Should niqab and jilbab be relaxed for participants, given the practicalities involved?
Wearing jilbab and full niqab during a physically demanding challenge can seem impractical and raises safety concerns, potentially putting those who choose it at a disadvantage. Wouldn’t it be better to make the event strictly ladies-only, so participants can relax their dress for the day?
Answer
Whether to wear niqab is treated as a personal choice for each participant to make, not something imposed either way.
That said, taking part in niqab is far from a disadvantage – many participants who choose to describe it as a powerful expression of faith, empathy and solidarity, and something that adds to rather than detracts from the meaning of the challenge.
All participants are asked to wear full Muslim dress for the same underlying reason: to connect more authentically with the experience of refugee women, most of whom have no choice but to travel through harsh terrain while trying to maintain their dignity and dress.
The aim isn’t practicality or ease, but solidarity with women who don’t have that option, and many who’ve completed the challenge in full jilbab and niqab describe it as a meaningful, and entirely achievable, part of that experience.
For sisters choosing niqab or jilbab, some practical preparation helps considerably. Lightweight, quick-drying polyester blends such as chiffon, nida or rayon work far better than cotton, which retains water and becomes heavy and uncomfortable.
Dark colours are worth choosing too, since they hide mud stains and won’t become see-through when wet. Layering a moisture-wicking base layer with loose trousers underneath the jilbab add both comfort and flexibility.
Training in the chosen outfit beforehand – practising crawling, climbing and general movement, and building up gradually – helps participants adapt and identify anything that isn’t working before the day itself.
Ultimately, each obstacle completed in niqab or jilbab becomes its own quiet statement: that faith and modesty can sit comfortably alongside real physical capability, challenging assumptions rather than being limited by them.