Lincolnshire non-Muslim girls asked to wear hijab for a day

Ghada Mohamed wants secondary schools in Lincolnshire to get involved to help raise awareness of discrimination

Non-Muslim girls in Lincolnshire are being asked to wear a hijab for a day to raise awareness of discrimination.

Ghada Mohamed said she came up with the idea in response to a number of incidents where girls wearing hijabs were subjected to abuse.

The campaigner, who is a member of the Lincoln Muslim Sisters Forum, said it would lead to better understanding.

She hopes secondary schools across the county will sign up.

Talking about the abuse some girls have faced, Mrs Mohamed said: "If they have been attacked or abused it's not because other children are bad.

"It's just because they don't have the knowledge."

'Part of identity'

The hijab day, to be held in November, will help non-Muslim children learn more about what it is like to wear a hijab, and the reasons behind it, she said.

One Muslim girl said the hijab was part of her identity, but wearing it sometimes made her feel like she was not part of the community.

She said she supported the idea of a hijab day.

"They would see it's just a piece of cloth covering our heads.

"It would be a big step to letting people know it's just a headscarf - nothing else," she said.

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