Rahila Ali respects Mia Sara’s decision not to take off hijab

After Mia Sara’s lamentation about producers who are still requesting her to
take off her hijab for a TV or movie role, director Rahila Ali recently
expressed her sympathies for the young star.

The “Ada Apa Dengan Dosa”
director, who spoke to the media regarding the issue, stated that production
companies should have been more aware and sensitive of one’s religious stance,
and that such a thing should not even be happening in a Muslim country like
Malaysia.

“I am used to filming my dramas abroad and even foreigners knew
how to show respect to Muslims. It’s strange to me that some Malaysians
couldn’t even show the same respect to Mia. Please respect her decision. This
should not be happening. As a director, I would always try my best to ensure
that hijab-wearing actresses are taken care of so not to show parts of their
bodies that they covered,” she said.

Rahila added that there is a simple answer to problems
like characters that are required not to wear a hijab – just find actresses
that don’t.

“I respect Mia’s decision to reject roles that requires her
to take off her hijab. She may be young, but she’s smart. There are many roles
for hijabis, so I don’t think that there would be much issue. There is no
reason for any actresses to not wear hijab because they’re afraid that there
will be no work. Believe in God’s blessings,” she added.

Rahila said that
there are currently multiple projects with Islamic content on television,
adding that she herself had just shot a drama for TV Alhijrah.

“As a
scriptwriter, you have to suit your story for hijabis. It should not be an
issue for hijab-wearing actresses now,” she added.

Among the actresses
who are now wearing hijab include Hannah Delisha, Zara Zya, Mawar Rashid and
Sharifah Shahirah. Meanwhile, there are also actresses like Mira Filzah who
started her career as a hijabi and was one of the most sought-after actresses
in the 2010s.