In Their Own Words Hijab Tales

For this week’s edition, we speak to a series of mothers who found themselves having to keep their child calm as well as themselves and all linked by a faith.

We start with Jenn, who had taken her seven-year-old son Billy for a walk in the park, and came home to find someone waiting

It was a cold October day, and Bobby was wearing a grey and red striped jumper and tan pants, with a pair of black and white wellington boots on. He also had a sweater with the arms tied round his neck he was hot from running around.

I was wearing a grey jumper and blue jeans, the legs tucked into brown mid-calf boots, and a grey and white scarf over my head over that was a black jacket with the hod pulled up over my head, and a grey patterned scarf wrapped round my neck to keep the chill out.

So I was warm as well, as we walked back through the park and then back to our house - only when we went in, I wondered why there was a breeze coming from the kitchen. Unfortunately, we found out the reason as a young man appeared, casually dressed and obviously surprised and scared by our arrival.

Bobby asked him who he was, and why he was in our house so he told the truth. He had broken in, and was stealing my jewellery and now we had seen him, he had to make sure we could not raise the alarm for a while. That frightened me, so I told Bobby we would do what he said, and we could be together as well.

He told me to take my coat and scarf off, and told Bobby to take the jumper off from round his neck, before we both walked into the front room and we sat down on the couch. He then looked round, and saw a roll of Sellotape that was sitting on a sideboard so he told us both to hold our hands out, and then used the Sellotape to make sure we kept our wrists together in front of us.

He then got bobby to stand up, and wound the clear tape round his legs above and below his knees before he was sat back down again, and I stood up. IT was a strange feeling watching as he wound the tape round me over my jeans, but it was going to make it difficult for me to move there was no doubting that.

I sat back down again and twisted my legs, smiling at Bobby as he did the same -and then I felt the tug on the skin round my lips as the man pressed a length of the tape down over them. He did the same to Bobby, before he left us there and went round the rest of the house. When he came back, he turned the television on so that Bobby was entertained and I actually gave him some time to get away before I started to push the tape away from my mouth and then untie my wrists.

I felt he deserved that chance for not hurting me or Bobby

Orie is eighteen now but she tells the story of what happened ten years ago, when she and her mother were also visited by an intruder

Mum and I always liked to dress the same way at that time, and I remember that day because we were both wearing a long-sleeved blue cardigan over a white blouse, and long blue skirts. I remember my skirt came halfway down to my feet, and I was wearing black quilted leather boots that came to the hem of the skirt, while Mum’s came down to cover her ankle boots. We were also both wearing blue hijabs covering our heads and necks.

Anyway we were sitting and I was reading a book to Mum as part of my homework from school, when the door opened and two men walked in. They had something pulled down over their heads as masks, and Mum asked them what they thought they were doing.

Their answer was short robbing her was what they said, as they told me to keep reading while one of them came over and knelt down in front of us. Mum said I should keep reading, but as I did I saw him open a bag he had put next to him, take out a length of white rope, and wrap it round Mum’s ankles before he pulled them together. Mum told me to keep going and smiled, as he then took a second length of rope out and tied it round her legs, gathering her skirt round them below her knees.

He then came over to me and wrapped some of the rope round my own ankles, pulling them together as I heard the squeak on my boots. I tried not to giggle, but it was the strangest feeling as he tied that rope off, and then also tied my legs together above my knees in my case, as I finished reading to Mum and she said I had done a wonderful job doing that.

She then picked up my homework book and a pen and started to write on it as the man took more rope from his back, and told me to cross my wrists in front of myself. I did as he said, and felt the rope rubbing on my wrists as he used the rope to tie them together, and then to tie them down to the rope on my legs.

He then did the same to Mum as the second man left the room and she told me it wasn’t so bad, which I said was right. It wasn’t that bad and then he took a roll of silver tape from his bag, and tore a strip off which he pressed down over Mum’s mouth.

When he did the same to me, it meant I stayed quiet - and then he started to look round the room as Mum looked at me and nodded. I wasn’t scared -because Mum was with me, and she wasn’t scared.

Of course I know different now

Ayesha and her twelve-year-old daughter Rose were also disturbed by an intruder and they were left on the bed

It was a summer day, and I had taken Rose to a garden party. I was wearing a long lilac coloured dress with matching leggings, with an over dress of lilac and whiter stripes, a matching hijab wrapped round my head and neck, and finally cork sandals. Rose was wearing a long dress of a similar design to my overdress, with her own white sandals, a white headband on her long brown hair.

It was a good party, and we both enjoyed ourselves but when we returned to the car, I had only just got Rose in when a man held a gun to my back, and told me to drive home without raising the alarm. He got in the back with Rose, and I had no choice but to do what he said. He was dressed in black, with a mask covering his head so I could only see his eyes and mouth.

Rose was scared, but I told her to stay calm as I drove back to our house - I figured he wanted something from our home, or else we were going to be held hostage while my husband was forced to do something. Our house stood alone, away from the road, and had a garage so he made me open the garage door and drive in, then got out with Rose while the garage door came down.

There were several coils of rope hanging on hooks on the wall, - we all enjoy camping and going outdoors so he told me to pick up two of the coils and then to unlock the door to the house. We were then marched into the house, our hands in the air as Rose looked at me, and then made to walk up to our bedroom.

Rose and I were then made to stand by the foot of our bed as the man took the coils of rope from me, and made a lasso with one of them which he passed over Rose’s head, then pulled tight to force her arms against her sides. He then wrapped it round her before he made her cross her wrists in front of her, and used the rope to tie them together as well.

She was them mad to lie on one side of the bed, as he wound the rope around her legs, trapping the skirt of her dress round them as the rope was pulled tight, before he tied her ankles together and made sure it was a complex knot.. He then picked up the second coil of rope and looked at me.

A few minutes later I was lying next to Rose, looking at her as the rope forced my legs together and then my ankles, before he made us both open our mouths and pushed a folded cloth in, the edges sticking out between our lips as he warned us to keep them in there and he started to ransack the drawers and wardrobes in the room. I mumbled to Rose that we would be fine if we lay still I was too frightened to do anything more than that as he stole my jewellery, and then left us struggling there.

IT tuned out my husband was aware we were being held hostage my jewels were just an added bonus as they made him empty the safe at his office as well

Cora and her ten-year-old son Jake were also taken hostage in their cases by an escaped prisoner

Oh yes he just burst into our kitchen as Jake and I were sitting having a drink, grabbed a knife, and then stood behind Jake with his hand on his shoulder as he told me to hand him the roll of black tape that was on the work surface by the sink.

Jake was wearing a white jumper and black jeans with black trainers, while I was wearing a grey scarf round my neck and over my head, a white Arran jumper that came down over the top of my blue jeans, and black fur Ugg boots. But Jake was my primary concern, so I slowly stood up and then took the roll of tape to him. He took the tree from me and told Jake not to move, and then he told me he was as hungry, so I was to fix him something to eat and drink.

I went and got some bread out as I heard him tell Jake to put his arms by the side of the chair, and then I heard a peeling sound. When I looked round, he had taped Jake’s wrists to the back of the chair, and was wrapping the tape round his waist and the chair back.

He was too frightened to talk anyway as I prepared a sandwich and put some milk into a mug and as I brought I over, I saw the man standing up. Putting the plate and cup down, I saw he had taped Jake’s ankles together, and he was now pressing the tape down over his mouth as he looked at me.

He then told me to sit in another chair, and then he put my arms against the chair back, using the black tape to fix my wrists against them. Jake watched as he then wrapped the tape round my waist and the chair back, and then taped my ankles against the front legs of the chair and then he put the tape over my mouth as well before he sat down and started to eat and drink.

Jake mumbled something, and I could see he was sacred, but I mumbled something back to encourage him, and he nodded. We didn’t understand each other, but we were making sure we both stayed calm even when the policemen burst in and arrested our unwanted guest then cut us free

While it as not the man known as the Selfie Snatcher who called on Hester and her daughter Judith, it was a selfie she was planning to send to her husband that was the start of their story

Judith was thirteen at the time she was wearing a sleeveless dress that had a white top with blue stars, and a blue skirt, a long-sleeved white top under it. As for me, I was wearing a long-sleeved white top as well, but in my case with a blue floral print summer dress over that, a thin brown leather belt round my waist.

We both also had blue hijabs on, but it was Judith who said we should take a selfie of ourselves to send to Dad he was in the States on a business trip. So we posed in front of the mirror, I took my mobile phone out, and we took the picture - and that was when I heard Judith’s muffled scream.

The man holding her with a medically gloved hand over her mouth was looking at me through dark glasses, as he told me hand him the phone, and then he told me to lie face down on the bed, with my hands on my head. He also said if I did not, then it would be Judith who suffered.

So I walked over and lay face down on the bed as he made Judith walk over, and then I heard him tell Judith to put her hands behind her back. I turned my head and watched as he did something that meant she could not bring them back round and then I saw the white tape as he wound it round her arms and stomach so that all she could do was twist round.

She then had the white tape wound around her head, covering her mouth so that he could not talk, and then she was helped to lie on the bed next to me. Her eyes were wide in fear as the man went down and taped her ankles together, then bent her legs up and wound the tape round them below her knees before he let them drop down on the bed again.

He then walked round to the side of the bed I was lying on, and told me to put my hands behind my back. I kept talking to Judith, telling her everything would be all right, as I felt the tape sticking to my wrists as they were secured together, and then he taped my ankles together as well, before he bent my legs as well and then taped them together where my skirt had fallen down to the bed.

He let my legs drop down again and arranged the skirt before he made me kneel, and I felt the tape forcing my arms against my sides as he wound it round me, the bands framing my chest as they framed Judith’s as well. ~The tape was then used to gag me as well, the tape pressing on my cheeks before I was laid back down as we rolled onto our sides, Judith squirming over and putting her cheek against my body as the man left us there.

W could hear him going down the stairs, but I rubbed my cheek on my daughter’s head to reassure her, knowing we could not get free until my mother came round while praying she would not come until after he had gone

For our final tale this week, we talk to Soo about when she and her daughter were held captive at their home

It was easily the scariest day of both our lives. W head been to a wedding as a family, and Fatima and I were wearing matching outfits. We both had on a long dress, with black body and pale blue long sleeves, a band of light blue round the top of the skirt as well. We were also waring light blue hijabs over a black scarf, and a leopard print back to the scarf., and red sandals on our feet.

Well, we got home from the wedding and walked in to see three masked intruders, two mean and a woman standing there, wearing boiler suits and balaclava masks. The man told us to remain calm, and that he wanted my husband to come with him to his business -and we were going to be held hostage to make sure he did what he said.

The woman told us both to come into the front room with the other man while the first one took my husband to another room, and I noticed the curtains were drawn closed over the windows. Fatima looked at me as I held her hand, and I was told to sit down on the couch with my hands on my head, while she opened a bag and knelt down behind Fatima.

I told her not to be scared as the masked women took her hands behind her back, and the I had to watch as she tied my daughter’s wrists together behind her back with rope, and then passed more rope around her arms and stomach to make sure she was secured. I have to say, she was very brave as the woman did this, and she kept looking at me as I promised her nothing was going to happen that would hurt her.

She said it felt as if she was being hugged, as the woman sat her on the couch next to me and then started to bind her ankles together. At the same time, the second man took some more rope from the bag and walked behind me, telling me to lean forward and cross my wrists behind my back.

I did as he asked, Fatima watching as the man started to bind my wrists together, the rope rubbing on my limbs as he did so. He then wrapped some rope round my body to keep my arms against my sides as well, while the woman tied some rope round Fatima’s legs above her knees, gathering her skirt round them as she pulled the rope tighter. She then moved over and lifted my skirt slightly before she started to bind my ankles together with more of the rope.

My husband looked in and told us both to be brave before he was taken away, and I felt my own skirt being gathered round my legs as they were secured together as well. The woman then stood up and went to the bag, taking out a roll of wide white tape which she peeled the end off, and then tore a long strip off before she stuck it down over my mouth, the tape forming and sticking to the shape of my jaw and chin as she smoothed it over.

She then did the same to Fatima, as I saw the shape of her lips under the tape, and then she was laid down along the couch, her head on my lap as the woman tuned the television on, and we tried to settle down.

This has been In Their Own Words until next time

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