Transcript of the animation about Leila's concerns
I am Leila. I am a 3rd year medical student at the University of Manchester.
I am wearing a Hijab. None of my peers, nor staff in my school are visibly Muslim women! I am feeling so lonely!
I sometimes feel extremely unmotivated, as we do not have even a single Hijabi academic member of staff!
I am trying to keep healthy, but I cannot join any gym because gyms are mixed and there is no women's only hour. Working out in a mixed gym is against my values.
I also want to say prayer, but the allocated prayer spots are located too far away to pray between lectures or are too small. I have raised it a few times, but I haven't seen any change ever since. I don't feel like I belong here at University of Manchester.
In Ramadan, I have to fast for up to 19 hours while I am working in the lab. University has not considered any readjustment for Muslim students during Ramadan.
On top of all these, my scholarship is very aggressive and if I don’t pass with distinction or get a good award, the funder will threaten to confiscate my parents' house. I am always stressed, I have to work 24/7, and cannot sleep well. This is not the end of story; I have been referred to fitness to practice. I was finally exonerated, and I think it was racial/religious discrimination in the first place