Today (World Hijab Day) was a beautiful day. I am so grateful for the opportunity to walk a mile in someone else’s life, even for just one day. There are very few people that are indifferent to the hijab and I experienced both sides today.

Major life lesson- My eyes are opened to subtleties of racism. In my mind, racism is big hate filled gestures. I saw today that those incidents are rare. It takes the form of passive actions. It’s opening my own door a lot more than normal. It is someone’s eyes to the floor in the elevator. It’s the lady behind me at Kroger stepping back and white knuckling her cart when I turned around and smiled (what did she think I was going to do, attack her with my Flonase?!?!?!). It breaks my heart to know that people experience actions like this everyday. It has strengthened my resolve to choose love and be kind to everyone.

The counter energy to the racism is love. There are a lot of kind and gentle people. This was also very subtle but obvious. It was a girl catching my eye and giving me a warm smile. It was a compliment on my beautiful scarf. It was a thumbs up as he walked by my cube while I was on a call. It strengthened my resolve to be visible in my activism (this is soooooo hard for me. I want to be kindness to be anonymous).

The best part of my day was lunch. After I hid all my crazy hair, my eyebrows were all like, “OMG, look at me!!!!” So I went to have them threaded. Once the lady realized why I was wearing the hijab, she told everyone else in the salon. We talked a little about right of choice. She asked to take a picture with me and to post it. She was so happy to have a champion for her rights and they were all very gracious for support. I could see the worry and tension on their faces melt away, if only for a few moments when they were in the presence of an ally. This strengthened my resolve to be kind, always fight injustice, #RiseUp and #Resist.

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Touched by a stranger’s sincere and eager public Facebook post, on Wednesday February 1st I visited her house to help her and her non-Muslim friends style themselves in hijabs, in honor of World Hijab Day. Kim Mulligan’s World Hijab Day photo shoot was a beautiful, unique initiative by non-Muslim women to reach out and support Hijabi Muslim women. Upset about the Muslim ban and refugees’ plight, these women embraced me with hugs, smiles, and well-intentioned questions about my faith. They repeatedly thanked me for bringing hijabs and styling them, but it was I bowled over with gratitude for their support and courage. Their acceptance of the hijab warmed my heart. Their effort was reassuring and comforting, because typically it’s us Hijabis that have to overcompensate and reach out to others. This nonjudgmental group made me feel welcome and normal. We were a group of women having fun; enjoying fashion and getting to know one another as humans. It was not about lecturing one another.

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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 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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Thanks to my dear friend Faouziya, I learned about and participated in my first World Hijab Day. It was a wonderful and eye opening experience! I received a few stares at the grocery store, however the majority of people I encountered were kind and acted normally towards me. The biggest difference I experienced was that when I spoke to people, they looked me in the eyes rather than at my body. It made me feel confident and beautiful inside and out. I live in Nebraska which is in the middle of the United States, and am Jewish. I feel that it is important to celebrate and respect both our similarities and differences as human beings, no matter what religion.

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I wear the hijab today because I believe that no one should tell us, women, what to wear. We are free to believe, dress and act the way we want. I wear the hijab today because I believe in equality, in solidarity and pluralism. I believe that people should be free to choose and express their religion or ideology. My body, my choice!

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World Hijab Day marks a beautiful, new beginning to a more enlightened spiritual journey for me.
I have never worn a Hijab before this moment. As a Christian, my hijab represents a stand for true beauty and modesty. It also represents a connection with millions of women around the globe who share that same sentiment. Without shared experiences, we cannot gain a suitable perspective of similarities amongst us; we become immune to valuable relationships and prone to disregard and misconceptions. Wearing a Hijab reflects a lifestyle of dignity, modesty, and honor–I love that! As I discover more truth about Islam and myself, I’m filled with joy as I stand here in unity holding (virtual) hands with you. My Hijab is reshaping me into a more whole person and it is the truest reflection of who I am. As an engineer in a large corporation, one can lose herself quite easily in the hustle of climbing the corporate ladder–my Hijab reminds me that my identity is deeper than beauty or even intelligence.
Thank you for the opportunity to share the World Hijab Day experience. Thank you for sharing truth.
I love my Hijab.

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My names is Fawn and I am a US Navy Veteran. I support World Hijab Day because every woman in the world deserves to choose to be who she is not matter the religion, race, creed or color! Love and understanding what should make the world go round.

It was hard to wear the hijab in my little town, mostly because there is not much tolerance for the different here. I found that most people were polite but stand offish unless they knew me. Strangers drive past me almost wrecked their car looking at me. I am not sure why, but the positive me says that thought me scarf was pretty. (or maybe the giant red coat I wear)

As for how I felt wearing the hijab “I LOVED IT”. It was so comfortable and it really did wonders for my confidence. I often go through life wondering if people notice me. Let me tell you there is no hiding in a hijab. You have to have confidence in yourself and how you look and who you are to feel comfortable and when I put it on I did.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part in this wonderful event!

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Thank you so much for allowing me to have this wonderful experience. I often cover my hair (it started from me being cold a lot, but now I am more comfortable that way), but wearing the Hijab for a full day was wonderful. I was very busy on WHD, but I did notice that I got a lot of respect and was treated better in some situations. Someone did tell me to “go home terrorist” when I was at a rest stop on my way to visit family in NY, but that was one ignorant fool. I thought it would become uncomfortable after a while, but I was not uncomfortable at all and I really felt beautiful and confident. I hope to get more people I know involved next year.

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 Since I started to wear the Hijab, I am treated differently. It seems to be one extreme or the other. On the negative side, I have had people avoid me. They will go down a different isle at the grocery store, or turn their head away. Some people will just give me evil looks. I have not had anyone say anything negative, though some whisper under their breath so you cannot hear them. It is in their actions toward me. They may think I am a terrorist, and are scared.

Many things I have seen lately show the ignorance of people. Hating on Sikhs because they think they are Muslim. Hating on Muslims because they think all are terrorists. I am hoping to enlighten some of the ignorant to know there are good and bad people in all religions and races of the world. Hopefully, I can help people to see NOT to judge people by their appearance but by their hearts.

On the positive side, more men open doors for me when I am able to get out and about. Some women have asked why I wear Hijab (apparently because I am white, or they think I do not look Muslim). I started wearing the scarves as head cover, but they do not stay in place that well. So I tried the Hijab and like it much better. I started partly for health reasons and partly to be more modest. I know Christians and Jews used to wear the head covering all the time. Some still do.

I am a Christian and my religion also talks about wanting women and men to be modest in the way they dress. I am sure it is personal for every woman that wears Hijab. I know Muslim women who do not wear them. So it is a matter of choice here in the USA. I know in some countries Muslim women are required to wear them or the burka. I am thankful for the religious freedom in my country so those of any faith may worship their own way.

I do believe we are all praying to the same God, whether one calls him Allah, Jehovah, Heavenly Father or something else. This world be a better place if we can only get people to love one another instead of hating.  Just the other day at the VA hospital I had a nice talk with a lady about my Hijab. I do not know if she was Muslim, but I was guessing she wasn’t. She was very respectful and curious. I talked with her for about 15 minutes. One person at a time, maybe people will come to understand and be less ignorant about those that look different from them in the world.

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