vowed never to take it off. Even so, growing up and especially going to high school to see most girls all dolled up with perfectly done hair, obviously looking pretty, made me feel kinda’ weird. At that age (seventeen), it seemed as if it’s all that mattered or there was nothing more to life than a pretty face and beautiful hair. But I decided to hold my head high and feel proud at my decision of covering up.

I still get tempted by the society even at twenty-one. I recently went for a job interview and they literally told me to take off my hijab to get the place that I rightfully deserved. My point is that there is NO job in this whole wide world that I would take off my Hijab for.  I have been through a lot, from temptations to hardships but I am determined as ever to face up to all the tests that will come my way in the future. Because I believe that it’s NOT just a covering, it is actually our key to Jannah (Paradise). In Sha Allah (God-willingly).

The post I was told to take off my hijab! appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I converted to Islam in 2011 after two years of studying it. I simply fell in love with Allah and with the message of the Qur’an. I was deployed in Afghanistan when I took shahada over Facebook chat with a friend, and hijab wasn’t an authorized part of the Army uniform. After I returned home that summer, it took me the better part of a year before I started wearing it all the time.

I’ve now been a Muslim for almost 3 years, alhamdilullah. I wear hijab because I want people to recognize me on sight as a Muslim woman. I recently got hired, after six months of job searching and rejection, by a company who thought my hijab was indicative of conviction and inner strength. They saw it as an asset, not a liability! So, to all my sisters who think nobody will hire them if they wear hijab: if it’s that important to you, remain firm and trust Allah. He will provide!

The post They saw it as an asset, not a liability! appeared first on World Hijab Day.