| I am proud of my faith, and I am equally proud to call Australia home. |
** Nabiha:
- I am not simply a girl wearing a niqab.
- I am a student fascinated by technology.
- I am someone who hopes to contribute to Australia’s future through science and innovation.
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7NEWS Spotlight: What Pauline Hanson didn’t see when she saw my niqabStory by Nabiha
July 20, 2026
See translation in Arabic section
Sydney – Middle East Times Int’l: There are moments in school that stay with you long after the bell rings. Sitting across from Senator Pauline Hanson was one of those moments.
When she walked into our school to film a television program, the atmosphere changed instantly. It’s not every day that a national political figure visits our campus, especially someone whose views on Muslims have shaped public debate in Australia for decades.
The room felt heavier. More serious.
My first impression was that Senator Hanson seemed tense. There was a sharpness in her body language that suggested she had already formed conclusions before the conversation had even begun. It made me wonder whether she was expecting to meet a stereotype rather than a student.
As strange as the situation was, I was grateful to be there.
Most Australians know Pauline Hanson. Very few young Muslims have the opportunity to sit across from her and have an honest conversation. Whether we agreed or disagreed almost became secondary. What mattered was that, for once, neither of us was speaking about the other from a distance.
When the discussion turned to my niqab, I realised something.
She saw the first thing people usually notice about me.
I saw an opportunity for her to notice everything else.
I didn’t want to convince Senator Hanson to agree with my beliefs. That wasn’t realistic, nor was it my purpose. What I wanted was much simpler.
I wanted her to meet me before judging me.
Because the truth is that my niqab tells only a tiny part of my story.
The rest of my life is spent doing what thousands of Australian students do every day. I study hard. I work with classmates. I prepare for exams. I dream about the future.
I also happen to love robotics.
I’ve competed in robotics competitions across Queensland and beyond, learning how engineering, programming and teamwork can solve real-world problems. Recently, I was honoured to be selected for ShakthiSAT, an international initiative bringing together 1200 girls from around the world to collaborate on the development and launch of a satellite.
Those opportunities have taught me something important.
Innovation doesn’t care what you’re wearing.
Science doesn’t ask what religion you follow.
A robot doesn’t become less functional because the person programming it wears a niqab.
In those environments, people judge you by your ideas, your preparation and your willingness to contribute. I’ve always thought Australia should aspire to do the same.
Too often, Muslim women become subjects of political debate without ever being invited into the conversation. People discuss our clothing as though it explains everything about us. They assume our aspirations, our values and even our freedoms without taking the time to ask.
But people are always more complicated than the assumptions made about them.
I am not simply a girl wearing a niqab.
I am a student fascinated by technology.
I am someone who hopes to contribute to Australia’s future through science and innovation.
I am proud of my faith, and I am equally proud to call Australia home.
Those identities don’t compete with one another. They strengthen one another.
Looking back, I don’t remember the interview because of the political disagreement.
I remember it because it reminded me of the importance of being present.
It’s easy to fear people we’ve never met. It’s much harder to reduce someone to a stereotype once you’ve sat across from them, looked them in the eye and heard their story.
I don’t know whether Senator Hanson left our school with different opinions than the ones she arrived with.
Only she can answer that.
But I hope that, for a brief moment, she stopped seeing a niqab and started seeing a young Australian who loves robotics, dreams of reaching space and believes that her faith and her country are not competing identities.
Because behind every label is a person.
And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is allow ourselves to be seen.
Nabiha is a 15-year-old Year 10 student at the Islamic College of Brisbane.
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