As a young girl, I was looking forward to reaching the Islamically accountable age (baligh) and start my official Islamic journey. I wanted to enhance my relationship with Allah SWT by praying and wearing the Hijab properly. Reaching this age was a fascinating turning point in my life. I was lucky to have parents that brought me up in a nice and welcoming way towards Islam. They planted in me the longing to wear the Hijab and start my Islamic journey towards Allah SWT. I was brought up in a Muslim country surrounded by an Islamic environment; therefore, I did not face many challenges at the start of my spiritual journey.

At the age of 10 years, I moved with family to Europe. That was my first experience as a Muslim woman discovering different environments. I was not anymore surrounded by people whereby wearing a scarf was a common practice. I was exposed early to several challenges and was confronted with demanding questions about my faith. Questions such as “Do you wear the Hijab because your parents force you?” were thrown at me daily. Being exposed to these types of challenges made me reflect more on the concept of Hijab. I started questioning myself if I was wearing Hijab because my parents told me to do so or because I wanted to wear it? My journey started in being an ambassador of Islam. I started defending my religion and my Hijab. Throughout time, the idea and concept of Hijab started engraving within my heart and personality. I started seeing Hijab as part of who I am, a part of me that my human physical form would not be complete without it.

I remember once I was exposed to an Islamophobic attack. The young man found it amusing to pull my scarf in a bus on my way back from school. This sad experience made me more passionate about wearing my Hijab with pride and let my Hijab shine in a world filled with ignorance.

The more I progress with my spiritual journey, the more I understand the philosophy and the meaning behind the Hijab. As a result, I appreciate the gift that Allah SWT gave me in the form of Hijab more and more.

For me, Hijab is not just a part of clothing and not a political stunt. Instead, my human form would not be complete without it, and without it, I would be lost and in darkness. I would lose strength and be far away from Allah SWT.