The following piece was written as a narrative to accompany a short film. It is based on the thoughts and experiences of "Lian".
Undercover in Australia- a day in niqab.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
My name is Lian. I obtained a scholarship to complete my Masters of Education in Australia. I arrived on the Gold Coast with my husband and four children 3 yrs ago from Riyadh, the largest city and capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I worked very hard to meet the standards of English language to pursue my path here. But the language barrier was not the only concern for me in adjusting to the culture here. My first thought was of my Islamic veil, as this is the most visible sign of difference. Although our values may not differ from those the Australian people hold dear; honesty, family, charity, a “fair go” to name just a few, I am aware that some of our practices can seem alien, confronting and are often misunderstood.
Most women in Saudi Arabia observe Islamic cover or “hijab” including the veiling of the face, or “niqab”. In some Saudi Arabian cities women must wear niqab by law. In other cities it is not legally enforceable, but strongly encouraged. Muslims highly value a clear distinction between public and private life, which often includes the practice of hijab with its rules of modest dress and behaviour for men and for women. In a Muslim country there will usually be some degree of expectation for public dress and behaviour, because Islam seeks to protect the dignity of the family unit and of society in this way.
Women in Arab cultures have been wearing niqab for hundreds of years. But wearing niqab can be both a cultural and a deeply personal pracitice. Muslim Australian writer Rachel Woodlock has described the hijab as her “portable sacred space”. Niqab, for some of us, completes that picture. That is why it is not so easy for most of us to just take it off because we now live in Australia. We understand the covering of the face to be a highly commendable way to wear hijab wherever we go, a practice that is pleasing to God Almighty. But how would the Australian society view my niqab?
I started my Australian life here, in the Gold Coast suburbs. Thank God, everyone here respects the other. I have not faced any harassment. There are quite a few muslim families in our estate, mostly Arab, but some from other countries, and some Australian muslims. Our non-muslim neighbours are very friendly and open. They are used to seeing covered women wandering around. It’s not unusual here. Our manager is very kind and helpful and would not tolerate any bigotry on the estate.
At the local mosque I have met muslim women from all over the world and many are Australian. Some of the Australian women have chosen hijab and even niqab for themselves as a way of expressing their devotion to God. It is not unusual to see a pair of bright blue eyes peering over a niqab. Some muslim women in Australia would like to wear hijab and niqab for the spiritual rewards, but find the cultural pressure not to wear it too great.
I use the bus to go to university to attend my lectures. Usually I don’t lift my gaze when I get on the bus. I know that if I do, sometimes I won’t like what I see. Mostly, it’s just curiosity, but sometimes it’s anger and sometimes, it’s hatred. I tell myself, if I do notice this, that maybe this person is just having a bad day. Maybe it’s not me at all. Sometimes people whisper to each other and I know they are talking about me. Well, not about me, because they don’t know me, but about my niqab, or muslims in general. Sometimes, they don’t whisper. They talk as if I can’t hear them or see them, as if I am not there underneath my garments. Perhaps they assume that I don’t speak English. Perhaps they don’t care...
Generally speaking though, Australian people are great, really! Although Australians read more newspapers than people of any other country in the world, they are surprisingly unperturbed by any impression of muslims or muslim women they may have been exposed to in the media. They are still, largely, willing to give you a “fair go”. Some people seem to go out of their way to be friendly to me, as if they want to send me the message that they don’t hate muslims and they don’t mind the niqab. Some warm up very quickly when you talk to them. They can see that your eyes are smiling. They are relieved when the barriers are broken down and they find a person in there after all!
Although Australian universities do tend to be very diverse and liberal, many students still tend look at me strangely; but I understand, I really do. It’s normal behaviour, because it’s something new to them. Some students have ridiculed me with their words and their gestures and this does bother me. I am a normal person who does the same things as most other Australians do; eating, drinking, shopping, enjoying the outdoors with my family. I’m not different to the others, I just want to wear niqab.
Most of the bad reactions come at the shopping center. It can differ greatly from one person to the next. Once, some young people in the shopping center at Southport pulled off my niqab and laughed at me. That was frightening and humiliating enough, but even more disturbing was a man on the street who backed me into a corner and was talking at me, I couldn’t understand him, I didn’t know what he wanted…
At the end of the day, I know that it is normal for people to have some kind of reaction to the way I dress. But it’s wrong to take action against others just because they seem strange to you. Australia has a lot of different customs and traditions because it has been visited and colonized by people from many different countries, cultures and religions. We are free to practice some or all or none of them. Our central values are the same. I wear the niqab because I want to wear it. No-one is forcing me to wear it and no-one should force me not to wear it. It is my choice and I hope that the Australian people do not judge me because of the option that I chose.
Undercover in Australia- a day in niqab.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
My name is Lian. I obtained a scholarship to complete my Masters of Education in Australia. I arrived on the Gold Coast with my husband and four children 3 yrs ago from Riyadh, the largest city and capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I worked very hard to meet the standards of English language to pursue my path here. But the language barrier was not the only concern for me in adjusting to the culture here. My first thought was of my Islamic veil, as this is the most visible sign of difference. Although our values may not differ from those the Australian people hold dear; honesty, family, charity, a “fair go” to name just a few, I am aware that some of our practices can seem alien, confronting and are often misunderstood.
Most women in Saudi Arabia observe Islamic cover or “hijab” including the veiling of the face, or “niqab”. In some Saudi Arabian cities women must wear niqab by law. In other cities it is not legally enforceable, but strongly encouraged. Muslims highly value a clear distinction between public and private life, which often includes the practice of hijab with its rules of modest dress and behaviour for men and for women. In a Muslim country there will usually be some degree of expectation for public dress and behaviour, because Islam seeks to protect the dignity of the family unit and of society in this way.
Women in Arab cultures have been wearing niqab for hundreds of years. But wearing niqab can be both a cultural and a deeply personal pracitice. Muslim Australian writer Rachel Woodlock has described the hijab as her “portable sacred space”. Niqab, for some of us, completes that picture. That is why it is not so easy for most of us to just take it off because we now live in Australia. We understand the covering of the face to be a highly commendable way to wear hijab wherever we go, a practice that is pleasing to God Almighty. But how would the Australian society view my niqab?
I started my Australian life here, in the Gold Coast suburbs. Thank God, everyone here respects the other. I have not faced any harassment. There are quite a few muslim families in our estate, mostly Arab, but some from other countries, and some Australian muslims. Our non-muslim neighbours are very friendly and open. They are used to seeing covered women wandering around. It’s not unusual here. Our manager is very kind and helpful and would not tolerate any bigotry on the estate.
At the local mosque I have met muslim women from all over the world and many are Australian. Some of the Australian women have chosen hijab and even niqab for themselves as a way of expressing their devotion to God. It is not unusual to see a pair of bright blue eyes peering over a niqab. Some muslim women in Australia would like to wear hijab and niqab for the spiritual rewards, but find the cultural pressure not to wear it too great.
I use the bus to go to university to attend my lectures. Usually I don’t lift my gaze when I get on the bus. I know that if I do, sometimes I won’t like what I see. Mostly, it’s just curiosity, but sometimes it’s anger and sometimes, it’s hatred. I tell myself, if I do notice this, that maybe this person is just having a bad day. Maybe it’s not me at all. Sometimes people whisper to each other and I know they are talking about me. Well, not about me, because they don’t know me, but about my niqab, or muslims in general. Sometimes, they don’t whisper. They talk as if I can’t hear them or see them, as if I am not there underneath my garments. Perhaps they assume that I don’t speak English. Perhaps they don’t care...
Generally speaking though, Australian people are great, really! Although Australians read more newspapers than people of any other country in the world, they are surprisingly unperturbed by any impression of muslims or muslim women they may have been exposed to in the media. They are still, largely, willing to give you a “fair go”. Some people seem to go out of their way to be friendly to me, as if they want to send me the message that they don’t hate muslims and they don’t mind the niqab. Some warm up very quickly when you talk to them. They can see that your eyes are smiling. They are relieved when the barriers are broken down and they find a person in there after all!
Although Australian universities do tend to be very diverse and liberal, many students still tend look at me strangely; but I understand, I really do. It’s normal behaviour, because it’s something new to them. Some students have ridiculed me with their words and their gestures and this does bother me. I am a normal person who does the same things as most other Australians do; eating, drinking, shopping, enjoying the outdoors with my family. I’m not different to the others, I just want to wear niqab.
Most of the bad reactions come at the shopping center. It can differ greatly from one person to the next. Once, some young people in the shopping center at Southport pulled off my niqab and laughed at me. That was frightening and humiliating enough, but even more disturbing was a man on the street who backed me into a corner and was talking at me, I couldn’t understand him, I didn’t know what he wanted…
At the end of the day, I know that it is normal for people to have some kind of reaction to the way I dress. But it’s wrong to take action against others just because they seem strange to you. Australia has a lot of different customs and traditions because it has been visited and colonized by people from many different countries, cultures and religions. We are free to practice some or all or none of them. Our central values are the same. I wear the niqab because I want to wear it. No-one is forcing me to wear it and no-one should force me not to wear it. It is my choice and I hope that the Australian people do not judge me because of the option that I chose.
