Australian Muslim MP Fatima Payman, who is the first veiled woman in the Australian Parliament, delivered her first speech to senators on Tuesday, and activists on social media considered the speech influential and powerful.
In the opening of her speech, Payman highlighted her appearance with her veil in Parliament, stressing that this indicates the "real diversity" of Australia, and indicated the need to welcome this appearance and participation, and expressed her hope that it would become a source of inspiration for others on her journey.
"100 years ago, not to mention the previous 10, would this parliament have accepted the election of a veiled woman?" Byman asked, adding that she would talk more about this in her September speech.
Byman directed her subsequent words to those who said that they gave her advice regarding her veil and her external appearance, and warned her of the impact of this on her electoral race, saying, "My veil is optional."
Payman encouraged Muslim girls to be proud of their headscarves, saying, "I want young girls who decide to wear the veil, to do so with pride, knowing that they have the right to wear it."
Payman couldn't hold back her tears when referring to her late father - an Afghan refugee who immigrated to Australia nearly two decades ago - when she said, "I really wish he was here, to see where his little daughter is."
Payman praised her father's sacrifices for her, as he worked as a security guard and taxi driver, "to secure a future for his family that he could not secure for himself," and continued, "Who would have thought that a young woman born in Afghanistan, and the daughter of a refugee, would stand before this council today?"
Representative Fatima Bayman attached a picture of her through her Facebook account during her speech, and another of her family, who was present in the Senate to attend the speech.
She expressed her happiness and gratitude to her family, who came to support her, and wrote in her post, "This morning I gave a speech for the first time in the Senate... and I was proud to highlight the priorities of this government."
It is noteworthy that Payman, 27, is the youngest member of the Australian Parliament, and the first Australian of Afghani descent to be elected to this position, as the Muslim refugee of Afghan origin won a seat in the Senate for the Labor Party in Western Australia state on June 20.