By Besa Grashtica
Hijab was never an unknown or taboo topic for me since my grandmothers wore hijab, albeit we considered their scarfs as more traditional. Later, my mother also started wearing a scarf which influenced my opinion about the hijab, but not as much as to think of wearing it since I was quite young and never thought of it that deeply.
I was born in a religious family, although only my grandma used to pray at the time. Years passed and I grew up. I got married and started thinking of how to get a job. While I was a student, I was admitted as an administrator in TMK (Kosovo Protection Corps). This made me feel quite comfortable financially, as many people would feel. During that time, I was blessed with a child, thus, I did not plan to make any big changes in my life.
However, after some time, my brother became very religious and started explaining to us what a real Muslim is, and also some religious rules. Nevertheless, I was never that convinced as to start changing myself.
After some years, while I was expecting my third child, I started reading about Islam and also read the Quran in Albanian. I was very impressed by the verse where Allah says: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (Quran 51:56), and used to contemplate about this reason very often. So, I started reading different books, and also started praying. Salah (prayer) was a blessing and a calmness for my soul. I used to pray secretly at work during the breaks.
I had many things to do at home, as many other women, but I also had to attend many trainings since I was transferred to FSK and we had a lot more work. The rules in the army were very strict, and this made me ponder more about my life and the aforementioned verse.
Many times, I had to postpone or leave salah since I did not have a lot of time at work. One day, I asked myself: If I find excuses and justify myself in front of my commander, how will I ever find a reason in front of my Creator for not praying? This question and its answer influenced me a lot, so, I decided to wear the hijab. This was a very difficult period for me since I had the support of only my family and children. My husband was not either pro or against it. In 2013, I wore my hijab and had to retire early because FSK did not allow me to continue working while wearing my hijab.
I did not sue them in court since I had long been convinced that I could never succeed with my case. Today, I stand firmly after my decision for wearing the hijab, even though I was penalized from work unjustly.
I hope for this situation to change and for nobody to have to experience the same situation as I and Kosovare Ramadani did, who is a girl that was refused from joining FSK just because of her hijab, even though she had succeeded and passed all physical examinations.
Because we are part of this society, we also want to contribute for its wellbeing. Therefore, we hope that society will grant us opportunities for giving our best and improving our country for the better.