A Muslim woman has become the first hijab-wearing judge in the UK, The Independent reported. 

Raffia Arshad, 40, was appointed a deputy district judge on the Midlands circuit last week after a 17-year career in law.

She believes that her example is very important for other Muslim women: according to her, from an early age, she was told that she would not be able to succeed in the profession because of her origin. Despite this, she did not give up the hijab throughout her career.

According to her, despite her wealth of experience, she still faces prejudice and discrimination. She noted that she sometimes gets mistaken for a client or interpreter while in the courtroom, most recently by an usher.

“I have nothing against the usher who said that, but it reflects that as a society, even for somebody who works in the courts, there is still this prejudicial view that professionals at the top end don’t look like me,” she said.