A quest to answer: Why I wear my HIJAB?
Salam everybody.
Long time no blog ey 
Ramadhan mubarak everybody! As I was browsing through unfinished drafts in the folder, I came across this piece which I have written not long ago. It’s about my experience wearing the hijab through out my life. Please read and leave comments
ANSWERING WHY I WEAR MY HIJAAB =)
I started wearing the hijab when I was 7. It was more of a school uniform for me because my first primary school was an islamic primary school Irsyad in Pahang, so it was an on and off thing for me. Later, it was in my primary school in Wales that I came up to my mom and asked ‘can i not wear the hijab, for just one day? only one day!!’ . Because that was the first time I felt alienated amongst other little girls with ribbons and flowers on their hair.
Back in the days, even parents were giving the eyeballs seeing me with a scarf drape around my head. No, really. Honestly, I can still recall, they were utterly shocked seeing a girl with a scarf covering the hair. I took it at that time, there weren’t that many Muslims wearing the hijab. Plus it was a primary school, so it’s pretty much a new thing to the school. BUT. I carried on swimming lessons and out to PE (physical exercise) with shorts abiding the school rules.
Friends asked why do i have a diaper on my head (dont get me started on names they called me..diaper-head was pretty common..oh..and towel-head..). I was barely 8 years old when I moved to Wales, so my answers to them changes according to the season: In winter, I would tell them that the scarf kept me warm; in summer, because the sun would damage my hair; it gets better in autumn and spring since it always rain, yep you guessed it..so I pretty much have my own excuses to wear the ‘diaper’ on my head. That was a very long time ago, when people barely know about Islam in the west in comparison to now.
After 9/11, it was different. I was in college by then. The view from the West changes towards Muslims around the world. The following week after 9/11, I got stares even from my close friends.
It was a hard time for me. For us, hijabis. For the brothers, it was different, they were not being discriminated like us sisters. Our hijabs gave us sisters, the identity as Muslims. Wearing a hijab was not easy especially when you were constantly being stared at as if you’re some kinda cancer to the community all year round. Thankfully the college held an anti-racial campaign to support us, especially practicing Muslims survives the psychological impact from 9/11.
As a teenager, who worked part-time as a domestic assistant at an elderly home that time, again, my answer changes when the elders in the home asked me why I wear my hijab. Not being able to come up with a good constructive answer, I answered according to their level of understanding. Most of the time, I still found more and more excuses to tell them why I wear the hijab: rain, snow etc. And I have wondered throughout my life, what is the best answer to give to everybody. The answer which does not only relevant to those with religion (ie those who believe in God), but also to my friends and colleagues who are agnostics, who are always sceptical about the existence of God. Just one simple answer, that can be used to answer at any case.
It was later in Moscow that I started knowing the essence of hijab. The answer is ‘unity’. And I found this answer when I was swimming with my friends in a nearby in-door pool at a leisure center. Yes, swimming. Before going off into the pool, there are rows of showers (without curtains), for people to have a quick rinse. Normally, people shower with their swimming suit on before going off into the pool. The trickiest part was to shower AFTER you swim. Mind you, it is always the hardest part. Apparently everybody showers without any type garment on. And they were not shy about it. Hmm, and I found this very strange, and personally very very offensive. Up until one day, we swam with an old lady, a granny even (a very active granny rather,very sportive for a granny hehe). And with old people, especially women, they are concern about how their aging is projected to their skin. As much as people look deep into one person irregardless of age, we can’t help but also look at their physical appearance. At least that’s how I felt growing up in the west, where everybody is judged based on their appearance. So during the regular showering post-swimming, I feel that she is rather uncomfortable with her appearance. If I may say, most of the elderly wear modest swimming attire rather than showing off more of their skin. This old lady apparently really like how we dressed whilst swimming. And it made me realize that,the essence of hijab is being uniformly united.
This is the best answer for me so far. Islam does not segregate people based on their physical features and appearance. Islam is adil, justified. I would quote from the below post by our writer acabeire “So what is Adil? Adil is putting the right things in the right place.” By incorporating uniformity (ie all Muslim women must cover their aurah), Allah swt has created a sense of equality amongst us, women. We are not judged by our physical appearance, but based on the things we do and contribute as part of the community. Islam define a woman’s beauty not by accounting the action of exhibiting a half exposed body, or the fascination that the opposite sex has for her, rather it is by her modesty, piety and moral conduct.
In Islam a woman feels a great sense of security and enjoys a high status of honour and dignity within her home and out. THAT is a woman’s real worth.
So my simplest answer is: unity; as hijab ties muslim women spiritually and emotionally. We have a sense of belonging even without knowing one another =)
Wassalam.
ALINA HASNI
Moscow.
acabeire
Omar
alinahasni
Nice post! Isn’t is great when you see other sisters in the street giving you salaam without even knowing you?
Jana
September 26, 2008 at 11:11 am
wow, the experience is similar to mine!
I dont know why people make such a big deal of hijab. Its just a piece of cloth. Take it or leave it. I suppose the power of it is more in the fact that we Hijabi’s wear the ‘piece of cloth’ and endure everything everyone says or does to us.(good or bad) Kind of like the Glass ceiling. We are breaking it though. One by one. And thats really great!!
http://essenceoftimeandearth.wordpress.com/
Janan
September 26, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I enjoyed your post! I am glad to find your blog. I’ll try to read more of it later.
susanne430
September 26, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Salam, had been a fan of you for quite some time
For me, hijab is a way of saying proudly to the world that “I am a muslimah!” As I once studied in Ireland, it has been a unique experience explaining to non-muslims about hijab and at the same time discovering WHY we are wearing ‘that piece of cloth’ in the first place. Sure, it was difficult at first when you are not really sure yourself. However, it was during those moments that I started to appreciate the hikmah behind His revelation of Surah An-Nur, verses 30-31 regarding hijab and modesty. And also discovering that hijab is not only meant for women, but for men as well!
One Irish granny once told me that she had always been fascinated to see young women wearing hijab because it shows her how willingly Muslims follow the orders of their religion, and that is the reason, she said, for “the good conduct and behaviour of Muslims”. SubhanalLah!
So let us wear our hijabs to announce to the world that “I am a Muslimah and I am proud of it!”
WalLahua’lam. Please keep writing ya
hudakamarudin
September 27, 2008 at 10:22 am
Salam..
Well.. unity could be the simplest word.. but I’m still not comfortable of practicing simplicity to explain religious issue.. nor do I see the needs to explain explicit details as it could create more confusion..
For the sake of explaining my point, allow me to use ur story as an example.. when u were asked why u wear scarf/hijab.. instead of explaining, u gave excuses.. I believe it’s for simplicity sake.. which to me it shouldn’t.. now, I’m not blaming u as it was the best u can do given the circumstances plus u r still a minor.. but sadly and surprisingly the same approach practice by adult muslim.. n example.. in malaysia.. why do the non muslim are so afraid of the hudud law.. when they are not even effected by it..? some Chinese friends of mine, knew that hudud is not for them.. and yet they still afraid if it were to be implemented in Malaysia.. why..? coz the muslims politicians, for the reasons only known to them creates the fear by not explaining well.. they chorused that hudud will brings more amputated citizens etc.. instead of explaining or giving the relevant facts of the law..
On a broader perspective.. the avoidance (if I may use the word) to explain proper islamic credentials to the non-muslim, contributes to a greater miss-understanding of islam.. let’s put ourselves in their shoes.. why shud they wear hijab just to be seen as united when there are other means to perceived the same.. now, we can’t expect them to know of Surah An-Nur, as mentioned by hudakamarudin, that enlighten the purpose of covering the aurah, without us taking the onus to explain.. right..?
Wallahua’lam..
azlie
September 27, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Hijab is symbol of modesty and security.
Most of the evil things keep away from muslimah.
We have to proud and support such tradition of our religion.
Syed Tayyab Ali
September 27, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Hijab is symbol of modesty and security.
Most of the evil things keep away from muslimah.
We have to proud and support such tradition of our religion.
Syed Tayyab Ali
September 27, 2008 at 10:04 pm
[...] Hasni writes about her lifetime of wearing a headscarf. Via [...]
Friday Links — September 26, 2008 « Muslimah Media Watch
September 29, 2008 at 3:55 am
Erm, isn’t it muslim women (and men!!) observe their aurah simply because its what God tells us to do?? and we do it as an act of obedience…. just like when God tells us not to eat pork or consume alcohol….. or when God tells us to fast during ramadhan…..
Rationalizing with our own logic doesn’t answer the core reason of our action, i don’t think…. like, we don’t consume pork or alcohol simply because it is forbidden by God, not because of whatever germ etc…..
sure, we can emphasize the hikmah behind certain commands, but that only address the question “what is the hikmah of doing or not doing so?” rather than addressing the question “why are you doing or not doing so?”….
obviously, by saying we do certain things in obeying God, will raise another question….. how to know which is the true ‘religion’ or commands from God? that will open up the door for us to explain what islam is all about, an opportunity not to be missed…..
just my opinion…..
dinosor79
October 6, 2008 at 8:16 am
slm. =)
from my point of view ,wat u wrote about hijab is overall the simplest thing tht could bring more nonmuslim to know about it..thts great job
oo n mayb u could enlighten us all way we muslim fast for one month..when i was small i always said tht ‘its for the duit raya’!
hv a nice syawal
lyana
October 7, 2008 at 8:22 am
salam.
i wear hijab is of course, simply because Allah tells to do so, and hijab is also a symbol of modesty and to differentiate me as a muslimah. and i love the fact that sisters simply give salam to one another at the street, and hug after the solat, even without knowing one another. its a shame that some of my muslim friends think that wearing hijab will sort of “downgrade” them.
btw, been following your videos at youtube and i think you are lovely! i hope you dont mind if i put a link to your page at my blog.
wassalam.
=)
muniramir
October 9, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Salam alaik…nice article..:)…Allah made hijab a syariah with lots of hikmah…
Surah al-Ahzab verse 59 reads:
“O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outergarments (jilbabs) close around them; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.”
Suluh Hati
November 8, 2008 at 8:53 am
hi..
i have an assignment for my islamic studies at International Islamic College Malaysia about covering the aurah for girls.so i need to search for any information dat is useful..am glad i found this..
i wear the hijab and i agree with u that wearing the hijab is unity.we are like being protected from doing something that Allah forbid us from doing it and im proud to show to people what my religion is and how beautiful islam is n the advantage is we are always protected from evil eyes out there..
farah
January 21, 2009 at 6:30 am