New Zealand brings hijab into official uniform to attract more Muslim women

Zeena Ali is New Zealand Police’s first member to wear a specially designed hijab as part of her uniform

New Zealand’s police have introduced a hijab in their uniform for the first time in an effort to encourage more Muslin women to join. 

New recruit Zeena Ali worked with the force to design the head covering and is set to become the first officer to don it as part of her official uniform when she graduates. 

The hijab was added in an effort to reflect the country’s "diverse community" and reflect an "inclusive service", according to a spokesman. 

The 30-year-old joined the police after an Australian neo-Nazi killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March last year.

“That’s when I realised more Muslim women were needed in the police, to go and support people with things like this… If I had joined the police earlier I would have been down there to help,” she said.

Ms Ali had worked in customer service until then when a colleague, who was a security guard, asked her to help her apply to join the police. It was while assisting her colleague that the terror attack happened, driving her interest in law enforcement.

Ms Ali started working with police on designing the garment even before she started at Police College, she told the New Zealand Herald. 

They collaborated in trialling various materials and styles to find something that was functional and suited to her ask while also sensitive to the requirements of her faith.

Now, she has one ready to wear at her graduation ceremony.

“It feels great to be able to go out and show the New Zealand Police hijab as part of my uniform,” she told the Herald. “I think that seeing it, more Muslim women will want to join as well.”

Other forces including the Metropolitan Police and Police Scotland already offer the hijab as part of their uniform. 

In Australia, Maha Sukkar, now a Leading Senior Constable, became the first in her country to wear a hijab on the job when she completed her training and swore her oath to the Victorian Police in 2004.

Ms Sukkar, who immigrated to Australia from Lebanon in 2000, has become a well-known face in Dandenong, in Melbourne’s south-east.

“As I always tell people, we are part of the community, and in order to be part of the community, we need to help the community we are a part of," she told SBS in a 2017 interview.

"At the same time, [we] help the police understand more about our community, the multicultural community in general but the Muslim community in particular, and that way it’s a win-win for both."