AISHA CHUCKLES as she tells the story of the child that stopped in the middle of a busy Dublin street and stared in astonishment as she walked past, her features obscured by the full-face veil known as the niqab.
“He turned to his mother and asked: ‘Why is that lady dressed up as if it is Halloween?’” she recalls. Aisha (not her real name) moved to Ireland 13 years ago with her husband, an imam at one of Dublin’s smaller mosques. Both adhere to Deobandism, a school of thought which originated in south Asia and hinges on a rigid interpretation of Islam.
Aisha has grown accustomed to the curious glances, the startled double takes and the infrequent scowls her appearance can prompt when she is out shopping or, more recently, taking driving lessons. [The Irish Times] Read more
