I get so many questions about my hijab that I felt the need to talk about it (plus I've been neglecting this for the past week). This way I can simply refer people to this post instead of telling the story over and over again.
I am Muslim. Some people still do not know that. I get asked if I am Jewish, Mormon, or even Hindu. The garment I wear on my head is called a hijab. It is not a rag, or a turban. If you cannot say hijab, simply call it a scarf. It's less offensive.
I have been wearing my hijab since I was in the second grade, so that would make it about 14 years now. I remember my mom sitting my siblings and I down one night and informing us that she had decided to put her hijab on and wanting to see what we thought. My sister and I, being the lovely daughters that we are, wanted to support her in her decision, so we asked if we could start wearing ours as well. Many people put their hijabs on for different reasons. Originally I put it on to support my mom, however, as I got older I kept it on for different reasons. Typically, you're not supposed to put the hijab on without knowing what you wear it. I use to tell people who asked that I was wearing it to keep my sexiness for my husband. I knew people would get a crack out of hearing that from a 10 year old. It always worked.
So many times I hear stories about how people I grew up with who wore it around the same time I did, who took their hijab off. I'm not going to lie, there have been several times I thought about it. But then I remember the reason why I should keep it on, and stories like that just reaffirm my belief. I love being a representation of Islam. That's what Muslim women are. Muslim men aren't as readily identifiable because there aren't many differences between a regular man and him. You could argue the beard, but with No Shave November here, it wouldn't suffice. I love it when people come up to me and ask questions about Islam. As you know, there is always the good with the bad, so ignorance comes along with it. I still think the most outrageous question that I have been asked is "Do you have ears?" I still laugh till this day and that was 4 years ago.
Once I was old enough to understand, I went on a quest to find out why Muslim women had to cover their heads because I wanted to show off my beautiful hair. In Surah Al-Nur, Ayah 31(Quran 24:31) it says
"And say to the believing women...that they should draw their head-coverings over the neck opening (of their dresses) , and not display their ornaments except to their husbands, their fathers.....(etc)"
The reason behind this is not so that we do not bring attention to us. Trust me, we get plenty of attention. It's so that we get a different kind of attention. It's so that we are respected for our minds and who we are, as opposed to having a mans attention based on our looks. I'm not saying that men do not respect women for who they are, but typically if a guy comes up to you, it's because he likes the way you look. The hijab brings on a different form of respect. I didn't notice it until I went to high school. I was a diverse person with friends of every background. Most of my friends refused to curse or talk about inappropriate things in front of me out of respect. I honestly believe that if I didn't have on my hijab, they wouldn't have cared. Even now I still have friends who say, "I can't say that to you because it's against your religion." It makes me smile every time because in this day and age, respect for women has gone out the window. Women don't respect themselves, and men follow suit. This is on top of all the ignorance that is going on about is Islam. It just feels nice.
The hijab is a protection for women as well. A rapist wants to get in and out fast. Most Muslim women have on about 3 or 4 layers of cloths. If you have a hijabi (one who wears the hijab) standing next to a regular girl in jeans and t-shirt, typically he will go for the regular girl. Not many people want to attack someone who gives off the vibe of being religious. This is all my opinion by the way.
With that being said, I do like the way people treat me for wearing my hijab. But most importantly, God ordained that we cover our bodies, and cover out heads. But this is also means that we hold ourselves to a different standard. We are supposed to conduct ourselves that paints us in a positive manner. I'll be honest, I'm not always on my best behavior and I do things that I probably shouldn't do. But I'm human and a constant work in progress. I can only pray that one day, I'll get it together.
I get a lot of questions from people asking me about women in Islamic countries who are forced to wear the hijab. I get asked if I'm oppressed too. No, sorry, I am not oppressed. I choose to put on my hijab every morning. I pray for the women in those other countries who are being forced to wear their hijab. I also pray for the men that force them to do that. Islam is a religion if peace and understanding. It's
your relationship with God, and it's no one else's business. In every religion, you have extremist. Islam is no exception. That's all those people are. Maybe they have good intentions, but they go about it the wrong way. At the end of the day, it's something that is bigger than you, me, or any of them. It's in God's hands, and He will do as He pleases.
Feel free to ask me questions anytime. I may not always have the answer, but I promise I'll try to find out. Have a lovely week. (=
