VEIL or headscarf represents religious and traditional values of Muslim women. In the West, discrimination against women with their heads covered is somehow understandable though not justified. But in Islamic states too a woman with covered head faces job rejections, even if her academic records and skills are compatible or above the job requirement.

Women’s struggle in Pakistan to acquire a job without compromising on hijab and niqab is similar to the treatment Muslim women get in the West. A woman wearing a hijab or niqab can be a career woman who can perform exceptionally well in any field or situation just like any other girl who doesn’t wear one.

Syeda Wajeeha Bukhari

Karachi

Published in Dawn November 2nd, 2016