Despite it all, I felt a sense of freedom. The wind was flowing through my hair, gently caressing me while I was walking through the fields with my hands open, palms touching the stalks of wheat around me.

When I close my eyes, I can still hear the sounds of the rattling dishes and trays. It was early morning, and we had gently been woken up first by the azan, and then, after sweet moments between sleep and wakening, by our hosts preparing the breakfast.

It’s Not About the Burqa is a collection of seventeen essays written by, mostly British, Muslim women and edited by the writer and activist Mariam Khan.