I was told I'd have to wear a hijab, I said 'I don't think so': Today programme's first Muslim presenter on why she won't wear the veil
- Mishal Husain, 40, was told to cover her face by Muslim train passenger
- She is the first Muslim to present BBC Radio 4's Today programme
- Cambridge-educated journalist said Koran didn't order women to wear garment
By TOM GARDNER
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Mishal Husain - who joined the Today programme this morning - recalled the moment she was accosted by a fellow Muslim while boarding a train who told her she will soon have to adopt the face covering hijab.
She said: ‘He complimented me on my work and then said, “But you’ll have to wear a hijab one day.” “I don’t think so,” I replied.’
The Cambridge-educated journalist, 40, is the latest high-profile public figure to intervene in the debate about whether the veil is an acceptable item of clothing in Britain.
Last month, David Cameron was accused of Islamophobia after he backed a college’s controversial decision to ban pupils wearing the full facial veil for security reasons.
All students, staff and visitors to Birmingham Metropolitan College were told they must have their faces visible at all times so they are ‘easily identifiable’.
But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he felt ‘uneasy’ about a veil ban in a schools, although he could understand why it was needed to identify people at airport checkouts.
Also in September, a judge ordered a a Muslim defendant to take off her full-face veil to give evidence.
But the case made British legal history because Judge Peter Murphy said the woman could retain the veil for all other parts of her trial.
Debate: BBC Radio 4 presenter Mishal Husain said she would not wear a veil when she was confronted by a fellow Muslim while boarding a train
Drawing from her own interpretation of what the Koran said about the wearing of veils, Ms Husain said there was no order to don the garment.
In a diary piece for the Financial Times, she said: ‘In the Koran, the subject of dress is touched upon only a handful of times, with the dominant requirement being modesty on the part of both sexes.
‘One verse puts the emphasis on actions over appearances: “O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness.” (7:26)
Two Muslim students at the Birmingham Metropolitan College campus in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. The college have banned Muslim girls from wearing a veil. Eyes, nose and mouth all have to be visible
Ms Husain, who is also Today's first Asian presenter, said her determination not to wear the veil was formulated during her years as a child growing up in Saudi Arabia, where her mother was required to wear an abaya, or black cloak, over the top.
She described how her young friends would sometimes struggle to pick out their mothers in a crowded shopping centre - as the full-face veil meant they had to look for details on their shoes to distinguish people.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2448411/I-told-Id-wear-hijab-I-said-I-dont-think-Today-programmes-Muslim-presenter-wont-wear-veil.html#ixzz2h2QM0VfL
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