|
My Hijab Story
As far as I can remember, I have been wearing hijab for a long time. I started wearing it regularly when I started in the primary school. While at that age I still did not understand the reasons for having to wear it, however, I sort of wear it because I have the opportunity of going to two schools. In the morning I went the academic school, while in the afternoon I went to the Islamic Religious School. In the academic school, one is free to choose either one of the school uniforms - i.e. to wear a blouse and a pinafore or the traditional dress (the long loose fitting dress top that reaches below the knee, with a long sort of like a skirt but loose) and a hijab. I sort of opt for the second one, as it is appropriate for muslimah. In the Islamic Religious School -school uniform is the same (i.e. the traditional dress) but of different colour.
When I was in primary schools, at the place we live, we only have mixed schools. So there is no school for girls only, nor is there school for boys only. Therefore, the school environment is sort of hectic at times. As far as I remember it, perhaps after all we were still children at that time, and you know that children can be very naughty at times. I don’t think they mean to be bad. What I mean by this is that the boys in my school either academic school or the religious school like to play tricks on the girls. Despite that they do respect us girls, help us when help is seen to be needed (i.e. without us having to ask). Probably, because we all live in the same area and that we went to the same academic and religious schools i.e. to say both the academic and religious school students are mostly made up of the same students.
Now at secondary school, looking back, I am glad that I chose to wear hijab regularly when I started school. This is because, when I met other sisters not wearing hijab - they often said that it is difficult to start when you are not used to it. Furthermore, they seem to be so concerned of what their friends and the people around them would say. The only advice I could give, is to tell them why it is obligatory to wear it and that one can start small and slowly. And also advice them not to be too concerned with what people around them say, but that they should be more concerned about their religious duty and think about the punishment in the hereafter if they fail to perform such duty. I realize and understand how difficult it is for them to start. But if one already feels it in one’s heart, that one wants to wear it, it is better to start it now. I would think that the longer one waits the more difficult it becomes. I do, from time to time, receive a lot of comments from people. Some of them are:
- “Don’t you feel hot wearing that?”
- “It is a pity that a pretty girl like you to are fully covered. You know you could become a famous model or actress or something”
- “You know, you being covered like this makes us more curious to see what you look like without the hijab. Since In the case of those girls not wearing hijab, at least one look at them has made us not curious anymore, because we know what they look like - but in case of you, we are still unsatisfied because we still don’t know what you look like without the hijab”
- “Surely you are too young to be fully covered now. Why don’t you wait when you are old”
I just ignore all those comments as I know I am doing the right thing being fully covered. Right now I feel that I am ready to go to the next stage i.e. wear the niqab. Somehow, the majority of people here (including my parents as far as I know) are of the view that wearing niqab is not obligatory. So there are likely to be objections to it. I have hinted about it - but somehow they don’t seem to take my hint seriously. Well, may be one of these days I am going to surprise the whole family and relatives when I would start wearing niqab.
