By Noshin Saloojee
Sisters around the World,
Here I stand, an #UnapologeticHijabi
I started wearing the hijab in January, 2022 and cannot be more proud of myself for it. I did it for Allah and Allah alone. I was born Muslim سبحان الله but it took me 30 years to realize what wearing hijab means. It also took me being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer to push me in the right direction and I truly believe Allah showered me with infinite mercy by making me sick. I call it my miracle.
I attempted to wear hijab twice before, once after my parents took me for Hajj الحمدالله at the young age of 17 in 2008. The second time I tried to wear hijab was during my university years, eight years later during medical school in 2016. I was going through a hard time, mentally, dealing with anxiety and thought it would help me overcome my issues. Of course, those were all the wrong reasons for my wearing the hijab which is why it didn’t last. What I didn’t realize was that wearing hijab means changing everything about one’s self, one’s personality, one’s personal fashion sense and an increase in modesty both inside and outside. So, I was not ready for the hijab yet.
As mentioned earlier, being diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer is the push I needed to wear hijab with complete conviction. I underwent all the treatment necessary including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation after my initial diagnosis in 2020 at 29-years-old. I naively thought I was done with cancer and going back to living my life. I made plans, however Allah made better plans for me.
I thought about continuing my registration to move to the UK and continuing my career as a doctor. My faith had increased after diagnosis, however now that I think of it, I may have lost my faith, lost my connection with my Lord if I had moved. Because being around my family was also the driving force to help secure my connection to Allah. The brain tumor has returned and caused my first seizure. My incredible doctor fought for a last ditch chemotherapy, but The All-Protector has been my savior, working through my medical team and family. It has been a difficult journey, however, The Most Merciful has blessed me with the faith and strength to overcome those difficulties. Becoming a Hijabi is what I truly believe helped solidify and strengthen my iman (faith in Arabic): “And indeed, when Allah loves a people He subjects them to trials,” Tirmidhi 2396.
All in all, I have been blessed to come from and grow up in three different countries that allow hijabis to live freely: South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. There, the hijab has been attributed to being a cultural symbol. Regardless, culture has zero role in the religious symbol that the hijab presents. Encouraging Muslim women’s rights and religious freedom can provide the confidence that young Muslim girls need, to please their Creator rather than to please the created.
Hijabs have been getting a bad name for too long, people think it is oppressive and use it as a means to push their own agendas for Islamophobia and Hijabophobia. My hijab is my strength. My hijab is my dignity. It is my identity. It is me. I am a proud Muslimah and a proud hijabi.
Love,
Noshin
About the Author:
Noshin Saloojee is a Medical Doctor who graduated from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Medical University in Bahrain. She joined the General Medical Council in the UK however gave up her registration as she has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer to her brain. She has been living in Saudi Arabia for the past 25 years except for the years she studied in Bahrain and the first 6 years of her life. She is a proud South African. Her parents still live in the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia where she resides with them now for treatment, however her dear sister and family live in South Africa.
Instagram @pinkribbonmountains
Twitter @nosh09