Thursday, December 22, 2016

Raneem, 26 years old, Irbid (Jordan)

 



"So let me tell you the story behind my Hijab. 
I decided to wear Hijab because After 3 months of reading and searching about it I loved the modesty concept behind it.
However, I don't like to be stereotyped or mis-judged because of it. I am a “Wonderlander” who loves to explore and travel, so I've been to different countries where they don't have Hijab, for studies or work …etc. And sometimes I was the only Hijabi in the room, however, I didn't feel that different from the other people around me. But it always happens that people I meet there ask me so many questions about it, I don't bother to answer them at all. You get all kind of questions and it’s funny and nice often; I even was asked once if I have to wear it while showering, the answer is: NO! Also I don’t have to wear it while sleeping, and NO there’s nothing wrong with my hair to hide it, I actually have a beautiful mediterranean hair! And these kind of questions can be great ice breakers sometimes and lead to many of my inter-cultural deep friendships. But sometimes it's frustrating when the other person has pre-assumptions in their mind of what is Hijab and this "suppressed" image of a Hijabi woman.
I believe that people need to relax and stop being judgmental about the-people-on–the-other-side-of-the-world lifestyle. I think that the challenging thing is to open up one’s mind, change your mindset, and learn about something new and different. 
People shouldn’t be scared of Hijab; if you're curious; ask questions, read more and be open to what's different than you, respect that difference and then make peace with it, isn't that what coexistence is all about? I think we're all similar upon some level as humans who share the same earth, but the world shouldn't all look the same or act the same, what's make it beautiful and colorful is its diversity. Be open minded!"

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Can you see the difference?

 

 

Noha, 18 years old, Copenhagen (Danmark)

 

 
My Name is Noha, I’m 18 years old. I think have been wearing hijab for almost 5 years now. The reason why I chose to wear my hijab is simple. I feel my headscarf, is the most important part of my identity. As a little child I used to argue with my parents, about my headscarf, because I wanted to wear it as a little girl, but they wouldn’t let me. They said that I should wait, until I got older. When i got older, I chose to to wear it and that it is the best decision I made in my life.
I actually thought that wearing hijab will take a lot of trouble finding workplaces and in school and that people wouldn't like me. In social media people are continuously talking about hijab as a big problem. But when I started wearing hijab as a normal girl, I actually found out that it wasn't such a big problem. If you make it a problem – than it is your problem. But nothing will happen, because hijab is just a piece of clothing.
It just hides some parts of me, like my hair, but not the person I am.
I don't see that my hijab causes any problems – I love it! I'm thankful, that everybody, who is around me accepts me as I am.
In my workplace, I'm working in a shop for almost four years, my boss didn't like muslims so much in the beginning. But she gave me a chance. When I started, she found out that wearing hijab isn't a problem and I am like everybody else. When there is somebody in the shop yelling at me, she would actually stop them: “she is one of the best workers in my shop! Stop yelling at her!”.
I think that, if you make hijab a problem, it will be a problem. But if you don't, than you will find out, that hijab is just a part of me.



Want to hear my story?




Read the stories behind the hijab on our blog.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Sara, 21 years old, Copenhagen (Denmark)

 

 

My name is Sara, I'm 21 years old. My parents are originally from Marocco, but I'm born and raised in Danmark. I started wearing my hijab when I was twelve and a half year old.
It was kind of my mum who tricked me, because in Islam you have to wear hijab when you menstruate. And than she was like “yeah, and from tomorrow on you're gonna wear a hijab, right?”. And I just looked at her and meant “what do you mean?” and she was like “normally you wear it, when you menstruate and you just did that so – from tomorrow on you wear a hijab, right?”. And I said “well, okay, if I have to do so...” And than I just did it.
It was not forced or anything, she was just trying out if I would actually do it. I was wearing it ever since and I never actually wanted to take it off. Of course you have a few moments, when you wish you could just go to the beach or swimming pool and just relax in the sun. But I've never been able to take it off by myself. I think it never kept me from doing anything. Whatever I wanted to do, I've been able to.
It also didn't kept me from swimming, I mean, you have the burkini now. You can swim wherever! And my dad was very good in younger age to find an empty space for us. A space where we knew that there are no other people. I like to swim – that's why I talk about that. Sometimes he rented out a big swimming pool, just for our close family, so we could take off our hijab.
I've never had problems, also in workplaces – maybe I've just been lucky. Maybe it's just not that big problem, that people make it. The only time, in which it is a problem, is when I watch the news or the media. And I just hear all those terrible things. And it's not because I hate myself for wearing it – I hate them for speaking about it like that, because I don't feel that way. I don't think there are enough people representing us. People like me, that are actually not forced to wear it. I see there is a dilemma, but it is not a solution to remove it from everybody's heads, because a few are forced to put it on. Than you are doing the exact same thing – just the opposite way. Instead of putting it on, you're putting it off without them willing it.
Yeah, in my normal life, it never ever had been in obstacle. I have great friends, I have a great life, I have a great workplace. And my hijab is just extra. I think what I love the most about it, is the kind of respect it gives you. Just normally, when I sit around with the boys here at work or go into another place, it keeps kind of a distance. They first check “oh, is it cool for her? Can I shake her hand” and stuff like that. Also how they talk in front of you and how they speak in front of you. I see a lot of my friends, when they don't wear a scarf, it's a totally different story. They tell me about when they are around the exact same people, how they react to them is different than how they react to me. They do it out of respect for me. Because I'm wearing a scarf. That's one of the benefits.

Maram, 22 years old, Amman (Jordan)




So I tell you the story of my hijab.

I wasn't wearing hijab until I started to go to college. I didnt't want to wear it just to wear it. But then I did some research and I read a lot about the topic. And after that I was convinced to wear it – and I did.

But some members of my family – especially from my father's side – like my uncles and my aunts, were trying to convince me to take it off. They were asking me “are you sure you wanna do that? Did your mom and dad pressure you or anything?” And it's funny that they still every now and than ask me whenever they see me without a scarf in the house. And they keep compliment me how beautiful I am without it and asking when I will take it off.

And maybe it's coming – I don't know, I never know. Sometimes I feel like – khallas – just going out without it. On some days I'm not sure, if I want to wear it. But on other days I'm totally sure!

But it's not a very big deal for me to be honest. If I want to take it off someday, which is something that might happen in the future – I'm not that kind of person that says “I will never take it off”. Khallas – If I don't believe in it anymore, than I will stop. I'm not gonna wear it for other people.

And I think it's stupid that other people congratulate women when they start to wear hijab or take it off. I think now if I would take off my headscarf some persons of my family, especially from my father's side, would be really thrilled. And I think having emotions for both ways is really stupid.

Because at the end it is just something you're doing. You're also not celebrating that you're eating.