I wear my hijab because I want people to
judge me for who I am rather than what I
look like I don't like it when I don't
think any person likes it when somebody
likes them just for how they look like
they should like them for our
personality and that's what we strive
for as human beings so this is like
something extra there so that we're able
to get to it sooner so that people like
us for our personality rather than you
know how good I
look well number one reason why I wear
hijab is to only be submitting to God
and to follow God's laws and rules and
you know of course in the Quran it talks
about how a woman should dress modestly
and to obey those rules and the
foundations of that God has um allowed
for us and has established for us to
live on our day-to-day um
Society I wear my hijab because I think
it's form of respect and people look at
you as a person not as a woman generally
a common misconception about my hijab is
that I'm oppressed and that I have to
ask a man um permission anytime I want
to do something and we usually crack
jokes about that because we all know
that it's not true no my father never
forced it on me uh it was a choice and I
really like it that's why God says that
women should wear scarves is that back
before the actual you know Islam came
and whatnot women who wore scarves were
royalty and they were the ones that
didn't have to like clean and you know
vacuum do whatever that was a symbol of
royalty and therefore after Islam what
we wear every day is a symbol of royalty
I don't have to do anything if I don't
want
to ideas of when people come up to you
and they say you know why do you wear it
um are you bald are you do you go to
sleep with it do take a shower with it
the first question I always get asked is
are you
hot that's probably the funniest thing I
got asked by an Elvis in Vegas if I was
hot
no and as you get older there's more
other misconceptions I mean especially
with today's society and the way it is
people constantly come up to me and they
say um does your husband um make you
wear it does your dad make you wear it
do the men in the family make you wear
it and of of course um in a way it's
always talking about oppression and um
you know that allowing for um you know
they think that the men um Force women
to wear that kind of hijab but in
reality it's not at all that way and
unfortunately um we you know they're not
our society isn't educated enough and we
have to educate them and to allow for
them to you know by our actions and by
our faith and by our belief to you know
erase all these misconceptions one of
the biggest misconceptions I think
people have about the hijab is they
always refer to as something traditional
rather than something religious so
they'll be like uh stereotype you're
from the Middle East you were hijab and
I'm would explain to them that no it's
about Islam it's not about where I'm
from the hijab doesn't hold me back from
anything it allows me to do even more
things I can do things without wondering
what people care or what wondering what
people think about me and it just opens
up so many more opportunities rather
than holding them back that's a rather
normal misconception that people get
that the hijab holds you back rather
than enhances your capabilities I don't
think the hijab has ever hold me back
from doing what I
want you know the fortunate thing about
me in my career is that the hijab hasn't
ever hold me back you know I'm an
architect and actually the hijab allows
me and pushes me to be more forward um
the number one thing that I get from
clients for example is that men clients
love the fact that I wear the hijab
because they can focus on work rather
than the fact that a woman is in front
of them you know I'm not a distraction
for them instead they're more engaged in
business they're more engaged into how
educated I am they're more engaged into
my soul and making sure that you know
work and progress gets done rather than
um you know a distraction I almost want
to say so it's it's always been um I've
always had the upper hand because I've
worn a hijab um my message those girls
who are afraid to be different by
wearing the scarf is that different is
good if you're unique um that's what
makes you stand out from the crowd and
that's what we all need as human beings
I tell them you should wear hijab I mean
there's nothing wrong with being
different there's nothing wrong with
showing who you really are and it's part
of your religion so why not I really
think that a a woman or a girl
especially a young girl should try for
at least one day one 24 hours to wear a
hijab and to go out because it's the
whole world changes you see how men all
of a sudden start respecting you you
have some sort of respect but men and
women tend to respect you more a lot of
people when I came from Kuwait had that
concern as well they said well why don't
you just take it off over there and I
wouldn't do it and I wouldn't change
anything and they said people give you
trouble people look at you differently
I've been here for years and I've never
had trouble no one has ever looked at me
differently it's been great and just go
ahead and try it um it's actually a good
thing and you know of course um if if a
room is full of white marbles and white
you know you know pingpong balls and the
one that's red is the one that stands
out so why it's the one that you want
it's the it's the jewel in the box that
you you are automatically attracted to
and when that jewel in the box is
something that is protected and it's
wonderful and you know it has a good
soul and it's a good being and it's
faithful
um that's the one that people are
automatically drawn to and you know it's
good to be that one red you know ball
and filled with a whole bunch of room
it's good to be different