On February 12th, 2021, I completed five years of wearing the hijab. It feels good. I remember the time when I would yearn to wear a head scarf, but didn’t have the courage to start it in the middle of my ongoing lifestyle.

It was in 2016 and I was moving to another city when my friend suggested that would be the best time for me to transition. It would be a new place with new people and fewer questions. I decided on following this plan. The day when I had to wear it, I was so worried. If I would be able to do it, continue wearing it or if I should even start now or wait until I get married (LOL common reason), if I would be able to wear it in my office, will I be able to carry on working in a corporate environment- if I, would I, will I be – I had so many questions in my mind.

One day, I prayed to Allah (swt) before wrapping my dupatta (Indian scarf) and told Him that I was doing it for Him because He had commanded it and asked for the courage to be able to face my fears. And here I am five years later, still struggling, but alhumdulilah happy and content that I took the decision, and I am still able to stick to it.

Hijab has brought so much patience and calm to my life. It is not limited to putting on a head scarf, but it encourages me to ponder over modesty and decency in not just my clothes, but character and actions, too.

I always knew that it was never a limitation, but the fact that now I have experienced it myself, I am vocal about it even more. I want to raise as much awareness as I can. Education, job, sports, travel, learning new skills- hijab doesn’t stop one from doing anything. Hijab does not restrict anyone.

I want to raise awareness on the fact that hijab wearers are not meek and shy girls. We are fierce, goofy, lovable, nerdy and all that one can be!

I believe it has matured me in its own way. And I pray for sisters who struggle every day to practice hijab, be it the cloth, the environment, or the niyat (intention)- we all have our weak points.

I pray that you get supportive friends and family and Allah (swt) makes it easy for everyone to practice!! Ameen!

The post The calm to my storm appeared first on World Hijab Day.

People ask me why do I wear Hijab, my simple answer is – one I want people to see my true beauty rather than focusing on false diminishing worldly beauty. Two – I don’t believe in showoff but prefer being a pearl hidden in a shell, lying deep down beneath the ocean. Three – hijaab is my identity, I can wear jazzy clothes but I chose to live a simple life for it showcases my religion/belief.

Assumptions: People look at me with an amaze in their eyes ( good/bad/strange/old fashioned/alien from other planet/oppressed/yeah terrorist too). No, apart from the first point mentioned none of them are correct. I love being fashionable and I’m very much aliened with the current fashion trends. No, I’m not oppressed and no one enforced hijab on me, but I chose it cause I love it. Do not know about alien from other planet but would like to be considered as an angel. (Joking)

Experiences: I have observed the security team checking my bag twice for me just wearing the hijaab, but I have always observed patience with them thinking one day they will realize and will treat me normally. If compared before and after Hijaab, I have seen flirty men don’t stare at me anymore, many changed their perspective. I have noticed respect in many stares and everyone demands respect.

God: Beyond being everything said, it’s a sign of my submission to my Master/Lord. I’m in love with my creator for thy has created the good, the bad and then guided His creation to protect themselves and others from the evil start – the start could be a single gaze. No this is not an introvert thought but a deep subject to explore. I have experienced and would say hijab is a shield that covers from lustful gaze:

“O Prophet! Say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that: they should let down upon themselves their jalabib.” [Quran 33:59]

“…and not display their beauty except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms…” [Quran 23:31]

Hijab is necessary not just restricted to clothing but one should observe hijab in the way you communicate, choice of words, and observe hijab in your actions.

The post Hijab – Reasons, Assumptions and Experiences appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I am a born Muslim to a religious Muslim society of Saudi Arabia that commands specific dress codes. Thus I started wearing Abaya (Long-length dress specific to Muslim women) pretty much earlier without realizing its substance. However, with growing maturity and understanding of the doctrine of Islam, I have embraced Hijab from within the depths of my heart with profound sagacity and multifaceted import to it rather than wearing it senselessly just because the law demands for it (which should not be the case anyway).

On this World Hijab Day, I would like all the readers out there to question their purpose. The question needed to be asked is: What is Hijab for you? Is not it much extensive with numerous suggestions that is definitely much more than dress. Having said that, when we talk about the dress aspect of Hijab; the scarf along with a garb, it is not just a textile thing but much beyond that. For me, this attire is the brooch of identity, the reflection of my ideology, assertion of my customs, resistance to cultural imperialism, a fight to break fixated racist image, a mark of solidarity for victims, a mandate for dignity of women against objectification, and an aesthetic appeal to fashion.

In religious terms, it is the representative expression of the intrinsic connection to God (‘abd) and an appendage to the ummah’s (Muslim nation’s) essence (huwiyya). It is an elaboration of an abstract bond between an individual believer and a transcendent power. But is it all? No. Besides being the religious emblem, Hijab has served as multi-dimensional symbol of identity and political resistance throughout history. Hijab is used as a political symbol as much as religious one- it is a cultural way to make a declaration and take a stand.

For me, Hijab with its roots in Islamic theology, branches off outside the realm of religion to multiple tracks: a visual reminder of anti-colonialism, to protest against cultural imperialism, a struggle for recognition, and a resistance against Islamophobia. It is a symbol of Islam that is designed into a symbolic resistance to Western policy of assimilation, to protest the cultural imperialism and to stand in solidarity against stereotyped profiling that comes along being Muslim. Considering the growing violence against Muslims on one hand and on the other hand the upsurge of terrorism in our names, I, through my hijab, stand with the victims. I tell the narrative of a Muslim who is not an alien or a social exile but much like other humans who are social animals. I tell the story of frustrations, of humiliation,  and of struggle. My hijab tells the stories of hate crimes, propaganda, and war against my community.

My hijab speaks of my religion, my solidarity, and my identity. My hijab is a narrative of resistance. My hijab is an assertion of my belief. My hijab is mine.

The post My hijab is a narrative of resistance appeared first on World Hijab Day.