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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I am a Pagan woman, and I do not usually cover my hair, although I have within the context of ceremony, at those times it has made me feel closer to my ancestors and the womyn who have walked the path before me. I participated in world hijab day as an ally to my muslim sisters around the world, and it was a profound experience for me! I found that I stopped worrying about “checking” my hair and how I looked, I felt more secure and able to just interact without worrying about how did I look. I never realized just how much energy I wasted checking myself in the mirror, or fussing with my hair. I think wearing hijab is a wonderful way to combat negative body image/beauty culture that we internalize as women.
Blessed be.

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It was an amazing experience to ‘walk in someone else’s shoes’ and to be part of a movement that is creating a better understanding about Islam. I didn’t face any discrimination during the day but I know how my Muslim sisters suffer on a daily basis.

The headscarf is the reason why some of them are labeled as terrorists when the only thing they want is to live their lives in peace. The headscarf is the reason why some of my friends are denied jobs, even when they’re talented and skilled professionals. The headscarf is also the reason why they’re criticized for wearing it to school, even though they’re there to get an education just like all the other students.

The headscarf is a piece of clothing and just a piece of clothing doesn’t define who you are.

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When I first started wearing hijab, a lot of people treated me differently but in a good way. I remember walking in the mall so nervous because I was scared of what people will think since I live in Canadian society. It is rare to see white girls with hijab. One day, I was walking to go to work and I realized a lot of people were looking at me and facing down.

First three days were stressful but after a week I felt so good. I felt completely different and beautiful in it! People were respecting me so much more. I felt like a new me …just the fact that a lot of people were so nice and treated me differently made me so happy! Especially at work, my colleagues understood perfectly the fact that I wanted to wear it and they were also happy for me because they said I seemed happy that way and really different in a good way. The hijab makes you feel so much powerful and great …and reserved for someone that you know you are going to spend the rest of your life with.

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For World Hijab Day I put on the hijab…and I haven’t taken it off!

Although I’ve been raised in a christian family I have been strongly considering reverting to Islam. One of the big parts of the change that made me stutter was wearing the hijab. It is very different for someone raised in the American culture, and different can be scary. However, when I wore the hijab I felt safe. Comfortable. Elegant. Modest. Me.

For the most part no one really acted differently towards me when I dressed up for World Hijab Day. I went shopping at one of my favorite stores that was having a big sale. I laughed and joked with the girls in the lines, the associates helped me and asked me if I was finding everything ok. The men parted when I perused the men’s section for something I could bring to my husband. Everyone was smiling, just like always. I was the only hijabi in the building, but I didn’t feel isolated. Later, an elderly man asked what I was wearing on my head. I told him it was a scarf, since that was what it was (I didn’t feel comfortable discussing the hijab with someone on a public bus, since it’s not a place you can walk away from someone being hurtful or mean). He said “ok!” and left it at that.

I’ve also received comments from individuals about how they never see people wearing head scarves for reasons other than religion. I guess because I’m white I must not be muslim? Or that I must not practice Christianity with fervor? Hum, ok…but then the comments are followed up with how nice it looks on me. I guess I’ll take a compliment when its offered.

Of course, I have the benefit of living in a college town that is full of internationals, including hijabis. I wonder if hijab would yield different results in my hometown in South Carolina? I guess we will have to see, because I don’t see myself taking it off any time soon.

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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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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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