Unmasking

I recently read an article by a Canadian born niqabi (veiled woman) who was responding to a ridiculous claim that women who cover their face are not truly Canadian – as in they don’t live out the Canadian life. Right away I was like woah! Why didn’t I think of writing my Canadian-ness with the niqab.  So here I am – disproving myths about the dead-beat life niqabis supposedly live.

I am not an out-doorsy person – perhaps because I grew up in metropolitan cities with little contact with nature. I do love being in the outdoors, just not the “sleeping in tents” part of it :P. However, living in Canada and raising my children here – I realized I had an excellent opportunity to finally discover this side of Canada and live like a ‘Canadian’.  I am not sure if this is politically correct – considering the vast landscape and cultural diversity found in Canada but oh well for argument sake, lets.

I have been in Canada for over 8 years now and I can guarantee that I have seen and explored more of Ontario than a lot of people who’ve lived their entire lives here and they don’t even wear a niqab.. gasp! The piece of cloth on my face is a personal choice – it represents nothing to the outside world. It is quite personal – yes its my identity because I choose to identify myself as a servant of God. I believe my veil is  a means to be closer to God.  This piece of cloth doesn’t take away anything from my personality. Some may argue that I cannot enjoy the open waters because of my garb or I cant feel the sun on my skin. I understand their “concern”, however for us the garb comes from a deeper place which may look restrictive to the outside world.  It is not my veil that restricts me, rather the prejudice. The reason I will not wear a 2 piece and jump in the pool has to do with my faith and its tenets. I believe the tenets placed by God are in my best interest and hence I choose to abide by them. It may not make sense to the others – it wasn’t meant to. But living in an inclusive society means you give me the benefit of doubt to make my lifestyle choices.

I love the summers like the next Canadian and I love digging my toes in the sand and wearing flip flops. I look forward to BBQs in the backyard and in the outskirts of the Niagara Escarpment. I look forward to camping (not the tent part L ) and frying eggs on my camp stove. I used to like hiking, but I am way too unfit and would rather lounge in the sun. My favorite season is Fall and the looking at the colors of the trees and walks in the crisp air. I love Spring and check out flyers for the cheapest top-soil so I can do over my herb patches. I love watching the kids play in their front yards – my, my they look so grown up after the winters!

I'm a Canadian and a niqabi and instead of thinking how different I look, I would rather think how we are all different; and appreciate how despite our differences we coexist through tolerance and understanding.

Abaya and Pink Heels...WHAT?!

The title is pretty self-explanatory, but here goes! One too many times i see women wearing an abaya only to pair it one really s*** stiletto, and it disturbs me more than seeing a girl with no hijab on. No! i dont think its better that atleast they are wearing an abaya. Dont get me wrong, i am not holding it against the person because they may not know it or havent reached "there" yet. I just want to address the issue.

There is nothing wrong with wearing a good-looking shoe; Im a sucker for high-heeled, fancy footwear too. Just dont wear it when you are going to a large crowd with men in it. Truly sister, it destroys the purpose of hijab. Lets consider for a moment, what the hijab must entail. To begin with, it should be a loose "outer-clothing" that is not see-through and covers your satr. Allah commands us to hide our adornments ie jewlery, hair, clothing, figure. With such strict commandments for hiding our adornments, how do you think wearing shiny clickety heels fits the bill when all it does is draw attention to you! Hijab is not only physical, rather its more behavioural and the physical part just reinforces the behaviour part. So one must observe haya and humility in speech, posture AND clothing. The same holds true for blingy abayas or shaylas that dont cover the chest or earrings peeking out of the scarf or skinny jeans and hijab or heavy make-up and hijab! Sisters, these are important details that complete our hijab and without which there really is not point of hiding our hair! I, too was like this but nobody guided me and i was ignorant enough to not have learned it myself. But i know better now and hopefully sisters you will think through your hijab too.

Would the prophet saw approve of your hijab? Would Allah be pleased with your appearance? As these 2 questions before you leave home. May Allah guide all of us on the straight path. Ameen

The walking dawah-machine

Since I have worn the niqab, I have gotten more questions in one year than I did in 7+ years of wearing just the hijab.  There are one of two reasons people will question you, they are genuinely curious (rare) or they want to prove you are wrong/oppressed. Needless to say I have come across the latter more often. As aggravating as it is, I realized Allah SWT is fulfilling my very wish – I wanted to do dawah and now I get to dispense information about my deen and who knows who Allah will guide and I would have served as in instrument. 

An important thing to do is pre-think certain scenarios and the kinds of questions you could be asked. This is applicable to hijabis too, however having been on both sides of the spectrum;  I faced frequent and tougher critics after the niqab. I have learned it the hard way, and Alhamdolillah I walked away unscathed but there was definitely chance of some serious damage.  If I am going to be at the doctors where I have one-on-one time with doctor/nurse/assistant/technician; chances of being asked something are higher.  I strategize.  One very important point is that you will probably have 15 seconds to justify your point of view/ answer the question. Don’t go into details of hadith and sunnah – words which will mean nothing to a non-muslim. I was randomly asked at a breakfast place by the cook behind the counter:  How come you are wearing this (pointing to my niqab) and your friend is only covering her head? Yeah, I know! How do you answer that in 2 seconds? I did the best I could, I wish I was better prepared.

There is great deal of unawareness among the muslims today. I may be speaking of born-muslims only, though. Muslims are unaware of their impact or the light they carry. They are careless of it. It’s time to change and live like the ummah was meant to… with enlightenment, awareness, contemplation, conviction and honesty.

Alhamdolillah, my niqab has turned me into a walking dawah-machine and I love it, for the sake of Allah ofcourse.