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Wearing Hijab in America
In America people don’t use to see women wearing Hijab, but what happen when your own family see you wearing Hijab? .. In my own experience, as a Mexican, American citizen, wearing Hijab for the first time, I still remember .. My mother say, nothing more than you look so beautiful. She didn’t ask why you are wearing this or that.. she just love me so much, and she see me, with mother’s eyes.
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Sisters, look at me like with deep thoughts, like saying with their eyes I know why you are wearing Hijab.. but they didn’t say much.. but also they were wrong in their thoughts.
my brothers, I have one brother in America, and another in Mexico, the one in America, when he saw me, he say.. HEYYYY ,what you are announcing wearing that Arab thing in your head ? You are Arab or what?
I say yeah.. is something wrong?.. enough to say, he say no and he understood.
The one in Mexico, was happy to see me, and he didn’t say any comment he saw me as normal.. I give respect to my brothers and sisters, and they give respect to me also.
The rest of my family, aunt’s uncle’s cousins etc.. They love me and respect me not matter what I am wearing.
They didn’t see me often so they are happy by seeing me, they don’t even put attention on what I’m wearing.
I don’t have a problem wearing Hijab with my family, covering my everything was also normal, for my family is ok as long I’m fine, I didn’t tell my family immediately, that I turned to be Muslim, not because what they possible could say, it was because at the beginning I was not a real Muslim.
Since I felt in love with an “Egyptian” my husband, and went to meet him for the first time, he meet me with Hijab, and all people saw me wearing Hijab, i was feeling good wearing it :).
I liked that people there thought I was Egyptian, I wish , but no, Mexicaneya, meya meya.. lol Egyptian ashara ala ashara :)
He was more than I expected, and his family give me a very warm welcome, to me and my sister. So I am a Muslim before I became a Muslim.
I. m in America visiting my family, this time is different they know already why I wear Hijab.
I found, some people, ask me, what you wear at Egypt?
I say, same I am wearing now.. you can use jeans? lol .. I smile and say yes you can.
then they say I though u have to use a long dress and cover all your face, like only u can show your eyes :)
I explain to them, how people dress and off course women use “galabiya” if they want others cover everything.
Another one thought that I was bold lol .. that’s why I used Hijab Spanish style. I called Spanish style :)
After sometime people around me knows me, so they know I’m a Muslim, they stop asking things, and they look at me like usual.
For me, wear Hijab in America or in Mexico is exactly the same, I have lots of things to do, and I don’t give a chance to people look at me with bad eyes or weird, I always show a happy face.
I really believe its about personality, I have a strong one .. life in America make me have a strong personality, because before when I was not wearing Hijab, I was looking like Mexican and that was like if you were wearing thousands Hijabs lol.
like all eyes in this world were checking you :) and you are a thief.
Now days the community I move around is a mix, Mexicans, Arab, Chinese, Hindi and all races. Much better than years back.
Respect to be respected. not matter what you wear.
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10 Responses to “Wearing Hijab in America”
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From what I hear, it depends on the area. There are areas where they have never seen a single Hijabi lady. They would still feel intimidated by a lady in her veil.
But other areas it’s getting better and people are getting way more accepting and understanding. Even loving the veiled ladies
I hear from the older generations that used to live here, that pre 9/11 they did not have many issues with the Hijab
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I think it’s wonderful that you’ve fallen in love. Changing religions because of love has been happening since time began. But be sure that he would accept you either way and that he has only encouraged you to change religions because you have fallen in love with the religion and culture he represents and want to be like him. I hope you can have a positive impact on the thoughts and actions of both societies you represent. We should all respect each other and work together to construct a socially and environmentally sustainable world. Also, I’m only suggesting this as helpful advice from an ESL teacher to a possible former/ current/ future ESL student: I’m not sure what your education background is, but you need to finish high school (not just a GED) and at least some college and English as a Second language classes before you get married. Honestly, you won’t have TIME :) to get any more education after you get married.
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I understand about falling in love,you must be so happy and that is one of the main reason you’ve always got a smile on your face.Am I right?
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Thanks for all your comments , :)
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Okkkk,I now understand why you did not find it important to reply to my Islamic greetings.Anywayz I am glad you did make an effort though.Welcome to Islam sister.May Allah be with you.
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
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i am in a big trouble coz i have been married for 1.5 year to an american citizen and i am an egyptian muslim physician wearing hijab and till now i did not receive my visa .. you know i feel i will go to lose my marriage coz of that big distance between us
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I.m sorry hear that ,wish you get your visa soon.
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I too an Mexican American and married to an Egyptian. I lived out there in Egypt for two years with him and then we moved to the U.S. with our one year old daughter. I started to wear hijab since the day I converted to Islam and I kept it on for two years straight. However, now I am struggling trying to find if I wore it to please him or to do as God intended. I don’t want to end up following man and culture if the Quran is complete in it’s direction it should simply state that I am to wear it. I don’t know yet. I have much studying to do about this and I need to pray. I have had my hijba off for one month now and I am not yet sure if I will put it on again.
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As salam aleykum, sister congratulations you look very beautiful!I just wondered to know what its the reaction of people in mexico towards you when wearing hejab in mexico and towards islam an muslims (an foreigners) in general.Without being previously a hejab wearing muslim when i was in Mexico,I mean i got the feeling that some were kinda hostile slightly but really cos ignorant, and some were very nice an curious towards islam.But what was your experience i mean does it depend where abouts you are because i know the community is small but bigger in some areas like Mexico city an growing.But what is the best place to be for muslims in mexico-an any advice etc.Cos i am now a hejabi wearer.
Jazakallah khairun!
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Also i wanted to say in response to Olivia.As salam aleykum, wearing hejab we are going to be tested of course, an this is why i would say we should wear the hejab for the correct reasons which is essentially to please Allah swt first an formost as everything in our deen we do for Allah first.Cos we worshipping Him not our husband or family or society or whatever often it is all these factors encouraging sadly the opposite-to not wear hejab-non muslims and sadly muslims also at times.But of course if the husband like you to wear hejab thats good cos u have the support an extra incentives.I can see from your comment this was written last year, so Inshallah you put it back on but for the right reasons which is that Allah commanded us in the Quran, and Inshallah it will be easier for you because you do it for the correct reason it is the best determination.And Allah always gonna test us to see if we are sincere.So keep fighting an try surround yourself with positive hejabi wearin sisters because they’ll give you encouragement an support.We all need to stick together!Love to ALL my sisters!
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