Amina Abdi recalls backlash she faced for wearing hijab in early TV career
Media personality Amina Abdi Rabar has opened up about the backlash she faced early in her broadcasting career for wearing the hijab, revealing the hostility and religious criticism she endured while trying to establish herself in Kenya’s entertainment industry.
Speaking on the Joyride podcast in an episode aired on Thursday, October 9, 2025, Amina said that when she first joined the media, she was fully covered up and deeply religious, a choice that unexpectedly attracted harsh criticism rather than respect.
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“What’s so interesting that people don’t know is, when I initially started my career, I used to be fully covered up. I was very religious, and then I’d get so much vitriol directed at me,” she recalled.
Also watch: Adan Duale defends Muslim women’s right to wear hijabs.
At the time, social media platforms were still emerging, but Amina said the backlash came through text messages sent to the TV station where she worked.
“Facebook had just started, but it wasn’t as intense. There was a short code message, and they couldn’t send pages upon pages, just insulting me. They would write things like, ‘You’re such a whore, a prostitute, you’re gonna die, your family is gonna die,’” she said.
Amina revealed that most of the hateful comments came from members of her own faith community, which left her disheartened.
“From Muslims, I was like, kama nitatukanwa… The team I used to work with would hide the messages from me. I remember my producer would tell me, ‘I don’t think you should read them,’” she said.
She explained that the constant criticism and judgment over her appearance eventually pushed her to stop wearing the hijab publicly.
“So I was like, you can do whatever you want because people will always have an opinion. So I was like, kama mnanitukana, si mnitukane for the real deal. The insults were always the trigger to stop wearing the hijab,” Amina said.
Despite no longer wearing the hijab in public appearances or on television, Amina revealed that she still respects her religious roots and wears it around her family.
“Now I know people online know that I don’t always wear hijab, but when I go for every family function, my mum has never seen me without a hijab,” she shared.
Did you know there is a day to celebrate the hijab?
Radio
Amina also opened up about how she used to conceal her career from her family during her early radio days, fearing that they would disapprove of the topics she discussed on air.
“Earlier on, I used to lie a lot about where I work because I never wanted them to listen to what I used to talk about on air. It’s such a taboo to talk about sex,” she admitted.
Her first show was a late-night program, and she said she often felt anxious about being heard by anyone close to her.
“My first show was in the middle of the night from 2 a.m. The things I used to talk about , I was like, nobody in my life can hear this,” she added with a laugh.
