Egypt, which has veiled ballerinas, veiled orchestra conductors, veiled TV anchors and veiled ministers, may seem an unlikely place for hijabi women to face discrimination or peer pressure over covering their hair.
Runner Manal Rostom, the first hijabi woman to be featured in a Nike Middle East campaign, disagrees. Four years ago, she founded the Surviving Hijab Community to provide support for women who face pressure to take off the hijab, disdain for wearing it or claims that certain jobs cannot be done in it.
