‘Why Are You Wearing That?’: Viral Video of Niqab-Wearing Woman Harassed in Pretoria Sparks Outrage

A moment of public hostility exposes deeper currents of Islamophobia in South Africa

South Africans woke up this week to yet another viral video but this time, it wasn’t humour or drama trending. Instead, it was a jarring moment of religious intolerance captured on camera at a Pretoria restaurant. The clip, filmed by content creator @Kissmyabby, shows a white woman confronting a Muslim woman dressed in a niqab, launching into an unprovoked tirade about “respecting South African customs.”

The video has since rippled across TikTok, X, and Facebook, igniting widespread condemnation from religious leaders, human-rights groups, and thousands of South Africans who say the incident reflects a growing discomfort: Islamophobic hostility is becoming harder to ignore.

A Peaceful Meal Interrupted

According to the creator who filmed the encounter, the Muslim women were simply enjoying a meal when the woman approached their table and began questioning their attire.

“She just walked up to these women… and asked, ‘Why are you wearing that?’” the creator narrated in the video. The woman went on to claim that their clothing was “disrespectful to people of South Africa.”

As she stormed off, her final words were caught clearly on camera:
“Western country this, okay? Respect the custom of the country that has given you a home. This is a bad example for little girls.”

The Muslim woman remained calm, a remarkable display of restraint that many online users praised as “grace under fire.”

Public Reaction: Shock, Anger, and a Call for Accountability

Within hours, social media users rallied behind the victims. “This can’t be the South Africa Mandela dreamed of,” one X user commented. Another wrote, “If a doek, hijab, or niqab threatens you, the problem is in your heart, not in someone’s clothing.”

Human rights activists echoed the public outrage.

“This is an assault on dignity,”

said Saydoon Nisa Sayed, an interfaith activist deeply involved in peace and social cohesion work.
“Muslim women who wear the niqab do so out of love, identity, and devotion not oppression. This kind of intimidation must end.”

Sayed also reminded South Africans that niqab-wearing women have long been part of the country’s democratic landscape.
“In fact, we had women in niqab in Parliament from 1994,” she noted, a detail many younger South Africans may not know.

The Bigger Picture: Islamophobia Is Not New and It’s Growing

Activist and lawyer Shabnam Palesa Mohamed said the video made her feel “profound sadness, but also righteous anger.”

“The inability to see a human being beyond a piece of fabric is a deep moral failure,” she said.
She warned that the harassment seen in the video is not an isolated act but part of a global pattern that mirrors right-wing rhetoric in Europe and the United States.

“Muslim women walk through our society with the weight of micro-aggressions the stares, the whispers, the patronising assumptions,” Mohamed said. “This is a symptom of a systemic toxin.”

Her call to action was clear: enforce hate-crime legislation, strengthen institutional policies, and build a culture of Ubuntu where all women, whether in hijab, doek, sari, habit, or jeans can exist freely and safely.

Islamophobia on the Rise? Community Leaders Say Yes

Chairperson of the South African Muslim Network, Dr Faisal Suliman, said harassment of niqab-wearing women is “not uncommon.”

“Women with niqab often face road rage, insults, or hostile looks,” he said.
He linked this rise in aggression to global right-wing movements and specific alliances between Christian Zionists and pro-Israel organisations.

“This kind of right-wing influence is setting a dangerous precedent. It’s a shift we’re seeing worldwide in Europe, in the USA, and sadly, here too.”

Suliman described the attacker’s comments as “colonial in tone,” echoing white Christian superiority narratives from South Africa’s past.

“This must be addressed by bodies like the Human Rights Commission,” he said. “This is bigger than one incident it’s about challenging racism, bigotry, and Islamophobia at their roots.”

‘No Woman Should Have to Choose Between Safety and Faith’

Secretary-general of the United Ulama Council of South Africa, Dr Yusuf Patel, emphasised the emotional toll these encounters take.

“Being confronted for simply wearing the niqab leaves many feeling unsafe and exposed,” he said. “Protecting Muslim women requires more than condemning individual incidents, we need real institutional action.”

He urged South Africans to reaffirm the values of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and dress.

“No woman should ever feel she must compromise her faith to move through the world safely,” Patel said.

South Africa’s Promise of Diversity Must Be Defended

While the video has shocked the country, it has also sparked a wave of solidarity, a reminder that democratic values must be actively protected, not merely celebrated in speeches.

South Africa is a place where nuns in habits, Hindu women in bindis, Xhosa women in isidwaba, and Muslim women in hijab or niqab have always coexisted. That is the beauty of this nation and the reason why moments like this one strike such a raw nerve.

What happens next will determine whether the country remains true to its founding ideals of dignity, equality, and freedom.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com