OFF WITH HER HIJAB!

 
When you think of South Africa, the words Mandela, peace, democracy, apartheid, safari, to name a few, come to mind. Up until a few years ago, I strongly believed that South Africa was one of those very few countries with religious tolerance especially for Islam, I mean isn't that what Mandela fought for and meant in his Inaugural Address when he said, "Our single most important challenge is to help establish a social order in which the freedom of the individual will truly mean the freedom of the individual."

I believe African people above all should be the ones upholding that legacy, Mandela might have been African, but he fought against oppression for ALL people!

In African culture in South Africa, many women are expected to cover their hair and dress modestly especially after marriage and Raidah and I have been stopped by numerous African non-muslim women to ask us how we tie our hijab.

With all this in mind, I was no where near prepared for the harsh reality check!

Freedom blah blah!

Arriving in Johannesburg after a nightmare with my bags in Durban (Virgin Airlines has a customer help line but no one available to help the customer) and then having to push my baggage trolley with 50kg of luggage from the domestic terminal to the international terminal (very far), I finally get to the Virgin Airlines check in counter but not before I have to go through the Virgin Airlines "Passport Profiler", an African lady, we'll call her VPP.

ME: Hi! (I am extremely courteous with airport staff because for some reason unknown to me they are always extremely sulky)

VPP: (straight face) How long have you been in this country?

ME: (confused face) I don't understand, this is my country?

VPP: I said HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY?

ME: 2 months.

VPP: (flipping through my passport and practically screaming into my face) You don't have a visa for London!!

ME: Umm.. I don't need one because I'm not getting off in London. I live in Sweden. This is my residence permit card (I pick up card 1 to show to her - I have 2 cards)

VPP: (jumps back, making me wonder how dangerous a card can be) Excuse me! Are you going to stop being rude now!

ME: (really confused) Umm I don't understand? I'm showing you my card and holding it up for you so you can tell me which one you want to see. I'm making your life easier.

VPP: (giving me the stare of death) Take that THING off your head!!!

ME: (shock!) Excuse me? No!

VPP: You have to take that THING off your head now!

ME: I refuse to take this SCARF off my head here in a public place in front of everyone. If you want me to remove it, you have to take me to a separate room.

VPP: (walking about 10 steps to a corner across from where we were just standing) Ok! Take it off here!

ME: No! I will NOT remove my scarf here! I told you this is a public area!

VPP: Well then the "Room" is upstairs, let us go, but you cannot take your luggage!

ME: So then? What should I do? I'm sorry but I'm not leaving my bags here and I'm not talking my scarf off here either!

At this point, a young hijabi girl who had been watching the entire altercation, ran up to me and offered to watch over my bags. I called for the "Passport Profiler" and she escorted me up a flight of stairs to the BATHROOMS at the top. I started walking into the female bathrooms but she stopped me and redirected me into the single paraplegic bathroom. I later realised that this act of hers spoke volumes about;

1- how she wanted to hide what she was doing as this was not standard procedure and if it was I would be taken to an assigned room not a bathroom and,

2- further humiliate me.

In the paraplegic bathroom, I removed my hijab and looked at her. She stared back at me and spoke as if I had a problem understanding, "Didn't I tell you to take it off! Take everything off!!". She was referring to the cap I wear under my hijab which is tight against my head and face. How could that tiny piece of cloth conceal my identity to such a point where it needed to be taken off! I took it off and stood facing her. She barely looked at me, handed back my passport, turned and left me alone in the bathroom. I quickly retied my hijab, feeling shock and complete humiliation.

Coming back down the stairs, I thanked the girl who was standing with my luggage. My face must have looked somewhere between anger and near tears because she quickly asked if I was ok and if I needed any help. I reassured her that I was fine, thanked her again and went past the passport profiler desk, this time to be met by a smiling elderly man who allowed me through. There was no sign of the lady who had just used her position and authority to belittle and embarrass my religious freedom of choice.

After checking into my flight, I called my mom and asked her to get in touch with the manager on duty and relate my story. Before boarding my flight, the manager came to speak to me and appeared shocked with the incident reassuring me that a disciplinary hearing would be called for and this matter not taken lightly. I was upgraded and promised to be contacted a few days later with a follow up of the outcome of the hearing. 

That was 3 weeks ago and I am still waiting. I was given the upgrade as somewhat of a bribe to be quiet and to forget the humiliating experience, however, I will continue to mail Virgin Airlines and various newspapers until my voice is heard and until I can make a difference in the way those who travel with the hijab are treated. 

My idealistic perspective of the "new and free" South Africa is being chipped at and is changing. Wearing the hijab is being seen more now as a negative symbol rather than a beautiful choice and Islamaphobia is slowly bleeding into the heart of democracy.  

Hijab is our choice and I have made mine recently but why should I have to suffer humiliation for that freedom of choice?

To all of this I say - I will not be silent. I am a Hijabi and I feel more free now then I have ever felt!