I loved wearing the hijab!! I am still wearing it today, I feel so liberated and I feel so womanly and I feel like nothing of an object to society. As you could assume I am not of Muslim faith, as I’m of Wiccan faith but that does not stop me from wearing the hijab. I feel like as women we have no need to show our entire beauty to the world, and by wearing the hijab I feel that my beauty is covered and those who get to see all of my beauty are even more special to me!

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I strongly recommend this [World Hijab day] experience.  It truly is humbling. One of the greatest experiences I have had is a hijab last February. I wore it to see how my friend Salma Rah and all the other women feel when they wear their hijab. At first, I was nervous about it. What will it feel like? What happens if I get laughed at? But what I did not expect to get was the anger my mother expressed at my appearance. That single emotion proved the experiment worthwhile. “Why would you wear that? You are Christian?” I told my friend had asked me to wear a hijab to support the women who wear it and are getting abused because they do.

Wearing a Hijab is the easy part, being out in the world and seeing the reaction is the hard part. Honestly, I almost took it off when classmates laughed at me. But I persevered and told them I was supporting my friend and women who wear a hijab on a daily basis that suffer abuse from people who don’t understand. It is a great way to walk in my friend’s shoes.

Thank you for asking me to understand.

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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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I was raised by two wonderful parents who taught me the values of respect, humbleness, and never discriminating other cultures. Thanks to them, I am who I am now: an open-minded translator and interpreter with sensitivity toward other cultures, religions, and ethnic groups. Even if I’m not Muslim, I love Muslim people. My Muslim friends see me as their little sister. I feel so honored and thankful to God for this.

To those who are racist: We cannot judge all Muslims just because of some radical followers. Remember: every Muslim country is different, every Muslim family has different values and beliefs, and every follower has a different mentality. Unfortunately, millions of innocent Muslims suffer discrimination every day in Western nations. However, those who decide to wear hijab by choice suffer even more discrimination in schools, supermarkets, and even within their workplace.

If we don’t start with ourselves, we wouldn’t be able to live in a more tolerant environment. Yes, I know that prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination are everywhere and it may seem an impossible mission, but we can’t keep pointing fingers all the time. Hijab is a great tool of protection, freedom, and self-respect. Yes, I will wear hijab for a day on Feb 1st, 2014 for the reasons I previously stated and because I have Muslim friends that see me as part of their family.

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