I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” Whenever I’m asked to share my hijab story, like the diehard Jane Austen fan I am, her beautifully written passage comes to mind.  Because I know that feeling of discovering that your heart belongs to someone or something else, and try as you might, you cannot recall when it began or what it was like before.

I only have a blurry recollection of the whirling thoughts and warring emotions I felt before making the decision to wear hijab 12 years ago: wonder, doubt, conviction, confusion, hope, insecurity.  My life before hijab has taken on that hazy, dreamlike quality, where you try to remember details about what it was like but can only come up with a handful of fleeting memories. However, I do remember vividly how I felt after.

Pure joy. Glorious light. Like the triumph of winning a thousand races. Like coming up for air after being underwater for so, so long. Like the proverbial shackles of the material world falling off and the massive barrier that was my stress, doubt, and worry evaporating into thin air.  With that first step outside wearing hijab, all at once, I felt free and simultaneously bound closer to Allah in that single moment than I’d felt my entire life.

Alhamdulillah, my journey has been a blessed one and my hijab story has only gotten sweeter with time. I’ve met some of the strongest and most inspiring women along the way, I’ve traveled the world and experienced incredible moments in my hijab, and I’ve achieved so many of my goals, including my lifelong dream of becoming a children’s/YA author.

They say to write what you know. So I’ve written what’s closest to my heart.  My new book, “Hijab is Fab!” is a love letter to hijab for modern times, written from the heart for young women everywhere.  And I’m just getting started!

By Rania Emara

About Author 

Rania Emara is an author of children’s and YA fiction who delights in writing books that help young people discover and celebrate the vibrant culture, traditions, and folklore native to the Middle East, South Asia, and the greater Islamic world.  Her publications include Kareem and the Legendary Musaharaty, Hijab is Fab, The Mighty Head of Moustafa, and she is currently working on her first YA novel. You can connect with her on Instagram. 

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I was born in a Catholic family and had no idea about Muslim religion and beliefs. To be honest, I thought hijab was a way of repression against the women but this last year, I spent a lot of time with many Muslim people. Finally, I realized the true meaning of hijab. I love it and also wear it frequently. Be proud of who you are!!!

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