By Yu Yu Wai (Myanmar)
I used to be a school teacher. A friend from Malaysia once asked me that why don’t most of the Muslim women in our country (Myanmar), who do not work for the government and mostly live within the Muslim community, wear hijab?
Actually, there are many Muslim women in Myanmar who wear hijab. But we have lived under socialist rule for almost three decades and are now passing a democratic transition. So, we are not yet ready to wear hijab but we do practice Islam and remain steadfast in its way.
Though some women would like to wear hijab but they don’t do so because of various reasons like their husbands would not allow them to, they don’t want to distinguish themselves from the non-Muslims around, and they don’t want to leave the modern fashion.
But, what we have learned all our lives as minority Muslims is that no one but Allah is able to protect our dignity and properties.
It is most imperative for us, Muslims, to draw closer to Allah and gain His pleasure. So, by explaining to the people around with different views and unsupportive husbands, and making them understand, let us together strive for increasing the number of Muslim women who wear hijab! Insha Allah (God-Willingly)!