As a convert to Sunni Islam at 19, she made the choice to cover her head as "an act of worship" and at 37 says hijab fits easily with her feminism.
"I don't find wearing hijab restrictive: I teach at university, I go on TV, I go swimming, I used to go roller-blading - a '90s activity - I go travelling, I've gone scuba diving at the Barrier Reef a couple of times. So the only thing I think holds me back is people's negative stereotypes and assuming what I am, or can or can't do, or [how I] feel about things. The whole point about hijab is it was meant to facilitate mobility in society."
