I’m a modern language teacher. I already knew about the hijab, but I first experienced wearing it in 2013 and me as a Christian, I felt it was the most amazing experience ever. Actually, I may have 2000 pictures but THIS one is my favorite one among them, for real. I feel real freedom with the hijab. I hope God guides me and allows me to wear it for the rest of my life. Amen.

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I participated in 30-day Ramadan Hijab Challenge in 2014 and I came to a better understanding of not only why the hijab is worn but a better understanding of myself and what I stand for as a person. I come from a Christian family, though I believe in God, I am not religious, and as a young child I never really understood why certain people dressed like that and as I got older I was always told the women are forced to wear them and that the hijab is a sign of oppression (I now know this is not true).

Wearing the hijab I felt the complete opposite. I felt liberated from the pressures of society to look a certain way and I even felt more feminine and confident. I had always thought hijabs were beautiful but I was always afraid of telling anyone or telling my parents that I wanted to try wearing one for fear of what others would think or if I wasn’t allowed to wearing one. That was until this Hijab Challenge. Even though the hijab challenge is finished I still occasionally wear the hijab for how it makes me feel.

Being covered I have more self-respect, it makes me feel closer to God and feel a freedom I was unaccustomed to before. The challenge was difficult at times, people looked at me in certain ways (not good way) and some people even yelled rude things at me from their cars but I have come to understand that people who truly care for me will accept me for who I am not what I wear or how I look.

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I grew up in the north shore which you probably know is one of the most racist parts of Sydney, Australia in my opinion. I grew up thinking Muslims were bad and women beaters.  My ex who was a white Australian (like myself) HATED them, and ironically, he ended up being abusive to me. I have never been so hurt in my whole life.

After having to leave and move, I ended up seeing and meeting some Muslim women at my kids’ school and my hairdresser’s.  They were such beautiful nice people. The funny thing is, if I passed by a Muslim woman, I would never think of her as a drug addict or slept around.  All I could see is modesty and elegance.  I was so fascinated by their hijab and niqab. So, I started researching Islam and the Quran. I questioned my hairdresser for hours and absorbed everything she was saying like a sponge.

I remember going past a $2 shop and seeing a slip on hijab. It was on my mind for weeks. So the next time I was there, I spent my last $5 on it.  I remember I couldn’t wait ’till I got home and slip it on. Before I even got onto the main street, I felt  like a new person. I felt protected. Since then I have  been slowly on my path… I do not want to take the shahadah (testimony of Islamic faith) until I absorb everything.  So, I can proudly wear the Islamic name without bringing any shame to its name.  As a result, it can be beautiful to others.
I love Islam and it excites me so much.  

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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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By Stephanie Elizabeth Kelly (Queensland, Australia)

I think the World Hijab Day page is amazing.  It is inspiring to see so many powerful women unashamed and unapologetic for their beliefs. I personally do not identify with any religion but I believe strongly that everyone should be able to express their beliefs without having to fear persecution. My best friend in the whole world is a Muslim and I have experienced the judgment and cruel words that she has received because of this. She has felt scared to express her religious beliefs with people due to this. So today I wore a hijab for her and for everyone else who faces persecution for their beliefs. Islam is a religion of peace, love, respect, and charity. If people see anything negative in it then that is an issue with them not Islam. Stay strong and stay true to who you are.

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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!

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I work as an assisstant chaplain at the University of Roehampton and a female muslim student invited me to take part in the World Hijab Day. It was a particularly out-and-about day for me, so definitely an interesting experience – the morning in Devon, then a coach back to London, a trip into central to meet a friend and now on to evening service at Church.

Some reactions: My friend didn’t act any differently, other than remarking that I had a pretty interesting job! My boyfriend actually said he thought it was quite pretty. I got my bag searched at the V&A museum for the first time ever (I’ve been there about ten times since moving to London). I chatted to a student on the bus who didn’t comment at all.

I think I felt more as if people are staring at me than actually were, and I definitely felt like I stick out because I’m white and a smoker – both of which are fairly unusual among women who wear the hijab! I definitely found it both warm and comfortable today though!

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I participated in World Hijab Day today because I am a firm believer in the right for each and every woman to express herself, regardless of what faith background she is or is not from, without condemnation. I am a Mennonite (Christian), and am so blessed to have been exposed to many different faith backgrounds over the course of my life. I was blessed with the chance to work in a refugee resettlement program for a little while and worked alongside many amazing Muslim men and women. I will never forget their dedication and their compassion for other people.  It made a huge impact on my life and continues to inspire me towards becoming a better person.

We are all walking along this path, so we may as well hold hands and try to figure it out together.

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We had a wonderful event in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia introducing many skeptical women to the joy of wearing hijab. After the event we received the following message from one of the participants:

Dear friends, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for inviting us to learn more about you at your World Hijab Day event. No amount of research could equate to a moment of human experience and I was reminded of this yesterday. While I was excited to attend your event to broaden my knowledge, I was admittedly hesitant to try on a hijab, firstly, because it was new and different to anything I had worn before but also because I did not want to be disrespectful or subtract any importance from the reasons why you wear yours by wearing one when it may not hold the same significance for me.

After some informative discussion and a little convincing I decided to take a chance and try one on. I was pleasantly caught off guard by how donning the hijab made me feel and the experience was surprisingly moving. I have often admired the fashionable aesthetics of the hijab but now that I better understand the reasons for you choosing to wear them, my eyes are more open to their more meaningful beauty and I now, more than ever, think it is wonderful that you are able to express yourselves in such a lovely way as wearing your hijab. Thank you again for sharing this opportunity with the Wide Bay community. As a Mother and Teacher of young children I recognize how important it is to nourish young minds by teaching them to understand and celebrate our differences and I am pleased that I brought my son along with me. He may have only come along for the “dress ups” but he has also learned, in a natural and casual way, that we accept one another and that our differences are an interesting and beautiful thing to be cherished. I certainly hope to attend more events like this in the future. You have done a magnificent job in promoting awareness of your community. I wish you peace, understanding and respect.

Pictures from the event:

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This message goes out to Sadia, Rahila and other fantastic Muslim women who encouraged me today:

Thank you for supporting me today, and for telling me I was beautiful as I practiced a level of modesty that is not commonly seen in Christian circles. Thank you for laughing with me as I struggled to wrap my hijab and keep it in place, and grinning at my rogue bangs as they struggled for attention. Thank you for the many words of blessing and thoughtfulness and the likes on my photographs as I attempted to document today’s activities wearing a hijab.

Thank you for being you: your modesty, your passion, your humor, and your bravery. Thank you for being vocal that the hijab is not a symbol of oppression but a symbol of your choice to protect modesty in a culture that devalues it. Thank you for accepting me enough to include me today. It was a privilege to stand with you as a sister. I hope to continue doing so.

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