T minus 10 minutes until work starts for her. The subject in this photo essay does not want her name to be shown as her Catholic parents fear that their relatives might stumble upon this site and learn about her conversion to Islam.

Time’s up. She rises and prepares for her shift in a job she’s held for over 5 years. She whips on her hijab, followed by a hat. She completes the look with her hood. Puzzled by the unique ensemble, I ask “why do you wear a hat and a hood on top of your hijab?” She pauses, and then laughs. “It’s warmer,” she says. Another pause. This time, in a more serious tone, she says:
“but I guess it also makes the hijab a little less apparent... and less threatening... and less uncomfortable.” 

Her boss has seen her before her conversion and knows what she looks like without her hijab. But is this the reason that she hides her hijab beneath a hat and hood? Or is it because of the consequences that would ensue within her predominately Italian community? She later tells me the story of one of her students who approached her after she had chatted with a niqabi woman. The student asked “why were you talking to that lady?” To which she replied “why not?”.
“Because they’re scary” the student said. 

Aside from the incident with her student, she hasn’t experienced any other negative comments regarding Islamic dress at her workplace. She sits with coworkers who freely chat with her, clearly free of prejudice.

Shanele Soares is an indie filmmaker living and working within the Greater Toronto Area. Although most of her films have been fictional pieces her love for documentation and exposition lead her to the realm of photojournalism.

This is Shanele's first publicized photo essay and is on a topic very dear to her heart as she is a convert herself.

For more information you can contact Shanele at: Shanele@movingimagephotos.com"