When mom and her sisters used to cover their hair even in the hottest days; when they rushed to cover their heads if a stranger suddenly jumped in; when every time they watered their plants in the balcony they never felt lazy to put their scarves on; I realized that veiling must have been something so important that they could not just give it up so easily.
Growing up in a Muslim society, most of the Muslim women I knew wore hijab, so it was so natural for me to do the same. It did not occur to me, when I was young and before wearing the hijab, to think of the reasons why Muslim women should cover their hair in front of stranger men. However, I grew in love with it and I looked forward to the day when I would take the decision of wearing it.
Before taking this decision, it was still necessary to have some training like what I did each year in Ramadan (fasting month). During this holy month, among many little girls, I and my friends used to wear colorful scarves that lighted up our small and innocent faces. I will never forget how people were so impressed to see us learning chastity. These looks made me grow happier and more attached to hijab.
So, Here came the day that I took the step I have been always waiting for which is to be a muhajjaba “veiled girl”. I am sure many girls would now say “are you insane?”, “who would like to chain his liberty with his own hands”, “who would like to quit wearing lovely shorts in the summer or enjoying a fancy swimsuit on the beach?”
Well, it is not about liberty; it is about the innate desire of getting covered. It is this instinctive feeling of being modest, and chaste. Not only Muslims who have this feeling, but it is something all human beings share. It leads us to morality, protection and civilization; that is why it is preached in Islam. In fact, anything and everything that helps man to have a better life is in Islam.
These words will not be to the liking of some Non-Muslim fellows who believe that liberty is the only thing that ensures our humanity and that one can protect themselves through self-restraint and good education. If this so, why sexual assaults rates are high in a country like Canada? There, a woman is sexually molested every 6 minutes!!!
The concept of veiling is not unusual to other religions, as it is preached in Christianity and Judaism as well. Catholic nuns cover their hair, and even Christians who go to church to pray wear some scarves out of modesty and reverence. It is even said by some Christian scholars that women should cover their heads even outside churches. In Judaism, women in Rabbinic period used to cover their hair and sometimes they covered even their faces. So, to conclude, veiling is a practice that all religions advice people to do for their protection and civilization, and by the way, freedom is not about clothes, it is about thoughts and achievements.
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