Written and produced by Isha Abis Kamara.
Isha is from Sierra Leone. Born and raised in a male-dominated society, she understands and is aware of the many acts of violence against women and girls in her community. Determined to create and hold safe spaces for these women and girls, she works as a Production Officer at Purposeful, a feminist hub for girls’ activism that is remaking the world with and for girls in Sierra Leone and Africa.
“My story is about the pressure hijabis and religious Muslim women face daily because of the decision to wear the hijab. Focusing mainly on the pressure and expectations society (non-hijabis) have on hijabis and how
they should act, what and how they should talk and behave, how they should dress, as well as how they should wear the hijab. As a practising Muslim woman in my mid-20s, I was the first member of my family to start wearing the hijab and have been wearing it for over ten years. Despite my decision to take up the hijab and knowing what comes with it, people still feel entitled to tell me how to wear it and how to behave when wearing the hijab, and this film is about pushing back.”