Obedient Angel
Admin
Join date : 2011-04-30
Posts : 2448
 | Subject: Hijab and Me  Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:59 am | |
| Over the last few weeks, I have had various discussions, been asked many questions and in some cases dealt with some pretty strong opinions. I have recently made the decision to wear hijab, but I wonder if people actually understand why? After a recent conversation with a good friend, I realised that people very dear to me could be coming to inaccurate conclusions about why I have made this choice. As the hijab is such a controversial and misunderstood concept, I wanted to share my reasons for arriving at this point. I am not asking for a debate or casting any judgement upon anyone else. We are all free to live this life how we wish. I simply want to creatively respond to a current situation so that I can move on and stop talking about it.
First and foremost, I came to this decision by my own free will. No one told me, asked me or forced me. My ultimate inspiration is simple: observing hijab is a direct commandment from God within a religion that I have chosen to follow. My aim in this life is to please God and having made that commitment I wish to follow it whole heartedly. Covering my hair in a manner that identifies me as a Muslim woman is my way of externally symbolising my inner promise to worship my creator.
However, the Hijab means more than just this to me. I do o’t feel burdened; I feel free. Why should I conform to what the media and society suggest a western woman should look like? I do not want to feel objectified or that I am valued based on my looks or body shape. I want to be recognised for my mind, my intellect, and my character.
Of course, I am not naïve enough to think a simple piece of cloth will change all of that. Equally, I do not think that wearing the hijab automatically earns me respect or modesty, and it certainly does not make me ‘more’ religious or better than any other.
For me, hijab provides a constant reminder of my choice to do all that I can to please God. It is not just a piece of clothing; it is behaviour, manners, speech and character. It represents all that I hope I can be. On another level, I feel an aura of privacy which makes me feel both valued and protected as a woman.
I know and I accept that in wearing a visible sign of Islam I am putting myself in a position where I will constantly have to defend my choice to cover and my choice to follow this religion. I embrace this challenge, and I hope people can respect me as respect them. As a white British woman, I feel an obligation to represent Muslim women. I hope that I can dispel the myths that Muslim women are oppressed. I want to challenge the concept of the Muslim woman that has been created in the West today. I have realised over the past few weeks how readily people agree with the common stereotype without any knowledge. I am not an immigrant; I am not uneducated; I am not voiceless; and I am very very far from being oppressed.
I have a mind of my own and for that very reason I have chosen to liberate myself from the ‘norms’ and wear the hijab. This for me is the true beauty of the Muslim woman. I hope that this has helped offered an insight and I also hope that nothing I have mentioned has caused any offence. This is just a reflection and an explanation, nothing more. | |
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