Muslim vlogger wants women to try wearing a hijab for 15 minutes to understand exclusion

Rachel Thompson
Updated

A Muslim mum is asking other women to wear the hijab for 15 minutes so they can see what it's like to experience exclusion and abuse. She says she finds it hard to make friends with other mums because people can't see past her hijab. 

In a video posted by Channel Mum — a YouTube community for mothers — Nilufa Dahlia, from Brighton, UK, said that she was verbally abused for wearing her headscarf in a supermarket.

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"Come on guys, it's literally just a piece of cloth on my head," said Dahlia.

"See past a scarf, see the person," Dahlia added. She said she doesn't want to feel lonely, or isolated or misunderstood because of a "piece of cloth." She explained that every hijabi woman has her own personal reason for wearing a scarf.

"For me it shows that I'm a Muslim woman. It's to allow people to acknowledge my personality over my looks," says Dahlia.

Dahlia is setting other women a challenge so they can see what it feels like "to be looked at differently" and to be "pointed at, whispered about or even abused."

"Simply tie a scarf or a shawl, anything, and go out. I won't ask you to walk a mile in my shoes, but half a mile? That'll do," Dahlia said.