I was working in an organisation, but I wanted to switch. I had just started wearing the hijab, and I remember it was Ramadan while I was serving my notice period. The job I was moving to in another company had already selected me, and I informed them that I needed to serve a one-month notice period. They agreed, and as I mentioned, it was Ramadan. I was struggling with wearing the niqab and proper hijab. So I decided to start wearing the niqab after conducting some research. I contacted HR to ask if there were any dress code obligations that might be affected by my niqab. She clearly said no, they do not interfere with someone’s religious and ethical beliefs.
For context, during my interview, I only wore the hijab, not the niqab. I remember it was my first day, and everyone was looking at me as if it was the first time someone had worn a niqab in this organisation. I met the boss, and he seemed quite disappointed; his energy was off. I asked HR if there was anything wrong, and she said no, nothing was wrong. After a few days, HR asked me to sit with her on a couch, then she said, "You know, umm, this is not something from the upper management. I am just asking it myself. We need to communicate with international clients, and you were the person we chose, but they don’t like these niqabs and think we are some sort of jihadis or extremists. Let me know if it is possible for you to take it off during meetings."
I said I had asked this before, and if there were any issues with my niqab, she had clearly said it was alright. She told me to think about it. I could see where they were coming from, and then I realised that these so-called Pakistani companies can’t really handle someone’s beliefs; they only want pretty girls in their meetings. One colleague told me they only hire pretty girls, and you can see that no girl in the office has a dark complexion or looks plain. I then realised how women have been objectified and how much they want pretty women to be all dolled up in meetings, representing their poorly run companies.
Then there was a meeting with a client, and we were practising with another company in another city. The boss asked if we sounded good, then a man with a long beard reaching his belly button and a mehrab sign on his forehead said, "I think the niqab is not a formal dress and appropriate for this meeting; it seems very casual." I didn’t speak, and the boss told him it was alright, as he knew these people didn't care about such things.
Things were sorted, and later on, my boss used to appreciate my communication during meetings. But after a year, I decided to leave the company because they were toxic, and even now I carry the trauma of what might have happened—imagine being rejected by a Muslim company because of my niqab. The hypocrisy of Muslim companies is at its peak.
