Well hullo there, Salamun-alaikum ( Peace be upon you) *to whomever that might be reading this :)
So, I've been meaning to post some insights about this for a long time, but haven't got the chance to and thank God with His permission, I am able to do so today.
Sorry for the very "random" yet "formal" way of starting the post. (Guess I'm suddenly in the mood of using the language full of ethics and i don't know, perhaps courteous somehow? >,O lol)
Back to the main subject, the list above is all about the comments, praises, curiosities that have been voiced out by a few of my friends and acquaitances here. Really, it's not a big deal at all. But judging by my experiences, it can sometimes be a bit daunting when you are surrounded by the whole class, with only you having something on your head. Whereas, the others are freely flipping, tossing their hair, etc22 with their fancy hats, French berets and yatta22.
And sometimes, I don't know about the others, but sometimes I can sense a double standard going on. It's like, I remember the time when I went to a drop-in Math tutorial for help, I remember the tutor was free, he glimpsed at me when I caught his eyes. But he turned his back on my friend and I (His name is Ray and yeap, both of us are Asians), walked off to the door, and took a sip of his coffee. Once done quenching his thirst, he went to look around the classroom, seeing if other people from other tables need help. And nope, the only ones who were raising their hands like crazy were the two of us. Then I saw him sigh With a reluctant look on his face, he walked towards our direction, and didn't even bother to even sit to solve the problem with us.
Okay, maybe due to the fact that Ray's English was not so proficient, that is totally not a valid reason to just ask him back on how to solve the question and say "do this, blah blah blah andddd blah", then walk off. =.=
At that moment, you can totally sense something unnatural to his presence there, so I didn't ask him my question *though I needed help* and instead, tried to figure it out myself. It didn't take him even 10 mins to be with us and solve the question, and not surprisingly, we didn't find it very helpful. And it so happened to be that, after "helping out" ours, there was another girl who was sitting at the end of the class, right across our table, diagonally (of bearing 0200), was seeking for help. He went to her straight away, and sat with her, "solving the question" for likei don't know, more than 15 mins I'd say. My eyes were at their table like, every 5 mins, trying to read the guy's facial expression.
You can totally tell of how indulged he was in explaining everything to the girl in detail. It didn't go just "Do this that blah22", it was more of like "See, this is how you do it, first blah22... You got it from here.. Blah22 blah blah blerghh~" And I was like, "No fair. Why oh whyyyyyy???!" T__T And then I realized -Blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin- Should've known. x_x I didn't jump to any conclusions of either I look like an alien in the class by being the only one with the scarf on my head, or because my eyes were not huge enough to fall under the category of being a non-Asian. But, I was just certain that that guy doesn't really prefer us compared to the girl. So, with only positive remarks, let's just assume that maybe that guy feels more comfortable explaining things with someone who seems to fathom his explanations easily.
So yeah, that was my last time going to the tutorial though. Don't get me wrong, I'll still be heading there next time, just that right now, I am busy with my mid-terms etc.
I don't know about the other girls, but sometimes, I kinda wonder how I would be if I took off my scarf. Now be open people, I'm talking about IF, and this is totally a general assumption of how things would be. People's perspectives toward me would totally change, in example;
They won't know whether I'm a Muslim, and even if they do know, they would think of how "cool" I am for not looking like the other "typical:"" Muslims.. Then, maybe I would fall undernder r their categorizatio categorization of "open minded Muslims".. etc22.
I don't deny that sometimes I do get jealous with those people who are free to wear whatever they want, do hair -pony tails, of braids, hairbands, curls and waves, etc22. . . free from the public's gawk, able to do whatever they want without limitations. . . (Yes I know, it means that I need to work on strengthening my faith more. But this is one of the challenges of being a woman and embracing your faith. It's never always about doing anything that you want according to your nafs (desires)). -But that's the point; free to do whatever they want is not what you are created for coz all these gifts (face, body, hair etc22) are all borrowed from God for He is the one who'll take back what's His on the day we die. And come to think of it again, that is what I feel when wearing the hijab -a sense of knowing the boundaries (in terms of socializing), though I am not perfect (and no one is), but it gives people the idea of how special you are when you are with the scarf.
And so, what I'm trying to say here is that this scarf, this veil, this head cover, whatever you name it, is NEVER a form of oppression. Funny thing is that, this statement of oppression seldom comes out from a hijabi's (person wearing the hijab) mouth, but rather, a person who does not wear the hijab and know nothing about it. That's quite saddening I'd say. Coz other that going nuts about the Muslim terrorist theories, people would go "Look at them, it's obvious that they're being oppressed with that thingy on their head. . blah22. . . How pathetic is that?" yatta22 and stuffs.
As for now, I just hope that the world's perception towards Muslims and especially the Hijabis change. May God bless human race. Till then, peace~
I don't deny that sometimes I do get jealous with those people who are free to wear whatever they want, do hair -pony tails, of braids, hairbands, curls and waves, etc22. . . free from the public's gawk, able to do whatever they want without limitations. . . (Yes I know, it means that I need to work on strengthening my faith more. But this is one of the challenges of being a woman and embracing your faith. It's never always about doing anything that you want according to your nafs (desires)). -But that's the point; free to do whatever they want is not what you are created for coz all these gifts (face, body, hair etc22) are all borrowed from God for He is the one who'll take back what's His on the day we die. And come to think of it again, that is what I feel when wearing the hijab -a sense of knowing the boundaries (in terms of socializing), though I am not perfect (and no one is), but it gives people the idea of how special you are when you are with the scarf.
And so, what I'm trying to say here is that this scarf, this veil, this head cover, whatever you name it, is NEVER a form of oppression. Funny thing is that, this statement of oppression seldom comes out from a hijabi's (person wearing the hijab) mouth, but rather, a person who does not wear the hijab and knows nothing about it. That's quite saddening I'd say. Coz other that going nuts about the Muslim terrorist theories, people would go "Look at them, it's obvious that they're being oppressed with that thingy on their head. . blah22. . . How pathetic is that?" yatta22 and stuffs. No doubt it's kinda hard to fit in when you look "different" in the public's eye.
As for now, I just hope that the world's perception towards Muslims and especially the Hijabis change. May God bless human race.
A picture found in my French textbook regarding "le foulard"
What can I say? It's never an oppression, but an obligation for us Muslim women.
Peace yaw. Salam :3
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