“You’re very well spoken,” she said, as she handed me my cheddar croissant “for…” Her voice trailing off before she could say the words.

But sometimes, words don’t need to be said to see what someone’s thinking, her eyes screening my attire, and somehow it not making sense to her that someone who looks like me could speak so well, could in one moment articulate that I wanted a croissant, that I’m from Florida, about the politics there, and a whole series of different things in the five minutes we spoke.

The truth of the matter is society today puts a lot of thought into what we look like and what we should look like. Appearances, first impressions, that profile pic on this app and the latest fashion etc. There’s nothing wrong with that ofcourse, except when everything is flipped to the other way when the superficial becomes the precedent, and then everyone is clamoring to be part of the chase. Lest we reflect.

Thus, the hijab, the veil, the covering, one of the many aspects of the layers of hijab, is seen as a political tool, or even as a demonized entity downplayed or overplayed by the media to a point where a woman who looks like me, asking for a cheddar croissant in English is surprising.

So you see, it is not our hijab that is the problem. It is the eyes that are broken to have perceived a most beautiful thing in our lives, that gives women like me utmost freedom to be ourselves, to be unimportant, so much so that they tend to speak for us.

Please don’t speak for us. We do that very well ourselves.

About Author

Zainab Merchant is a journalist, author and entrepreneur. She is author of the books “To Be a Muslim” and “Princess Siyana’s Pen”, with a third title underway. Zainab is more commonly known by her blog name ZainabRights where she speaks about social justice issues, current affairs and God centric activism. She is in the final semester of her master’s program at Harvard University in Journalism and International Security, as well as co-founder of the independent media outlet The Muslim Journalists. Originally from Florida, USA, she currently resides in Canada with her husband and three children. (IG/@zainabrights)

The post Please don’t speak for us appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Women in Islam are thought to be subjugated, degraded, oppressed – but are they really? Are millions of Muslims simply that oppressive or are these misconceptions fabricated by the bias media?

The niqab (face veil)  to me is liberating and dignifying. It gives me strength and freedom.

I wear the niqab as a personal act of worship and I deeply believe it brings me closer to God.

Often, Muslim women are seen to be oppressed due to the hijab and niqab, but that’s not the case; more than anything, we’re free!

As Muslim women, we need to be modest and should not be chasing validation or approval from others. But being modest doesn’t mean you are restricted from living your life as long as you are following the right steps in life.

Many people think when you practice the hijab or niqab, it’s been forced. But that’s not the case, as in our religion, you can’t force anything; it has to come from the heart.

There are some challenges when it comes to the outdoors and hiking due to these misconceptions —that Muslim women are oppressed, strict, boring and extremists —but in-fact, they are the opposite. Automatically, I am seen to be an extremist or strict, when in reality, I am just a normal average down to earth Muslim girl.

When you do certain activities such as mountain climbing, running, water sports, etc., they are glorified, yet it becomes questionable when it comes to someone who wears the niqab. Do people really think that women who wear the niqab suddenly have no personality, hobbies, or lack having fun?

Let’s forget about race and religion, but being a female, there are many misconceptions such as you are unable to achieve things because you are not strong enough. These stereotypes need to be broken.

These misconceptions not only come from non-Muslims, but also from Muslims. There is a lot of pressure for you to be perfect and your mistakes seem to get magnified more. People wait for us to make mistakes just because we are implementing the hijab. Veiling doesn’t make us perfect. We are still on the same journey as every one else. As long as we adhere to our religion, embrace your dreams and passion.

The post Misconceptions of Muslim women appeared first on World Hijab Day.

A hijab is a veil worn by most Muslim women in the presence of any male outside of their immediate family. A hijab is also worn by Muslim women that conforms to Islamic standards of modesty. Sadly enough, this liberating imagery is also secluding Islamic women in the public sphere, and instead of conjuring images of freedom, the hijab now resurrects ideologies of ‘otherness’ in light of western thinking and constructs.

According to the Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World, modesty in the Quran concerns both men’s and women’s “gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia.” History further documents that the practice of veiling was borrowed from the elites of the Byzantine and Persian empires, where it was a symbol of respectability and high social status, during the Arab conquests of those empires. However, because Islam identified with the monotheistic religions of the conquered empires, the practice was adopted as an appropriate expression of Qur’anic ideals regarding modesty and piety.

Although the Qur’an instructs Muslim women to dress modestly, the way in which the media is defining the hijab worn by Islamic women is creating a fixed meaning of hopelessness and fear and bitterly obstructs reality in our post-modern environs. The politics of the Hijab is now becoming a silent persecutor within the realm of meaning as it encourages prejudice and the loss of individuality among Islamic women.

And it is here that the gaze of the veil is now coming up against bitter social forces, especially in light of the fact, where rules were changed to allow Ilhan Omar, a Muslim sworn in on the Qur’an, to wear a religious head covering on the floor of the House, thus eradicating a 181-year ban on headwear of any type in the US chamber of Congress.

Of course, it’s Omar’s choice. A choice that is protected by the first amendment. But what about the choices of other Islamic women everywhere?

Mustafa Naheed, a Muslim woman writes in Human Rights and Equity in the Canadian workplace that “People see me as the poster girl for oppressed women everywhere.”

As a result, it is clear, that while the US Constitution guarantees human rights through the avenue of the Bill of Rights, there remains a struggle to understand the meaning of the things that guarantee individuals their rights. For this reason, it becomes important to reinterpret the meaning of multicultural heritage, because people are labeling the Hijab with a negative meaning of oppression and depravity, thus evoking issues with gender relations, and working to silence and suppress Islamic women both substantially and figuratively.

Certainly, the meaning that people make of things is how it is represented, because without language, meaning cannot be understood. Islamic women wearing the hijab do not bomb federal buildings, yet women wearing the hijab have been the subject of verbal and physical attacks in western countries, particularly following terrorist attacks. Companies are wilfully refusing to hire Islamic women because they fear that the hijab will upset the other workers. Islamic women form a tiny fraction of the labor force and they are seldom mentioned in official employment statistics. Islamic women are trapped in the lowest bracket of the job market, with low pay, long hours of work, and are never given any chances for promotion because the power of language is fixed, and its negative usage is what interpret reality.

Freedom is one of the most important principles in society. Until now, Islamic women have a narrow range to manifest that freedom and are carrying a host of burdens behind the Hijab that marks their sacredness and liberation. Consequently, if Islamic women are determined by the manner in which their head dressing and relations to the world are modified through the actions of others, then how can Islamic women who wear a hijab struggle for transcendency in the look of the other, if this gaze is now the product of denial and erasure in our present day American society?

It is therefore clear that if consciousness guarantees freedom in the liberatory process, then the dehumanization of the other by the dominant society vividly shows that racism and exclusion also share a parallel surface in the lives of Islamic women wearing a hijab. It is also within this sphere that choice and social branding result in a state of powerlessness and disconnection and the notion of freedom is not readily understood.

Despite the fact that critics condemn the wearing of the hijab by Islamic women as being oppressive and detrimental to women’s equality, many Muslim women view the way of dress to be encouraging and empowering. Many Islamic women confess that the hijab is a way to avoid harassment and unwanted sexual advances in public and that the hijab also works to desexualize women in the public sphere in order to allow them to enjoy equal rights of complete legal, economic, and political status.

Even though western discourse consistently argues that the hijab is not a symbol of freedom, but one of oppression, the hijab also expresses a translational form of Islamic feminism that has been marked by the entry of women into all public spheres of Islamic life including formal religious learning.

It is therefore evident that the Hijab favors Islamic women as a preservation of culture and religious identity. Compounded with the secularism of France and the Islamophobia of 911, the hijab has now become the most potent symbol of Muslim women’s denial of western perceptions of feminism and communicates a new response to modernity, as racism and sexism separates them from the flow of mainstream society with wide gazes and open disgust.

Critics argue that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s current policy of forced veiling for women, the political stance of pan Islamism and France’s new doctrine of secularism still continue to generate negative debates on the wearing of the hijab. Nevertheless, it must also be seen that the way in which the media classifies Islamic women into an inferior social class simply because they wear a hijab, fashions images of helpless victims with moral shortcomings. It is essential to note that if the media’s promotional messages continue to misinform the public on the meaning of the hijab in the lives of Islamic women, then classification will constantly remain the way in which we give meaning to things. Polices and legal documents are not helping the jewels in the hijab to shine. Instead, stereotyping fixes meaning that gives a false shape character and form to Islamic women wearing the hijab.

Meaning is interpretation. For Islamic women who choose to wear the hijab, it allows them to retain their modesty, morals, and freedom of choice. The hijab is a protection and a symbol of faith. The hijab is a veil of strength and freedom. The hijab does not define Islamic women.

About Author

Rebecca Theodore is an author,  commentary writer, and award-winning journalist.

The post The Hijab: A Powerful Image of Freedom? appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Although I live in India now, as a teen, living on a remote island with almost no Muslims (let alone Hijab-wearing women) my struggle with the hijab was a difficult one. Although I always had love for Allah in my heart, the guilt of not obeying Him to the best of my ability was always in the back of my mind. At the time I never thought about it, but now I see and commend my mother’s bravery and spirit to stick with her decision to never stop wearing it even though I know it wasn’t easy.

I thought putting on the hijab would change who I was completely, and I was right. I’m not saying it was this magical cloth that changed me as soon as I put it on, but slowly it started to influence my decisions without me even realising it. I started to think about how my actions would affect the image of my Muslim sisters and I found myself saying no to anything that would show Muslims in a bad light, which at the same time helped me sin less.

This year’s going to be the first time I go back to the island where I grew up with a scarf on my head. When I first started wearing the hijab, I lost a lot of confidence & I couldn’t imagine going back there for years to come. Somehow, mysteriously Allah’s strength found me and I’m now looking forward to go back to my home.

Most importantly it got me closer to Allah and my Deen (religion), and I know this is just the beginning.

The post My struggle with the hijab was a difficult one appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I started wearing the hijab in 1999 but there were times when I would take it off and flaunt my trendy hair. I was not born a Muslim but  converted out of love and marriage which now I believe is the turning point of my life. Allah wanted me to find peace through faith and it has guided me on my every day life.

Allah paved the way for me and since coming home from the Hajj (pilgrimage) last October, I do not leave the house without my hijab on. It made me understand that I am a woman in this dunya (world) and I serve only Allah and I have to heed Prophet Muhammad’s teachings – A woman needs to cover up and be modest for her own good.

Yes, people stare at someone with revealing clothing and styled hair. But when you die, woman, will that bring you closer to God? That was in my head ever since my stay in Madinah and Makkah for the Hajj. Will Allah be pleased with me? Will my husband love me more? Will my Christian family like the new me?

In my heart, there is only one thing that I value. What will become of me on the day of judgment? I fear therefore I obey, I submit, and I surrender myself.

My hijab and my abaya (long over garment) is keeping me on the right track. My prayers, so far, has been answered. My stresses has been relieved. I feel beautiful in my own special way.

Discrimination? Oh yes plenty! I was belittled for wearing the hijab but it did not stop me. Taxi drivers refuse to take me to where I want to go. Security guards at malls stop me and take a long time searching my things. Some people even raise their eyebrows and talk to me as if I am uneducated! I fought, sab’r (stay patient), I struggled. As long as it is not Allah who will discriminate but only people in this dunya for my choices, then, I am ready…

My simple explanation to those who ask me why I cover up?: I WANT TO BE LIKE MARY (Mother of Jesus (PBUH)) WHO WEARS THE ABAYA AND HIJAB AS WELL. You can see her in the Christian pictures wearing such, right? And then, I stop and smile.

The post Discrimination? Oh yes plenty! appeared first on World Hijab Day.

You are a tiny piece of cloth that adorns thousands of Muslim women’s heads as a sign of faith, religious conviction, and modesty. I bet you never intended to be the center of so many controversies. So many feel it is their duty to make a judgment about you. A symbol of oppression they say! All this leaves me quite confused as I have chosen to wear you out of my own free will as a sign of humility and obedience to my Creator. Far from being subjugated I feel liberated! I am certain you must be devastated when you hear the comments pointed towards you while you have no voice to defend yourself. Let me tell you that I feel proud, complete, and at peace with you on my head.

You are a part of my identity, of who I am and I would be incomplete and disheartened without you. When I hear that women are being forced to remove you because it is not deemed as an appropriate attire, it really saddens me as while wearing you my face is still showing so I do not understand ….Why so much negativity you ask? It is out of ignorance, fear of the unknown.

Some women wear you as a fashion statement around their neck, this is acceptable because it is fashion. Should the hijab be showcased on the catwalk by a modern fashion designer, the perception would change immediately and it would become acceptable because you would now be considered as the latest trend. Now you are not accepted since you are the result of faith… And in a world and society that are proving to be more and more hostile towards you, I can feel your sense of isolation… I know people have a lot of prejudices about you, please don’t take it to heart. Hang in there dear hijab.  While all the negative comments about you make a lot of us feel dehumanized and disrespected, you will always remain the symbol of freedom and choice for us and we will never discard you because others are dictating us what to do so based on their personal opinion.

Yours truly,

Sajeeda from Canada

The post A personal letter to my hijab appeared first on World Hijab Day.

My first World Hijab Day experience was in 2014, so I was really looking forward to wearing a headscarf on February 1, 2015. There was just one problem: that was a Sunday and I am a devout Mormon (Christian). I didn’t feel it was wrong to wear hijab to church for a day, but I was concerned that it might upset others in my congregation. So, a few days before WHD, I posted about it in our congregation’s Facebook group. I posted a link to the WHD website and said, “this is why I will be wearing a headscarf in church on Sunday.” My hope was to prevent causing a disruption, because most of the congregants would not need to ask me about it during the service.

Well, one of the first comments was from a man who strongly disagreed. He felt my membership should be in jeopardy if I wore hijab to church. He felt that I was making a political statement and protesting our church leaders. After that, there was a lengthy conversation back and forth with most congregants supporting my decision. They cited scriptures from the Bible about it being appropriate for women to cover their heads during services. They talked about historical examples of Catholic and Baptist women covering their heads in church. I felt strengthened in my decision and resolved to wear the hijab, even to my Mormon church service.

As I walked into the church building, a man from another congregation (we share our building) greeted my husband and myself as if we were not members. He assumed we were not Mormon. It happened that we ended up sitting right next to the one man who was so against me wearing hijab to church. I felt bad about it. I did not dislike the man. I respect that he had a different opinion and at least he was honest about it. I didn’t want to upset him or disrupt his worship. I still wonder what he thought as he saw me during our services. Was his heart softened? Did he realize that wearing hijab on the outside didn’t change who I was on the inside? Did he start to think that there is more to Muslims. They are human beings too and its not just about clothing choices etc? I hope so.

At the very least, I was overjoyed that the discussion spread the word and knowledge of World Hijab Day. There are at least 100 Mormons who now know more about hijab and that the practice is part of Christian faith as well because of my participation in WHD. One woman at church said this to me, “last week I told my neighbor about you wearing a headscarf, and my neighbor started to say ‘Muslim women are so oppressed, the men force them to wear those.’ And I corrected my neighbor. I told her, ‘Actually, no, Lorelei says that the women choose to wear it and it makes them happy.'” I felt very glad inside to know that slowly, one person at a time, World Hijab Day is increasing understanding and building bridges between Muslims and non-Muslims. Thank you so much to all who are involved in the wonderful WHD Movement!

The post The WHD Movement – Building Bridges appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Coming from the country side in Australia, I was never exposed to Islam. I knew nothing about it. I thought of it as an oppressive religion, whenever I heard about it. It wasn’t until I went to Malaysia, that God guided me in ways I never expected, Subhan’Allah.

I learned that Muslim women also have rights, which were legally given even before the West did. Meeting impressive women like Sisters in Islam and Marina Mahathir, also inspired me to divulge into Islam more. I found that I could have a career and be a Muslim. However, it wasn’t until a year later, I reverted, Alhamdulillah.

Islam is a beautiful way of life to praise and worship Allah as One God every single day. While it is not easy to explain to friends and family, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I did a lot of research and interviewed many Muslim and even non-Muslim women on why women choose to cover up. I also learned a lot from my Imam and his wife, who taught me it is for women to be recognized more for their intelligence, not be as exposed, to this sometimes, overly sexual world and to keep your beauty for your husband.

I’ve met many wonderful, intelligent women who chose to wear Hijab, which is her right. Dressing more modestly came naturally after reverting. I hope to one day wear Hijab every single day, In’sha’Allah. God truly is the Turner of Hearts – I never in my wildest dreams thought I would become a Muslim, yet, He opened my heart and has blessed me in more ways than I could ever imagine or repay Him for.

That’s why I know Allah is Love and Mercy, and I want to worship Him better every day for as long as He gives me life. My favorite quote is ‘فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا’ – ‘So endure patiently, with a beautiful patience.’

The post Endure patiently with a beautiful patience appeared first on World Hijab Day.

“Have you always been in our class?” One of my classmates asked me that during my Summer intensive Major British Author’s course. The odd part was that there were only seven students in the classroom. I was always the first to arrive, always spoke in class, and the last to leave. The only thing that was different about me was that I was wearing hijab.

I had converted to Islam in early 2011, but I waited to wear the hijab until my return to the USA after I had a semester abroad in Eastern Europe. My parents had been nervous about travelling while wearing hijab. I decided to wait to commit to wear it out of respect for their wishes.

July 5th, 2011, was the first day I ever wore hijab. I wore a red patterned hijab and a dress. I felt cool and comfortable, even though it was a 95 degree day. My teacher just smiled at me when the other students were treating me strangely. On my way to my car a couple of guys started flirting, and making ‘cat-calls’ at me. I was so shocked that a man would see a woman dressed in modest clothes, and flirt! For the first time in my life, I actually had the courage to respond to them (something I had never done before). I asked “Would you talk to your mother or sister that way?” They seemed completely surprised I responded (I guess that does not happen to them very often). They quickly said “no”, and ran off. I felt fabulous so I went to the masjid to pray dhuhr before my next class.

After I got my spiritual boost, I felt ready for my mid-term presentation, worth 1/3 of my final grade. I had worked for weeks on PowerPoint presentation and speech. I tried on dozens of outfits to find  the perfect one. I wanted my hijab to be secure so I pinned my scarf under my chin and wrapped one corner of the square on to the top of my head and pinned it to a tube under-scarf with a straight pin. I looked confident and professional. When my finished my speech and smiled, the audience and I heard the pin ‘pop’ open and it fly across the room! The square quickly became an unrecognizable mess of fabric that I had to pinch tightly up by  my chin, until I could be excused to the restroom. I tied a knot in the scarf and drove home.

On the ride home, I realized how important my modesty is to me. The idea of showing my hair, totally freaked me out! It is such a important part of who I am. This was the moment I realized how committed I am to wearing hijab and that I really want to continue to wear it. I committed to wear it in public from that day on, and I have never broken my promise to myself and to God.

The post My First Day in Hijab appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Dear Feminists,

Please stop. Pretty please with a cherry on top. Stop.

Feminism, in its most simple form, is about achieving economic, social, and political equality. When one looks at feminism on a deeper level, they realize that feminism also encompasses the desire for comprehensive women’s health care. Feminism is about ending the worldwide epidemic of domestic violence. It’s about ending the use of rape as a weapon of war; it’s about ending rape. It’s about women’s voices being heard and respected alongside the voices of their male counterparts. It’s about closing the gender pay gap. It’s about equal representation of women, more specifically, women of color, in the media. It’s about ending the use of the phrase, “stop acting like a girl!” as an insult. It’s about choice.

It is not about rescuing women from hijab. Hijab is about choice, just as feminism is. By attempting to liberate women from the “oppression of the hijab,” you’re actually being counterproductive to your cause. Take some time to educate yourself on the practice of wearing hijab. View the practice from a religious, social, and feminist perspective. Understand that religion, feminism, and societies are not mutually exclusive; they can (and do!) exist in harmony with one another. The next time you see a veiled woman in the grocery store or classroom, dismantle the train of thought running through your mind about her big, bad, Arab husband or father.

Expand your narrow view of feminism to embrace veiled women. Use your voice and your privilege to advocate alongside them for their right to choose. Promote discourse about hijab and put to rest the stereotypes and misconceptions many feminists have about hijab.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Flores

DISCLAIMER:  I, Chelsea Flores,  absolutely identify as a feminist, and the intended audience are those with a narrow, Western view of feminism that lacks diversity and intersectionalism.

The post An open letter to Feminists regarding hijab |By Non-Muslim appeared first on World Hijab Day.