I don't like to stick out much in a crowd. I like to keep my life simple and stay away from too much attention. Whenever I put on my hijab I noticed I got stared at more often than I would have liked. I don't think people intentionally stare or realize that they are even staring. There are times when I'm staring at someone without noticing it and not knowing why I was staring in the first place. I guess I can't blame them. Not many people are exposed to the different cultures and religions and when they see something they have never seen before they tend to stare. Other's might do it for other reasons but we will never know why one would stare.
You might think wearing a hijab is nothing, just do it and forget about what other's think. It's a lot easier said than done, especially for one who never wore one before. Growing up wearing a hijab is a lot different from growing up Catholic converting to Islam and having to wear that hijab and dress more modestly. I can honestly say that dressing modestly was a lot easier for me because I never dressed to show off. That was easy. However, wearing the hijab is something that was hard for me to change.
I did notice people do treat me a lot different from when I wear my hijab and when I don't. I noticed that the same cashier who checked me out everyday at the grocery store suddenly changed her attitude towards me when I was wearing my hijab. She was suddenly more quieter and not as friendly. She barely said hello. Was I more intimidating when I wore my hijab or was she afraid that she might say something that might offend me or maybe she thought I didn't speak English. I guess finding out a person's true colors is better than not.
I always wondered what will happen if I wore my hijab to work. Would they accept me or would they give me a hard time? I know I will get a lot of questions and gossip behind my back, but at the same time, I thought we are all adults, why are we still talking bad or questioning other's as adults? Don't you think that at our age that we would actually not worry about how other people live and dress and we would be more concerned about ourselves? Gossip is a true crime against human nature. I also wonder how differently I would be treated if I did an interview with a hijab and without a hijab. I guess getting a job that accepts me for who I am is a lot better than getting a job for pretending who I am not.
So for those who criticize us for wearing a hijab, think about your own actions and worry about who you are instead. Yes, I am Muslim. Yes, I am American. No, I didn't come from the Middle East. Yes, I do have a family and tons of friends who support me, Muslim and non-Muslim. I will start wearing my hijab everyday....it's a work in progress and may God give me the strength and courage to wear it. I need to wear it everyday.
Hi Zenaida,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. I am not familiar with the Hijab. Yes ,I have seen many wear them and being a woman have wondered what is the significance / meaning of Hijab for those that are Muslim? As a woman I also notice the colors ,patterns are different.
I also agree about your comments on staring. I too find myself staring at something ,then wondered why or what was I staring at. I think that here in the United States ,some would think by wearing the Hijab you want to draw attention to yourself.
Like you said tho ,it is opposite for you you are not trying to get attention. I think this is just because in other countries where Hijab is very common it is as you say "not attracting attention".
Well I hope you kind of understand what I see as a woman who doesn't know much about Hijab,but just learned something new. :)
Hi Nancy,
DeleteIn our religion we wear the hijab so that we can be modest in our dress, so that men don't look at us in ways that are not proper. We feel that our husband (and certain other individuals) should be the only to see us with our hair down and uncovered. It's like protecting a jewel by covering it up. There are so many different patterns and colors and I love them. I can get many different colors to go with different clothes I have.
You are right, when I was in Nigeria, wearing a hijab was normal there and I felt more comfortable with it. I think I got stared at more there because I was white rather than Muslim, which I think was normal. I think it's great to know more people from different cultures and religions so that when you see them you have an idea of how their cultures and beliefs are so that you don't say or do anything that will offend them. I appreciate people asking me questions about my religion and faith so that they are not guessing.
Had it not been for me switching religions I would have not known much about the hijab either. I do notice that some women still don't wear the hijab when in public but we always wear the hijab when praying. Thanks for commenting. Any more questions feel free to ask, I'll do my best. Like I said, i'm still learning a lot and that's part of life, you keep increasing your knowledge by asking and researching. Glad you read it. Thanks for everything Nancy.
Z