There is much controversy surrounding Muslim women who wear a hijab. For those who don’t know, a hijab is the veiling of hair and body parts, allowing the woman to show only her face, feet, and hands. Hijab, further implies modesty in the manner a woman behaves and carries herself. Many people not part of Islam argue that this is a violation of woman’s right is a very negative aspect of Islam. Those claiming this heinous lie are severely misinformed and I am here to set the record straight.

Hijab for a woman sets her free. It sets her free from the harsh materialistic judgments of others. Thus, a woman has the opportunity to be treated even more equally than if she wasn’t veiled, or wearing a hijab. A woman can share her mind and intellect more easily and rather than focusing on the size of her breasts or color of her hair, others can now focus on her personality and the capacity of her intelligence.

The physical covering of the woman in the hijab is actually quite misleading because wearing a hijab actually unveils who a woman truly is inside, helping her attain equality. The hijab forces people to get to know the woman rather than by purely judging her on her appearance. Hijab is an incredible gift. Many woman choose to wear hijab, despite the fact that many think women are forced.

For those who argue that women must “show off” what god has given them and be “proud”, I must draw your attention to the fact that wearing a hijab is not a sign of self degradation, but in fact a sign of self worth. “Showing off” what you have leads to depression and actually degrades the woman: she is constantly trying to “show off” to others and trying to please them, leading her to be unhappy with who she is. With the hijab, a woman can “show off” her intelligence and personality, she can show off who she truly is. Any woman can get implants and a nose job; and as the saying goes..”Looks don’t last.” With the hijab, a woman is not degraded with the materialistic worries about her appearance.

Lastly, I must point out that veiling is not only taught in Islam, but also Judaism and Christianity.

I am very disappointed when those who are not familiar with Islam form judgments on a very small population of Muslims they see on TV or on the streets in America: those people you see are less than .000001% of the Muslim population! There are almost 2 billion Muslims in the world, and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. There must a be a reason why this religion is spreading so fast. For those who don’t know about Islam, I urge you to take a deeper look, keeping in mind that everything you hear is not also correct so be sure to double check with other sources.

Thank you for your time, and may your journey through Islam be enlightening. As-salam-ou-lakum. May God be with you.