By Syahdiqin Ismail (Singapore)
It’s amazing, this piece of cloth on my head.
I put it on in the mornings, before I go out, and then take it off when I come home. I put it on, and I take it off. On and off. On and off.
This piece of cloth on my head, it’s amazing.
Some see it as intimidating. As an object which screams out that I belong to a certain religion; a religion that has a lot of negativity surrounding it. But not to forget, there is positivity too. It’s there.
This piece of cloth on my head, it’s amazing.
It has the power to influence some people’s thoughts of me. Some look at me and immediately form perceptions. She is holy. She is religious. She is strict. She is conservative. She is traditional.
Blah.
Blah.
Blah.
This piece of cloth on my head, it’s amazing.
Some see it and cannot believe my background. What? You studied in an international school? What? You went abroad for university? But then, you have an open mind. But, wait, why?
Why?
This piece of cloth on my head, it’s amazing.
I seem to close my open mind with this piece of cloth on my head. At least, that is what some think. Close-minded, open-minded. On, off.
And then there are those who see it merely as what it is. A piece of cloth of my head.
My friends, my family. Those who truly accept me and love me as I am. Same jokes, same laughter. Not a lot has changed. It is what it is. A cloth.
There are strangers too, outsiders. It’s a cloth. No one pays attention to it. Everyone is busy in their own lives. Wear it or not, it really doesn’t matter.
This piece of cloth on my head, it’s amazing.
One and the same, the person wearing this piece of cloth on their head. On or off. They are one and the same.
It’s just a piece of cloth. And yet, it influences so many things.
This piece of cloth on my head, it’s amazing.