Donna Eljammal, a 26-year woman, has become Sweden's first police recruit in a hijab as she considers her traditional Muslim hijab as an asset rather than a hindrance for a future career. The ban on police recruits wearing a veil, a kippa or a turban as part of their regular uniform was lifted just 5 years ago.
”If anything it is a reflection of the multicultural Sweden we live in today,” Eljammal told The Local.
However, Donna Eljammal has known since she was a little girl that she wanted to be a police officer.
”I like working with people, helping people, and to not do exactly the same thing everyday. I always knew it would fit my personality,” she said.
”And it shows the public another side of women choosing to wear the veil, that we are not oppressed but can be strong and independent women.”
Before being accepted into the police academy, Eljammal worked for the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården).
Wearing a veil never constituted a problem there either, and she always felt she was well treated and respected by the other members of staff.
Eljammal thinks that it is an asset in all professions today to have staff with different cultural and religious backgrounds.
”The veil shows clearly that I have first hand knowledge of a different aspect of Swedish society,” she said.
Source: www.thelocal.se
"I grew up in little Piteå and we were among the first immigrant families there. Also when I worked in the prison service I was the first with a headscarf. But there weren't many who made comments about the headscarf when they got to know me as a person."
Eljammal doesn't think taking off headscarf for her work.
Source: www.worldbulletin.net
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