On Wednesday 9th June, a Muslim lady called Cherine Hamid came to talk to Year 9 about her life and experiences. Everyone was rather taken aback as no-one expected how surprisingly funny and interesting her talk would turn out to be, such as how in the small town in Ireland where she used to live, everyone used to refer to her and her family as nuns, because of their veils! Cherine’s family background is unusual, as her father is Egyptian and her mother is Irish, from quite a religious Catholic family. Some of Cherine’s relatives actually are nuns and even priests! Her mother made the drastic decision to convert to Islam when Cherine was eight, for many reasons, but she especially liked the scientific aspects of the Qur’an such as how it states that pure water and salt water won’t mix.

I found the talk gripping and quite scary when Cherine told us how, in a racist attack, a brick was thrown at her by a random stranger, only missing her face by an inch. Even more surprising was Cherine’s understanding and tolerance of this type of racist behaviour. She said that unfortunately, in the light of 9/11 and 7/7, she could see why some racist people might think and act as they do.

Cherine answered all our questions. She explained how the Qur’an affects her soul and how she likes to listen to it whilst she does the washing up - even though she also likes to listen to Michael Jackson!  In view of the banning of the veil in some European countries, Cherine explained that she wears the “hijab” as for her, a necessary part of being a Muslim is covering herself up, although she doesn’t discriminate against others who choose not to.

Overall, meeting Cherine was a great experience and I hope in future years, other JAGS girls are able to enjoy and benefit from her talk as well.

Mary Hintze, Year 9