North Yorkshire police officer designs a new hijab that is more comfortable and safer than the old one.
Uzma Amireddy, a positive action coordinator, said the hijab that was the part of the police uniform earlier didn’t look good and could be dangerous in hostile situations. Pc Uzma in 2019, became the first on-duty woman to wear the hijab. She said this completes her both as a Muslim female and a police officer.
“I am a British Muslim, and I love my job as a police officer. Serving the British community is my passion, but I can’t let it hinder me from practicing my religion. I love my job, but I can’t leave a part of me at home when I go to work,” said Pc Uzma.
Pc Uzma requested her chief officer Arfan Rahouf to introduce a new hijab in a police uniform that better suits the job. He agreed to help, and they both contacted local suppliers and asked for the possible alterations to make the current hijab more suitable for police jobs.
The new two-piece design of the hijab offers two detachable cloth pieces, one to cover the head and the other to cover the neck. It is designed this way to avoid any harm while facing violent encounters. If a person pulls your headscarf, it will not tighten around the throat leading to suffocation.
“We have got the new hijab in our force uniform. It looks professional and is safer and smart. She looks pretty, feels comfortable in it, and above all, she feels valued that the department respected her opinion and provided something that represents her faith,” Pc Rahouf said.
Pc Uzma wore the new hijab on Monday, and she felt great about it. She said, “When I went outside wearing it, people looked at me as a police officer rather than a Muslim woman, and this is what I wanted.
We are hoping that this gets incorporated as a standard hijab across the country. If it happens, more Muslim women will join the police force.”