Hijab- Yours, Mine, and Ours
After reading the poem, “My Hijab- My identity” written by Islamstory, I asked myself two questions. The first question was; what does my hijab mean to me, and the second question was how does my hijab make me feel.
I am certainly not a perfect human being, Muslim, or hijabi and I don’t claim to be but I love my hijab. I love what it represents, and I can’t imagine what it would be like not to wear it. I really wouldn’t be me without my hijab; it is a part of who I am. My hijab taught me to be strong, especially when people are uncomfortable or object my presence and when they judge me because of it. When something like that occurs, Allah (SWT) gives me strength and patience to deal with the situation. Allah also eases the plight taking place, Subhanna Allah. My hijab protects me. It protects me by keeping me grounded and it protects me by reminding me of my values.
In my hijab I feel confident and beautiful. I want people to judge me for who I am and not by the amount of skin I show, and my hijab allows that. In my hijab, I am respected. People know their boundaries. I like being a walking symbol for Islam, and by wearing my hijab, I am exactly that. As a symbol for Islam I represent a religion that has faced many struggles and many misconceptions. I represent a religion that despite all those struggles still stands strong. I represent a religion of peace and a religion that protects its women and wants them to be respected for who they really are. While visiting other countries I love the feeling that I get when I greet other Muslims and when other Muslims greet me; they recognize me as one of them because of my hijab. If you live or have lived abroad you know the bond that I am talking about. Speaking of bonds the hijab is a bond between Muslim women, from the past, present, and future. Thus the hijab is yours, mine, and ours.
I’ve shared with you what my hijab means to me, and I want to know your story. Let us all bond and inspire each other. Mind you, I do not wish to make my non-veiled Muslim sisters feel unwelcome, rather I want them along with everyone else to understand us and everything we represent. So, share with us your story or stories. Tell us what your hijab means to you and how it makes you feel. Any significant event(s) with your hijab? Any plight you over came? What caused you to take the step of wearing hijab? Poems? Send me an email at
hijab.ymo@gmail.com, with any story or stories that you have
. If you know anyone that has a story that should be told, have them contact me. If you have an idea but have trouble putting it in words, I will gladly help you out. Your stories will get a chance to be under the spotlight in this blog. Entries will be posted on a first sent, first posted bases.
Salam (Peace)
-Habiba Ghanem
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