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Oli Boulton

September 16, 2017

Oli Boulton

September 16, 2017

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Today I went swimming … in a sort of burkini. Sort of cause I didn't wear the traditional head covering … I wore a swimming cap. Ain't no one got time to deal with tangled, gets-in-your-face hair when it's this long! My burkini was bought specifically for a holiday. I do have another, more conventional swimsuit, but I don't have it with me … but to be honest, I wore it cause it's been a while since I swam properly … and I wanted to wear something which covered a bit more skin … flattered my figure a bit more than my other one.  I almost didn't make it out of the changing rooms. It was busy and I had all this … internal anxiety about looking different … you know … being different, facing the stares when wearing something 'controversial'. But I did go out in the end. And I did get some looks, some curious, some significantly less friendly.  But you know what? When I got in the water and got going, I felt so much more comfortable and confident than the last time I wore my conventional swimsuit. And you know, at the end of the day that's what it should be about. Yes, some of the stares didn't go away. However, to be honest, I was also wearing a rather awful slash awesome pair of goggles that completed the hilarious, bug-alien image, so maybe it was that! But when it comes down to it, I didn't look that different from the lady in the wetsuit … in fact I would argue that I had a bit of extra style with my floaty dress thing and pretty blue embroidery.  So I'll be wearing it again tomorrow. Probably the next day too. And maybe I'll continue to wear it, always … even when I get my other swimsuit back! Cause haters gonna hate ... but while they waste their energy, I'll be over here getting fitter and stronger and feeling smug about not needing to shave my legs under this floaty, pretty thing. The lesser discussed burkini benefit!

Today I went swimming … in a sort of burkini. Sort of cause I didn't wear the traditional head covering … I wore a swimming cap. Ain't no one got time to deal with tangled, gets-in-your-face hair when it's this long!

Oli Boulton

September 16, 2017

Oli Boulton

September 16, 2017

By Asif Khan Story inspired from a Facebook post by Jiva Akbor, July 18th, 2016. A few weeks ago, I had one of the most interesting … and memorable flights of my life. I was on my way to Granada … from Manchester ... sat on my seat at the very back row of the plane. A lady came and sat next to me. We were grounded for ages ... so I took the moment to catch up on Facebook. Make my friends jealous with a ‘I’m off to Spain!’ selfie. I saw a text from my friend … saying someone had broken into her family house! I was shocked and wrote my reply ‘Inshaa Allah rabana yashil allykum kul ayamakum’ ... which basically means … 'may Allah make the day easy for you all'. The lady sat next to me asked if she could get out. I got up … thinking she needs the toilet. A few moments later she returned, so I got up again and waited for her to take her seat. But she didn't move. I looked at her face. She was in sheer panic ... flustered. I noticed two airhostesses stood behind her ... looking concerned. I smiled to'em and gestured towards the seat so she could get in ... but she was hesitating. Then one of the airhostesses said 'You can take your seat ma'am'. But she stood there ... look of fright on her face … brink of tears. For a split second I thought she had some health issue or something ... but she looked at me straight in the eyes and said, ‘I saw you write Allah on a text’. My heart stopped. I was shocked ... I just said … ‘It means God in Arabic’. One of the airhostesses said to her ‘we don’t have any other seats available on the flight'. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This lady was actually scared to sit next to me because I wrote the word ‘Allah’ on a text! … and probably wants me removed from the flight! My biggest fear ... other than missing my flight ... was playing out in front of my eyes! The hostess then said to the lady, ‘But you are free to leave the flight if you wish’. Relief! That I wasn’t the one being seen as 'the issue' here. But what was bothering me was the state this lady was getting herself into. She was literally shaking … breathing heavy ... flush in the face. Finally … she got in her seat. I told her again ‘It’s just Arabic for God, you have nothing to worry about’. I wanted to calm her down. It took her a few more moments … whilst I fumbled … telling her how the message was written ... to send well wishes to a friend. I told her ‘I’m just a regular girl travelling on holiday to Spain, born and bred in Huddersfield’. After about fifteen minutes of conversation I could feel her calming down. I rubbed her arm. I told her I believe in God, or ‘Allah’, so naturally my conversations often make reference to Him. She went on to tell me she was Roman Catholic … and we began to talk about our faiths. Before too long I could hear remorse in her tone … I think she was shocked at her own reaction. She said ‘It’s so scary what the media can make us think … I just panicked’. What I expected to be a quick three-hour flight turned into the most intense heart to heart I’ve ever had. I encouraged her to ask me any questions she had … any … and I would try my best to answer. We spoke more … and I could see she felt regret. We spoke about our views on current events, the sad state the world seems to be in right now … and how in effect it’s led to our very real conversation today. We spoke about our families, we shared pictures of loved ones, spoke about my mum's cooking, her job, my job, bloody Brexit! Pokemon ... The Bake Off ... about where we wanted to travel ... everything! … the Olympics! We talked … and laughed ... and at some moments had tears in our eyes. When I ordered a bottle of water, she paid for it. And then perhaps one of the most sweetest moments ever ... she pulled out a small bottle of perfume ... which she told me was her favourite because it had a picture of daffodils on the lid. And daffodils were her mum’s favourite flower. She wanted me to have it. About two hours into the conversation I was actually laughing at what had just happened between us. Her too! I wanted to understand her mindset. I asked her, ‘So you saw me writing the word 'Allah' and what was the exact thought in your head?’ and she said, ‘I just thought what if this was like the last message you’re sending ...’ and I laughed … and with each laugh she apologised. I told her we all make mistakes. I encouraged her to converse with other Muslims … to not believe the scaremongering. I asked her to think for herself … and always through the lens of humanity. I made a friend called Abi … who made a mistake but acknowledged it. I met a lady who is deep down inside a wonderful human being … who showed me that the fear-mongering carried out in this world today is very real ... and can make an ordinary person have the most shocking of reactions. We hugged and exchanged numbers. I know not all similar situations are as ‘happily ever after’ … but I have all the love in the world for Abi.

A few weeks ago, I had one of the most interesting … and memorable flights of my life.

I was on my way to Granada … from Manchester ... sat on my seat at the very back row of

the plane. A lady came and sat next to me.