Birmingham engineer's PPE headscarf to inspire Muslim women

Aminah Shafiq said she did not want women to "struggle" like she did

A senior engineer says she hopes her PPE headscarf design will inspire Muslim women who want to pursue a career in engineering and construction.

Aminah Shafiq, from Birmingham, said her design makes it safer for women wearing a headscarf to work in operational jobs.

The 24-year-old, who works for Severn Trent, said she came up with the idea during lockdown.

She said she hopes it "represents them and accommodates" women.

"I started thinking about the two concerns I had - the free flowing material and the fact that the helmet wouldn't fit over my head," she said.

"I took inspiration from the athletic headscarves which have more of a snug fit and none of the free-flowing materials."

Ms Shafiq said she came up with the idea during lockdown

Ms Shafiq, who graduated in engineering two years ago and is now a senior water advisor, added that she did not want women to "struggle" like she did.

"Let's create something that represents them and accommodates them and maybe convince them to pursue operational roles."

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Dr Freeha Azmat, an associate professor at University of Warwick's manufacturing group, welcomed the integrated design.

"When you have a hijab you have a lot of pins and by having the pins away from the PPE, this gives a lot of advantage because you don't need to worry about adjusting your hijab," she said.

Dr Freeha Azmat at University of Warwick's manufacturing department said she welcomed the integrated design

"On top of that, pins could be a hazard as well, so I think by having something that is just integrated into the uniform, it gives a lot of protection."

Student Nageen Fatima said she felt it helped Muslim women to "visualise themselves" and "not limit themselves to different professions that do not allow for these customisations."