Hakima moves for strength and confidence
“As a woman running wearing a scarf, I don’t fit the perfect image of a runner. But sport breaks barriers.”
Hakima began running in grade 9, when she was still new to Canada. She joined two classmates to collect funds for a social cause they were passionate about, and discovered an activity that changed her life. She moves to strengthen her physical and mental health, and build confidence in being comfortable with who she is.
“My faith has been an important inspiration for maintaining a self-care regimen,” she says. “In Islam, anything that harms your body is discouraged. Some of these things are explicit, such as alcohol, and some are not so explicit, like the harm you cause your body if you live a sedentary life.”
“As a woman running wearing a scarf, I don’t fit the perfect image of a runner. But sport breaks barriers. When running, I say hello to people who I would not talk to if I was on a casual walk. When runners pass each other, there is that small exchange of words or head nods that makes you feel you belong to a larger community. At that moment, any difference between us disappears.”