I am an 18 year-old Muslim who chooses to wear the veil.

Many women in my family also wear it, while some others have chosen not to.

For those who don’t wear it, I have nothing against them nor do I think they are wrong. To wear the veil is a choice a Muslim woman needs to make.

A verse in the Quran tells us to cover our beauty and lower our gaze and to be modest so that we are not taken advantage of - and so that there are no out-of-marriage relationships, unwanted pregnancies and a society where children do not know who their father or mother is.
It is not to oppress us, rather give us the privacy and respect we deserve.

The past week has been somewhat of a ‘veil’ week.

With the woman who was told to remove the veil while giving evidence in court, health secretary Jeremy Hunt calling for a national debate on the issue; clinical staff being banned from wearing the veil during treatment and the fraudster who used it as a means to steal money, it was like every time I turned on the news the world was trying to stop me from following my beautiful religion.

England is known for its rich culture, its welcoming arms and acceptance of others and just walking in Walthamstow Market proves that.

So is it suddenly right to dictate what I, and others, wear in a country that boasts freedom for all?

Issues such as the woman who had to remove her veil to give evidence in court are rare and need to be dealt with individually. In this circumstance, the woman was allowed to sit behind a screen with the jury.

Fair enough.

But Whipps Cross Hospital banning the niqab for its employees is a bit unfair. Again, this matter should be dealt with individually. If a patient was to be treated by a niqabi woman and he/she felt uncomfortable then I am sure that most Muslim doctors would be happy to comply or else find a solution for this problem. Other patients may not be bothered if they were treated by a Doctor who had her face covered.

When it is important, we will show our faces. There is no need to ban the veil altogether.

My niqab is my identity.

And despite what ‘terrorists’ and extremists will tell you, Islam is a religion that brings Peace.