Egyptian people aren't used to watching female presenters reading news bulletin while wearing the hijab, so they are surprised to turn on their TVs and notice a woman reading a midday news bulletin, dressed in a smart black suit and a neat headscarf. This, for many, was a piece of news worthy of being broadcast by local, regional and world news agencies. Fatma Nabil, with her cream-coloured hijab, was allowed to read the news as the Muslim Brotherhood, who have come to power in post-revolution Egypt, have abolished a ban on female presenters covering their hair. “In 1999, I started working for State-owned TV as an editor and translator, wearing the hijab. Four years later, I passed the exam, allowing me to be appointed as a presenter, but then they refused to appoint me," Fatma told the Egyptian Mail in an exclusive interview. “I was barred from appearing on State TV, because I'd chosen to wear a headscarf." With President Mohammed Morsi's election and the appointment of the new Information Minister, Salah Abdel-Maqsoud, who is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, she said she was given the green light to come back to State TV. Abdel-Maqsoud activated the decision, allowing female presenters to wear the hijab. “Standards have nothing to do with wearing the hijab, which is a personal choice. What matters are professional skills and intelligence. It's a personal freedom and my right to wear the hijab," Fatma stressed. “At last, the revolution has reached Maspero [the giant Egyptian Radio & TV building]. This decision is not [a special indulgence], but a legal right," she tweeted after being allowed to appear on TV in her headscarf. Most women in Egypt wear headscarves; however, underousted former president Hosni Mubarak, female State TV employees were banned from appearing on camera wearing the hijab. Some politicians and activists say that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) want to impose their ideology on the State, but Fatma stressed that she is a member neither of the MB nor of their political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party. “I'm not a member of the MB or their party. I've been wearing the hijab since I was young," she explained. Asked about her feelings when appearing on TV wearing a headscarf, she said: “For me it was a historic moment, a victory. I dearly hoped to appear on Egyptian TV wearing a hijab and thank God it's finally happened." Fatma said that she wanted to set a good example as a professional, headscarf-wearing presenter. “It was my first time to appear wearing the hijab on State TV, so I prepared myself well. Looking very professional was more important than appearing in a headscarf," she said, adding that, when she'd finished her shift, all colleagues applauded her. “I'm very proud that my dream has come true and I'm now planning to present a political talk show programme."
