By Vanessa McGreevy (Boston, USA)
My Hijab.
My Hijab is my crown.
I am a queen, and like a queen I don’t shake hands with strange men.
My Hijab.
My Hijab is peace.
This piece of cloth that covers my body.
Is serenity.
A sign of submission.
They say it’s a sign of submission to my husband.
I say: No.
Submission to Someone much more important.
Omnipotent.
Allah.
Lord of the Worlds.
My Hijab.
My Hijab is a reminder.
A reminder to myself to behave in the manner I am supposed to:
With integrity.
Peacefully.
Respectfully.
Honestly.
Auspiciously.
Humbly.
Modestly.
My Hijab.
My Hijab may serve as a reminder to other people of how to treat me:
I am not an ornament for your eyes.
My beauty will not be cheapened by using pieces of my body to sell your:
Body wash
Cars or
Power tools.
I will not be used in some misogynists’ music video.
No. You may not have my number.
All that man covets is hard to reach;
Gold and Jewels must be mined.
Oil must be drilled.
Pearls lie
Sealed
In shells
At the bottom of the sea.
Why is my body any different?
My Hijab, believe it or not, has nothing to do with you:
Your laws to ban it.
Your opinion that I’m oppressed.
Your view on my style of expression or belief system.
Your hateful heart and your hands that rip it from my head.
Your not in charge of my fate
My destiny.
My. Maker. Is.
My Hijab is my Piety.
My non con formation to mainstream.
I will NOT let YOU make me AFRAID.
This is who
I AM.
Before you made it something for people to fear.
And attached words like “Terrorist” to it.
Before you attempt to
Try to make me
Take it off,
or Assimilate.
My Hijab:
Get used to it. It’s not going away.
My Hijab is happiness:
Tranquility.
Serenity.
I am here.
I am empowered.
My Hijab is a liberation.
The Flag in the Muslimah Liberation.
The first movement of ‘feminism’; started by the Prophet Muhammad.
May Peace and Blessings be Upon Him.
I declare these streets
Any streets
My Hijab’s country.
My Hijab’s Universe.
We are free and answer to God Alone.
But mainly
My Hijab and everything under it Is mine.
Mine
Mine
Mine.
My God Given Right.
My Freedom.
My Protection.
My Liberation.
My Dedication to My Maker and
No One Else.
Beautiful piece of writing. masha’Allah
Beautifully expressed! I feel the same way about my own (ostensibly “strict”) standards of modesty. I cover my hair, my arms, legs and torso to the collarbone. When you talk to me, I want you to look at my eyes and identify me as a soul and not just a body. So sad to me that, in the secular world, true feminism is practically dead.
(P. S. Typo in this line: “Your not in charge of my fate”. Should say “you’re”. ) feel free to edit this out of the comment.
Respect your view. But I do not understand why this had to be a response to eve enslers when both of you seem to be saying the same thing? Eve Enslers say that we should not judge women on the basis of her dress and that she has the right to wear what she wants, she has the right to make her own decisions. I believe you are saying the same thing? Women should be given a chance to decide..whether to wear hijab or not, skirt, short or traditional dress.
Mashallah..found myself misty-eyed while reading your post sister…so very true and full of conviction..they are words of a true believer…Power to you and to all Muslimah..Allahu Akbar!
MashaAllah, a lovely poem and a great post.
powerful, inspiring, bold message to the whole world
everything in a nutshell
salute you
AMAZING WORDS sister mashallah!! may allah reward you!