UK police's new hijab seeks to "preserve women's dignity" and improve safety
It is called Blue Light Hijab It was born out of a collaboration between the Leicester police and the university. The design has attracted the interest of other police forces, emergency services and the private sector.
The Blue Light Hijab
Leicester Police
[social-share align=»right» style=»button» mobile_app=»desktop»]
[social-share align=»center» style=»icon» mobile_app=»mobile»]
Leicester Police has introduced an operational hijab for Muslim officers called the Blue Light Hijab. The force developed the project in collaboration with De Montfort University, which specialises in textile technology. It explains. The Telegraph that Several Muslim women warned of risks associated with wearing the traditional hijab during police interventions.. Pullings of the visor, strangulation attempts and momentary loss of visibility complicated already tense situations. The Leicester police assumed that the existing uniform did not address this reality and decided to take action.
The novelty of Blue Light Hijab It features a quick-release magnetic locking system. The design divides the hijab into two parts held together by calibrated magnets so that they separate when someone pulls the veil forcefully.. In this way, the agent avoids the risk of strangulation and can continue the operation without being immobilised or losing visibility. According to the project leaders, The system allows the hijab to detach in a controlled manner without exposing the agent..
The dignity of the woman as a declared criterion
Leicester police explain that the design meets the same functional requirements as the rest of the uniform and does not alter intervention protocols. Detective Sergeant Yassin Desai, the project's champion, explained that the model allows officers to operate normally in high-risk situations: «The system releases when needed and the officer can continue the intervention without being exposed.". This preserves the woman's dignity at a critical moment.».
Desai insisted that the project does not respond to symbolic criteria, but to real situations experienced in service.«When the hijab comes loose, the officer is not exposed to the public or the suspect.»,« he said. According to him, the design allows the officer »to continue the intervention without losing authority or control,« and he added that "Preserving the dignity of a woman in a risky situation is part of the basic conditions of occupational safety.».
Interest from other emergency services and the private sector
The Blue Light Hijab has attracted interest beyond the Leicester police. Other police forces in the United Kingdom have contacted the force to obtain information about the design and the magnetic system. Several emergency services have also shown interest in the model., especially paramedic teams and staff of the National Health Service, who work in environments with similar physical risks.
The project has also attracted the attention of the private sector. According to police sources, Companies with uniformed staff have explored possible applications of the same system in non-police work contexts.. Leicester Police notes that any future adoption will depend on each organisation, but confirms that the design has generated cross-cutting interest in equipment solutions that combine operational security and women's dignity.
Inclusion, representativeness and institutional message
The Leicester police frame the Blue Light Hijab within their policies of inclusion and representativeness. The body argues that adapting the uniform allows the recruitment profile to be broadened without altering police functions. According to Inspector Marina Waka, the project sends an internal and external message: «It is reassuring to know that an officer can carry out her duties with safe, professional equipment." and compatible with their religious requirements».
From the police command, the discourse of inclusion is also linked to institutional trust. The head of Leicester police, David Sandall, described the new hijab as an example of functional design applied to a diverse reality.«When we create a uniform that works for everyone, we become a better and more representative force.»The body maintained that this line does not introduce operational exceptions, but rather adapts the equipment to reflect the actual composition of the service.".
More Perceptions of
More about handkerchiefs
Azerbaijan expels female students who wear the hijab.
The United Kingdom gives away a thousand hijabs in six months to immigrants arriving via the Channel
Lleida bans the burqa except if worn for religious reasons
Italy bans burqa and niqab but only in schools
Kazakhstan threatens to close private schools that allow hijab
Convicted in Mallorca for gender violence for imposing the hijab, controlling and assaulting
Muslim teacher in Flanders prefers unemployment to taking off her hijab
Even Kadyrov's Islamized Chechnya doesn't want women with their faces covered with the niqab
Feminist strike in Austria to defend the Islamic veil for children under 14
United Airlines removes a Muslim pilot from service for justifying terrorism
ERC, PSC and Comuns oppose combating political Islam in the European Parliament.
Azerbaijan expels female students who wear the hijab.
Sharia law in the US is supported by 75% of Muslims, 41% of atheists and up to 20% of Christians.
France now has a halal cola drink without the need to sacrifice animals facing Mecca
The United Kingdom gives away a thousand hijabs in six months to immigrants arriving via the Channel
US Muslim politicians train Canadian Muslims under the slogan "From the mosque to the city hall"«
Teacher fired in Austria for denying a Muslim woman a prayer room
Canadian government normalizes Islamic prayer during workday
Lleida bans the burqa except if worn for religious reasons
Italy bans burqa and niqab but only in schools
The Generalitat pays tribute to the racist Abu Bakr al-Turtuxí as an anti-racist icon
A student residence in Scotland imposes Islamic law in common areas
Kazakhstan threatens to close private schools that allow hijab
Phrase of the Week
Image of the Week
-Don't you have cousins?