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11 Dec, 2013

Muslims masquerade as Hindus for India jobs – Al Jazeera

After taking off her silver armband embossed with the word “Allah” in Arabic, Ayesha Begum puts red-and-white conch bangles on her wrists and vermillion powder on her forehead – the signs of a traditional Hindu woman in eastern India.

Begum, a Muslim, changes her appearance every morning before she leaves her home, 50km east of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, where she works as a housekeeper in a private hospital.

“Through the day in the hospital I maintain this Hindu appearance. Everyone there knows me as Hindu and calls me ‘Lakshmi’ – a popular Hindu moniker,” Begum, in her early 30’s, told Al Jazeera.

“When I did not succeed in getting a job, I followed the advice of some friends and posed as a Hindu. Soon I landed this job in a hospital.”

Read the rest: Muslims masquerade as Hindus for India jobs – Features – Al Jazeera English.