Doctor wears ‘hijab’ with dignity

By Haji Kariuki

Every Monday morning, Fatma Abdallah walks to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) wards to see patients and check their progressive reports. Later in the afternoon, you’ll most likely find her at a lecture hall with University of Nairobi medical students.

One feature that distinguishes Dr Abdallah from the rest of her colleagues is the hijab, an Islamic attire for women, which she wears with a headscarf both on and off duty.

"I enjoy wearing hijab in the office because it portrays self-respect and dignity. It is also a divine guidance which is mandatory for every Muslim woman," said Abdallah during the interview.

At the KNH where she joined 12 years ago, Abdallah works at the Department of Haematology as a specialist in blood transfusion and oncology, the science of the cancer. She is one of the distinguished doctors at the hospital.

Various challenges

She joined the University of Nairobi as a medical student in 1981 and graduated six years later with her first degree. As a prerequisite, she later worked for the Ministry of Health for three years until 1990 when she went back to class for her second degree, which she got in 1993.

She had to work again for the Ministry of Health for the next five years before she was employed as a doctor in 1998.

"Ever since, I have been wearing hijab despite different challenges. First were some colleagues who teased me and wanted me to expose my beauty. Others asked me to change my religion and be saved while others saw it as an oppressive measure against Muslim women," she remembers.

However, her steadfastness saw her through the challenges. Abdalla says some non-Muslims have the wrong notion of the hijab and Islam in general out of what she terms ‘Islamophobia’.

"There are too many lies told about Islam especially in some churches, which generate misconceptions about Muslims."

She adds the hospital management has no problem with her wearing the hijab as long as she wears the white coat and a badge while on duty. However, while on duty in the theatre during surgery she has to change into theatre uniform, which includes an open-neck blouse and trouser with a skullcap.

Special dress

"I actually don’t mind much since I don’t go there often. But I know if I request to wear my special dress in the theatre there wouldn’t be a problem," says the mother of three.

Abdallah sees great improvement in the wearing of hijab by Muslim lady students since she joined the hospital. "We were only three Muslim students and I was the only woman medical student when I first joined the college. But today we boast about 200 Muslim students in the university, mostly women, all wearing hijab," she says.

"This is an impressive number for a community that has been marginalised for too long. There’s also a considerable size of Muslim staff in the hospital, including the deputy director."

This has led to exercising of their rights offered by the hospital management, including a prayer room for both the staff and the students. In addition, the students through their Muslim medical students association have initiated their own programmes, which include free medical camps for Muslim communities in the rural areas, visits of Muslim patients in the hospital, futar programmes during the holy months of Ramadhan and also meeting fellow students from other universities, among others.

But one major challenge coming from among themselves about hijab is the issue of ‘niqab’, a loose extra attire meant to cover both the mouth and nose and leaving only the eyes (commonly referred to as ninja).

"This is a big concern to us especially during visits to the wards by such students. We normally request them to remove the niqab during ward rounds to create confidence and easy communication with the patients. Sometimes it becomes so scaring that patients, especially children, cry a lot and even refuse to be treated by them," observes Abdalla.

Hijab is an attire for women supposed to cover the entire body except the face and hands. But niqab has been termed traditional and not Islamic by the late Sheikh Mohamed Sayyied Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, who passed away recently. He said unlike the hijab, a Muslim woman should not take the niqab as a must.

Abdallah also discourages niqab due to exam cheatings by some students who are supposed to indicate their picture alongside facial expression.

Seek knowledge

The doctor urges Muslim women not to shy away from wearing hijab especially in their workplace because it is their right. "I believe hijab does not in any way affect one’s performance at work. It also sends a clear message that you are a woman of dignity who deserves respect. Furthermore, it gives one great opportunity to preach to others the importance of hijab and the role of women in Islam."

Abdalla also encourages Muslim women to increase their knowledge for career advancement like other women as ordered by Islam. The first verse in the Holy Koran is about seeking knowledge.

Therefore, Muslim women should be in the forefront in climbing the career ladder. Marriage should not be a hindrance to achieve that goal as demanded by some retrogressive cultural traditions that when a woman is married that becomes her end of the road.

She gives an example of herself as a determined Muslim woman who sought knowledge and is now among the top seven doctors in the Department of Haematology at KNH and a health representative for the GNLD international company in the east and central African region.