[Zoya was denied a job at a sill to be established orphanage in New Delhi because her recruiter felt that her hijab made her look "like a Muslim lady". (Photo: Nedal Zoya)]
New Delhi: No, she is neither afraid nor feeling like being a victim. Nedal Zoya, who has been denied a job - not once but twice, merely because she wears Hijab instead said "her scarf adds to her confidene".
"My scarf adds to my boldness and confidence. And it's completely my choice to cover my head," Nedal Zoya, a graduate from Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai Campus said while talking to Al Jazeera.
Zoya was denied a job at a sill to be established orphanage in New Delhi because her recruiter felt that her hijab made her look "like a Muslim lady".
"I am sorry to inform you that even [from] a distance of one kilometer you look like a Muslim lady due to your external Muslim gears", Harish Varma wrote to Zoya even as she was short listed for the post and appeared for a written test.
Varma also suggested Zoya remove her hijab as one of the pre-conditions to proceed with the recruitment process.
Zoya turned down Varma's request. This further annoyed Varma who sais he was "shocked" to know that "conservative Islam was her priority, not humanity", and that all her "higher education has gone down drain".
Zoya however remains unfazed by the outcome.
"I don't take it as a rejection. I don't consider myself a victim," she said.
"My motive was to create [an] awareness as I am not the only one who has faced such discrimination. People at least need to discuss this matter so that such discrimination on the basis of religion and appearance can be questioned," she added.
According to Indian Express, Zoya had been denied a job earlier by a reputed private school in Patna. She said the school management told her outrightly that they cannot hire her because of her hijab.
According to her LinkedIn profile page, Zoya is working since March 2016 as Project Head at Inayah Intervention Centre, Shepherd's Path International School, New Delhi.
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