سم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Alhamdulilah, I have been wearing the Hijab a little over 15 years now and throughout the years I have witnessed the many faulty notions that have manifested regarding its meaning.
I will take you back in history to the year 1994.
Islamic customs and practices constantly surrounded me growing up. I was intrigued by and absolutely enamored by the beauty of the Hijab. My mother was always hesitant in allowing me to start wearing it at such a tender age, but after carefully persuading her into buying me one, she slowly but surely accepted my incessant plea. I was thrilled to begin showcasing my new image. First day as a hijabi was a comforting feeling. My mother didn't tug at my hair that morning, I didn't have tears trailing down my cheeks from tightened braids and I was sent off to school with the gentle kiss of my mother and the warm praises of my father, who was overjoyed to see his eldest daughter taking a giant leap into adulthood. My parents happiness, was my happiness and to think I elicited such strong jovial feelings for a piece of cloth? that was unbelievably exciting to me, little did I know however, the many distressing events that were ahead.....
I skipped all the way to school that day and upon arrival to the schoolyard, I remember many of my teachers and peers inquiring about this cloth that covered my head. They instantly started labeling me and I noticed many of the children distancing themselves from my proximity. Now, as a child the bondage you build with other children delineated your inclusion in school activities. I couldn't manage the dilemma of rejection, I was steadily on my way up the social ladder of popularity. It was just another extra piece of clothing I had to wear in the morning right? They shouldn't have a hard time understanding it. I tried my best to explain it to them in my accent ridden, incredibly shaky voice but to my disappointment, my articulacy failed and I was ridiculed, ostracized and shamed.
That night, I sat alone contemplating to myself...why was this a blameworthy fabric? Why did it evoke such strong negative messages? This is when I realized the striking distinctiveness of this beautiful cloth as well as the many contemptuous feelings it carried...
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Day I Realized..
Posted by
Organic Muslimaah
at
11:43 PM
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2 comments:
lol amazing.
Wow 1994, mashAllah! I started wearing one back in '98 (on and off).
People are always afraid of what they do not know or care to know.
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