Do You Really Think In Two Years She's Going to Still Be Muslim? Yah Right!

On May 27, 2011 I took my shahada. I remember overhearing someone who was skeptical about my faith say something on that day that really broke my heart.

This person said, "I guarantee you in two years she will completely forget about Islam and go back to her old life. You know how these converts are."

Well, today is May 27, 2013, and look at me.

I am far from a perfect Muslim.  I make so many mistakes.  But, I will never forget Islam.

Two years ago today, I was blessed that Allah (swt) chose me to say:

لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

And this was the best day of my life.

Today is better to me than my birthday, because on my birthday I didn't do anything except be born.

On this anniversary, this marks another year of dedication to my religion and my God.

So, I will be happy to send you my P.O. Box to forward gifts to ;)

Sincerely, in the past two years I have tried to be a better person and a better Muslim every day - although on many days I'm a failure that is lucky only by the grace of God. This day really was an immense blessing.  The best one that Allah (swt) has ever bestowed on me.

Today, two years after I took my shahada, I pray that everyone in the world is able to taste these words on their lips before they die. I can only wish you experience one millionth of the appreciation I have for my religion. It really is such an honor to be Muslim.

To the person who doubted me:

It's the 2 year Muslim mark, what have you done in the past two years?

I can only speak for what Allah (swt) has decreed that I do for His sake, and I am not trying to brag, but I've helped three people to come to Islam. I've helped change the hearts of hundreds of people to see how beautiful our religion is.  I started this blog on Islam.  I have spent hours studying.  I have fasted two Ramadans.  I have recently started to do dawah on a weekly basis. I have taught classes at the masjid.  I have answered countless ridiculous questions about my religion with patience and tact.  I have chosen to wear hijab.  I've memorized several surahs.  And, I have forgiven you for this hurtful comment.

I'm not saying I'm a better Muslim than you because I swear I don't think I'm God's gift to Islam, but I would like you to know:

Every day that passes I only love Allah (swt) more than all the previous days combined.  

From the bottom of my heart, however, thank you so much.  Your comment has continued to push me to want to strive in the way of Allah more and more. You have helped me to question the things I do and want to do better to prove you wrong.  And, you have taught me a wonderful example of how not to treat new Muslims.  I only pray that you will see how far I've come in 20 years. I don't know where I'll live, if I will have a family, who I will spend my life with, but I put my trust in Allah (swt) that He will choose what is best for me as he has in the past two years.

To all my readers:

Please make du'aa for this person that they are able to benefit Islam.  Make du'aa for me as well inshaAllah.

May Allah (swt) reward all of the people who helped me convert with Jannah and may He bless me to continue to assist others in converting as well. May the day I took my shahada be one that pleases God and may it be the best memory in my heart for the rest of my life.

For Allah (swt) found me an orphan and He gave me refuge.

He found me ignorant and He guided me.

He found me poor and He gave me the gift of riches in Islam...Alhamdulilah.

Of Course They Were Muslim, What Did You Expect?! My Take On Boston's Tragedy

Yes, the attacks at the Boston Marathon were allegedly caused by two men who identified themselves as Muslims.  I know. And yes, I spent all of the week that they were looking for them praying - sincerely - to God that they would not be Muslims.

And yes, I am extremely heartbroken that people who share my religion would be evil enough to kill others.

Devastated.

But, after I was devastated, I realized that they're not just Muslim.  They're Chechnayan, they're American citizens, they're men, they're a lot of other adjectives! Unfortunately, the only adjective that people care about today is "Muslim."

(I don't hate all boxers because the one brother was a boxer, do I? So don't hate all Muslims because they were Muslim!)

Probably about a year ago now, there was a plot to bomb a bridge in my hometown.  A bridge my grandparents take to go to the doctor, one that I took to go visit my friends in high school.  I remember that my aunt mentioned to me that "they must be those Muslims!" before the names were released.

And then the names of the plotters were released.  And they were some white kids.  And they were no longer "terrorists" they were just "two crazy kids!"

Even then, I remember being thankful that my family was safe, but almost more thankful that the plotters weren't Muslim, so I didn't have to hear about it for the rest of my life from my aunt. What I never thought to myself was "oh my God, they're white and I'm white!!" And, I never said to my aunt, who is also white, "look it was them whities!"

Regarding Boston, I have a confession to make:

I am pretty damn ashamed of myself, to be honest with you.

I'm ashamed that now whenever I hear a story of a "terrorist activity" on the news, I spend all my energy praying that the attackers aren't Muslim.  I'm busy praying "dear God, please tell me they're not Muslim." And what I'm not saying is "dear God, grant all the victims Jannah... forgive them of their sins, protect their families, grant them Heaven for dying innocently" even though, in my heart, that's what I WANT to say.

I wish we lived in a world where I could do that! And, I wish I was strong enough to not worry about myself so much.

I worry about going to the grocery store and having someone say "oh look at what YOUR PEOPLE did."

I want to show everyone all of the love that Muslims spread every day.  

How many buildings they've built, not the handful that they've destroyed.

How many Christians, Jews, and people of all religions that Muslims have saved, not how many they have killed.

But, I am only one person.

This week I read a quote that said "My religion doesn't oppress me, it's your ignorance" and I feel like that quote is applicable of this subject.

My religion is beautiful.  Perfect.  Muslim people are NOT perfect.

Far from it.

Especially me.

But, the anger people have leads to this intolerance and ignorance.

One thing I want Muslim people to understand however is that we cannot say "These men are not Muslims! Muslim people don't do evil things like this!"

Are you God? No.

The reality is, MUSLIM PEOPLE DO EVIL THINGS. You are a sinner. I'm a sinner.  Killing people is a MAJOR sin, but our sins are terrible too.

You are NOT the person to judge them if they believe in Islam or not.

Whether their actions are consistent with Islam is not a question - they are ABSOLUTELY actions that are NOT consistent with the teachings of our Prophert (saws) and our God.

However, as far as we can see, they were Muslims.  Imperfect Muslims, but Muslims nonetheless.

I want my nonMuslim friends to know as mad as you are at Muslims, I'm furious at these two men.

Way more mad. A million times more.

I spend every waking minute going out of my way to defend my religion, show how beautiful it is, opening doors for little old ladies, getting spit on and smiling through it so that I can put a positive image out there for others of my beliefs.

I'm a representative. So are these guys. I can spend my entire life working to change your mind and in two seconds these two people can completely destroy it.

And when something like this happens, I feel like all of my hard work, all of my restraint, all of it, is in vain.

I have to start from square one all over again trying to rebuild that image.

It's so frustrating. 

Thank God for all of the people in the world that are reasonable enough not to let the actions of a few change their opinions of an entire religion.

On behalf of these two men, I'm sorry you're disappointed. I'm sorry we disappointed you.

But please realize me apologizing for them is equivalent to Christians apologizing for the Ku Klux Klan.  (Literally, same percentages).

Just because one of the adjectives that these two men are is "Muslim" don't let that one adjective become all that they are.

How can we say that Islam is a religion of peace when things like this happen? I get it.

It does not necessarily mean that their religion is the cause for their disobedience.  With the bridge example, no one said they did it because they were Christian.

May God grant all of us - no matter what race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc... - tolerance for one another.  May He teach us the importance of compassion, holding judgments, and loving one another. May He grant all of the victims Jannah and all of their families solace.  May all of our hardwork not be in vein, and may God make us all good examples in the footsteps of the BEST example, Prophet Muhammad (saws). Ameen.

What's So Great About The Quran Anyways?! The Miracle of Our Book

Today an old friend posted on Facebook about how shocked he was when he started learning more and more about his religion of Christianity and how the Bible leaves parts out, changes details, etc... He was surprised how different his religion was from what he had learned of it.

And, it made me remember several years ago when I began researching more and more... when I felt like I needed religion in my life, but the religion my grandparents had passed down to me wasn't congruent with what I felt in my heart.

It was so painful.

And frustrating.

And it created this terrible sense of longing in me that nothing could quell until I found Islam.

But, it didn't stop me from trying to make Christianity my religion before Islam. When I delved deeper into the Bible, I found inconsistencies. Yes, there are things in it that don't make sense.

For example:

I did a skit in my freshman year of college when for a course we were asked to read the Bible.

The skit was about the difference between Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We each had our own disciple to tell the story of Jesus about and we made it like a Maury talkshow:

"OH NO YOU DIDN'T SAY THAT JESUS WAS SON OF MAN!"

Mark (Me!): Jesus was the son of man. 

Matthew and Luke: Jesus was the Son of God.

John: Jesus was God himself.

Guess what, in a Paternity Test of Jesus, God is NOT the Father.

But, that didn't bother me as much.

What KILLED me was the fact that what was in the Bible wasn't being practiced.

For example, the Bible says to wear hijab... I haven't seen a Christian hijabi yet.

The Bible says not to gamble... but 98% of the casinos are filled with Christians.

Now, please, keep in mind Muslims believe in parts of the Bible, and parts of the Torah.  One of the pillars of the religion is we believe in the Books - not just Quran.

I think the problem is that no one ever reads the Bible... and when they do, not literally.

My grandmother is a pretty devout Christian and she even admits that she doesn't think that The Bible is the word of God.  She reads the Bible every day.

People say it's an "interpretation."

Yes, not every Muslim person follows what the Quran says.  Of course not! We are all messed up, too! But at least I feel in Islam we all believe in Quran.  We all know that it is the Truth.  And that it is what we SHOULD be doing.  There is a shame about going against the Quran.  I can only think of one Muslim guy I know that shares on Facebook each time he gets drunk.

What I love about Islam is that we REALLY believe that the Quran is LITERALLY THE WORD OF GOD.

Straight up. From Him to us. 

AND, there are millions (sources say approximately ten million, but don't quote me) of men and women around the world that have the ENTIRE Quran memorized.

When I first learned about these people - called "Hafiz of Quran" - I thought about how many people have the Bible memorized, and soon realized what language would they memorize it in?

See, there are thousands of different versions of the Bible.

There's ONE version of the Quran.

Yes. That's what's so special. There's just ONE.

One.

O.

N.

E.

When I first learned that about Quran I was shocked! What the hell do you mean there's only ONE?

There is one version of the Arabic Quran. Every little letter and accent is the same. Every single one.

No matter which one you pick up.

Can you imagine if that was true of the Bible? The Bible has inconsistencies within ITSELF.

Let alone the entire book!

Yes, there are different translations of Quran.  I read a side-by-side Arabic - English translation, for example.

The Arabic is exactly the same as all other Qurans. The English, not so much.

Obviously there is no exact English translation for all Arabic words, same thing with German or Portuguese or Urdu, any other language.

That, in itself is a miracle to me. This doesn't allow for "interpretations." This means it is literal.

There aren't inconsistencies (except in places where rules changed during the revelation of the book- i.e. at first alcohol wasn't prohibited, but instead people were commanded not to come to prayer drunk and eventually, before the end of the Prophet Muhammad (saws)'s life, alcohol was then forbiden).

But, guess what, the Quran says "don't drink" so I "don't drink."

Imagine that!

My History Lesson: And, I friggin hate history, but from what I learned, the Quran was memorized by the Arab people during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) as he would receive a revelation he would repeat it.  At the time the Arabs were amazing memorizers and they would then memorize word-for-word what he said.  Many people all memorized the same words, so it was not as if it could be changed by some random camel rider. It was eventually written on the shoulder blade bones of camels and when the people decided to make the written copy - the one we use today - they gathered a bunch of different hafiz (memorizers) and wrote down what they had recited.  They were all consistent. Feel free to correct anything wrong I said in here, because this is straight from memory from 3 classes I took 2 years ago.

I guess the point of the entire post is for two reasons:

1. If you are going to claim a religion, at least read the book. If you are Jewish - BE JEWISH. If you are Sikh - BE SIKH!  I don't care! Just know what "Being Jewish" means. Know what the Book says. Know the fundamentals of your religion. Go to temple. Go to church. Go buy a dreidel.  Do what you want.

And, don't tell me you don't agree with aspects of my religion that are also a part of yours.

2. If you're Muslim, please, we need to be so proud of our Quran.  Alhamdulilah wa subhanAllah what a miracle!!! 

I said before: "I would stay up as late as possible reading Qur’an and crying knowing that I was reading the truth. I reflect on how beautiful it is that Allah (swt) gave all of the other Prophets the power to perform miracles for the people of their time to see, but he gave Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa salaam) a miracle that I get to hold in my hands every day, the Qur’an."

Really, it is such an immense blessing and we can't take it for granted.  I'm totally guilty of it, too.

You buy a fancy $200 golden Quran, but you never take it off the shelf.

It's not a decoration.  This isn't Pottery Barn.  This is a miracle.

May Allah (swt) help us all to come closer to Him through whichever path He has decreed for us.  Even if you're not Muslim, He chose a path for you. May He make us all passionate about our knowledge of Him through His Book, and inshaAllah someday I - and millions of others - will become Hafiza of Quran.

So If You're Muslim, Then Why Are You White? The Difference Between Race and Religion

My friend Lubna recently reminded me of this question I often receive, so I thought I would elaborate :)

Yes, I am white.  Caucasian. My heritage is Czech mostly with a sprinkle of Irish and German, but I'm American.  100% cracker, white girl status.

And, I'm Muslim.  100%... MUSLIM.

So, HOW CAN THAT BE?

Islam is the name of our religion - as Christianity or Judaism is the name of other religions.

Muslim is the name of the person who follows Islam - as Christian or Jew is the name of people who follow other religions.

Caucasian is my race.  As other races are African American, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc...

Your religion is connected to how you perceive the world, who you worship, what you believe in. It has nothing to do with where you were born, or where your parents were born.

You can be a black Buddhist from Budapest.

You can be an Asian Jew from Timbuktu.

And, as you read in my bio, I'm a Caucasian Muslim from Ohio.

(I hope you liked my rhymes).

Yes, I'm learning Arabic.

Yes, I love Arab culture.

Yes, I make kabsa wa kousa mashi wa samboosa (all Arabic foods).

But I'm a white girl.  And I'll always be white.  And I'll never be FROM an Arab country. And I'm very thankful for who I am. I like that I'm different. I love surprising people when they ask "Intee min wein?!" and I say "ana min hon!" (Where are you from? I'm from HERE!").

See, not all Muslims are Arab.  I know people associate Islam with Arabic, Arab culture, etc... , but it's not 100% accurate.

Our Prophet Muhammad (saws) lived in modern-day Saudi Arabia.  This is true.  But, Malaysia actually has the biggest Muslim population in the world.  It's not an Arab country at all!

And, not all Arabs are Muslim - there are many Christian Arabs in Lebanon, for example.

Funny, I know, but my grandma calls me all the time and tells me that she goes to Arab restaurants to feel like she is "in touch with my cultural roots."

Grandma, we're Czech.  My cultural roots include pierogies and kolacky and polka music.  Not Tamer Hosny and falafel.

She told me recently that she's going to start taking matters into her own hands if I don't get married soon and start meeting nice Arab families to marry me off to. I told her I want a nice MUSLIM husband and I explained to her the difference between Arab and Muslim.  I thought she got it.  Then, at the end of the conversation she said she would make sure he was Arab.

I have a feeling she's going to bring home an Israeli guy for me and not know the difference.

I guess that I should say I would prefer that people don't confuse my love for Islam with my love for Arab culture.  I do care about both, very much.  And I feel like I am very influenced by Arab culture, but I'm much more influenced by Islam.

Islam is perfect. Muslims are not. Arab Muslims aren't always the best Muslims.

Islam is a mercy for all mankind.  Not just Arabs.

When a lady at WalMart told me to go back where I came from, I told her I'm from CLEVELAND.

There is a hadith (not sure on how authentic) but it says that Prophet Muhammad said, "O people, know that the Lord and Sustainer is One. Your ancestor is one, your faith is one. The Arabism of anyone of you is not from your mother or father. It is no more than a tongue (language)." (As quoted in Islam The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid p. 125)

May Allah give us the wisdom to realize that Islam is for all people - in all times - of all colors - forever. And, may He give us the tolerance and patience to understand that the diversity of the world is beautiful. Ameen.

Now That You're Muslim, You Have To Hate America, Right?

I will credit my lovely friend Sarah with this gem.  I love her, but this question is absolutely ridiculous. She asked me during the middle of a meeting as if it was dancing around in her head for years, and she thought it would be appropriate to ask at that exact moment. "So, now that you're Muslim, they make you hate America, right?"

I cracked up. I thought she was joking.  But within a second I saw in her face that she was DEAD SERIOUS.

"Umm, no Sarah, I love America.  Being Muslim has nothing to do with America."

Then, she asked "Didn't your Prophet hate America or something?"

"No, Sarah, our Prophet Muhammad (saws) lived hundreds of years before America was founded."

"Oh, I always thought that was a rule."

I considered shaking her and forcing her to read a book.

The media is so manipulative of people's thoughts that they make hundreds of assumptions based on what they see on television. So much so that they think hating America is one of the pillars of our religion.

America was never mentioned in our religion's fundamentals - it's not in Quran, Hadith, etc... - in either a positive or a negative way.

And NO, I DON'T HATE AMERICA! I LOVE AMERICA! 

If I didn't, I wouldn't live here!

I don't love how all people act in America, I don't love that people wear booty shorts in WalMart, I don't love that people think I don't speak English because I look different, I don't love corn dogs and bacon, But I LOVE AMERICA.

I love our freedom, I love my grandfathers for serving in America's Armed Forces, I love that in a 40 hour drive from the East Coast to West Coast I saw every possible climate you could ever imagine, I love that I can love the soldiers while still hating the war, I love that I can write this blog because we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion,

I participate in the Pledge of Allegiance, and I know the National Anthem. And still, I took my shahada, and I know Al-Fatiha.

Being Muslim doesn't make me hate my country. Unfortunately, however, this country makes you hate Islam.

You've heard of Islamophobia, but I've never heard of Americaphobia.

I'm sure the vast majority of my Muslim brothers and sisters don't look at you with hate when you walk by them on the street, however, we often are looked at in this way.

Being a Muslim in America does change my perspective, yes.  It makes me critical of the lack of morals people have, yes.  It also makes me critical of how "God-less" people can be.  How some people think nothing can control them, but they forget God made them, and His plan is THE PLAN.

Just because you're the CEO of the company, doesn't mean you're the CEO of your fate.

It's ironic to me that people have these terrible misconceptions, and yet when shows like "All American Muslim" are shown on television, no one watches them.  The show was cancelled because of its lack of popularity.  Controversial statements against Muslims are wildly popular on Fox News, though!  Please take some responsibility for your ignorance.

For my Muslim friends, can we please make it a priority to show how proud we are to be Americans? And that Islam and America can "go together" peacefully? Put on some red, white, and blue hijabs or SOMETHING. Wave a darn flag once in a while!

And for my nonMuslim friends who don't want to be ignorant, please read a book.  And don't believe every single thing you hear or see on television, or what the first thing on the top of Google says.

May Allah (swt) clear up all misconceptions about our religion and help us to learn to live together in Peace.

A Poem I Wrote for My Mother, Allah Yarhamha: "The Sun"

No, it's not 100% related to Islam, but this is a "poem" I wrote when I was thirteen about my mother, Allah yarhamha.  She passed away only a few days before I wrote this, and I thought you may like to read something that is very much from my heart. Although it's not directly related to my conversion, Islam does teach us to respect and love our mothers - more than any human being we know.  Someone came to the Prophet Muhammad once and asked who he should love the most.  Besides Allah (swt) and Prophet Muhammad, he was instructed to love his mother.  He then asked who he should love next.  The Prophet Muhammad said his mother again.  And he asked a third time and Prophet Muhammad said his mother.  Then on the forth time Prophet Muhammad responded with his father.

I know a lot of people think that women have no rights or respect in Islam, but that's completely untrue.  I've never been so respected until I became Muslim.  And Muslim men treat women with the right kind of respect.

No, my mother never took her shahada, so technically she didn't die a Muslim, but she rarely discussed religion with me, and when she did she never mentioned anything that would lead me to believe she was Christian.

Whoever you are, I hope that you take a second and realize how lucky you are to have your mother - and what a blessing that is from God.  Even if you are mad at her.  Even if she pisses you off.  Even if she's annoying...Go hug her, go kiss her, go annoy her.  If I had any wish in the entire world, I would wish to spend one more day with my mother.

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother"

I'm sure I'll speak more on this subject going forward, but I hope you enjoy my poem from nearly 9 years ago.

The Sun

As the day goes by, I realize how blessed I was to have the sun.  She shined bright, rising as gorgeous as the sky herself; more beautiful than any creature she warms.  She awakened with each morning breeze.  I loved her more than anything.  She lit up my life, and now she lights up the sky.  Her radiance touched everyone through her day, but she dies at night, where the sky turns red & orange.  I hate those colors.  But does she really disappear?

Perhaps I just cannot see her anymore.  She is shining on someone else just as beautifully.  She is painting a picture somewhere else in the world.  She is inspiring an artist in a foreign country.  Somewhere I am not, and I wish I was.  Sometimes I feel so lonely, for I am the moon.  I can never see the sun when she is the most happy.  She lives in a golden utopia.  She lives where the angels sing in the sky  I am always on her opposite side, and when I bring night, she brings the gift of day.  After all, I revolve around the Earth, but the Earth revolves around the sun.  I am not as beloved, not as fun to play in.  I turn the world dark and cold.  The sun reminded me of my importance and special qualities.

But now, she is gone. Gone from my sight, yet she will always return - or I will return to her, instead.  I wish I could see the sun and meet her for a longer part of the day than I was able to.  But, it's not possible.  And when I did see her, which was seldom, clouds often hid her.  The clouds hide the memories.  The clouds are time.  We did not spend enough time together.

But, someday the clouds will disperse. They will leave and never come back.  I'll be able to see her after all and I shall proudly join her in her utopia.  I will be reunited with all of the other stars that I have missed throughout my life, but the brightest- not only in the sky, but also in my heart - is the sun.

I'll dance in her glory, I'll spend all of my time with her.  I have always admired her.

However, I do not know when that day will come.  For now, it is dark and daulight burned out hours ago.  She's on the other side of the world looking magnificent.  Others, who I am jealous of are frolicking in her rays.  Are clouds covering her there? Perhaps I'll never know, but I know that I will see her.  Eventually.

While the people on Earth look for chirping birds and morning breezes to signal her arrival, I anticipate wrinkles and gray hair.  I anticipate the day she will rise and I will finally be by her side and all will be right in the world.

For now, though, the birds are in their nests asleep and I, the moon, have several hours left.  But I'll see her sometime soon.

- Hannah Nemec-Snider

March 2004 - thirteen years old

Dedicated to my sun, my mommy, Allah yarhamhaa...♥

Do You Wear Hijab Because Some Guy Made You? Why I Choose To Wear Hijab

I've done seven posts about different questions I get about hijab - but here's the last post in the series.  One that answers the big question: Why I DO wear hijab. No, it's not because my dad made me, it's not because it's the cultural norm in my country, and it's not because I'm worried that people will think I'm promiscuous if I don't...

Why DO I Wear Hijab?

Because God Told Me To

This is the REAL reason I wear it.  You don't know what it means to do something selflessuntil you do something for God.  He gave you life, He provides for you, but what do YOU do for Him?

One of the things that I feel like I did for Him was to wear hijab.

"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! Turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.” [Q 24:31]

This isn't a fancy explanation, but it's the truth.  There's nothing in the world I wouldn't do for Allah (swt) and, that's it.

Modesty

I feel very protected and safe in hijab.  It really does take away a lot of the pressure of men looking at you.  When I didn't wear hijab, guys would ask me out, touch me, just be GROSS.  Now, no one does anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.  No one touches me.  It's very powerful.

There is a pretty common story that a nonMuslim man asked a Muslim man why Muslim women cover themselves in hijab.  He took a piece of candy - took it out of the wrapper - and threw it on the ground.  It got dirty, ants came and swarmed it, etc... He took another piece of candy - that was wrapped - and threw it on the ground as well. Then, he asked the nonMuslim man if he wanted the wrapped candy or the unwrapped candy? He of course said the wrapped one. The unwrapped was to symbolize uncovered women - how they are walking through this filthy world .  The covered woman was symbolized by the wrapped candy - which is protected from the dirty things on earth.

I know it's kind of cheesy, but the meaning makes sense.

To Be a Representation

Wearing hijab gives me the amazing ability to be Super Muslim.  Everyone knows what religion I follow when I walk down the street, so there is an opportunity to answer questions that they may have.  I'm not sure what it is about ME personally that makes everyone open to ask me questions, throw out comments, and sometimes even insult me, but there must be something. It's something most other religions don't get to experience.  Maybe the Amish.  Maybe some Sikhs, or Hindus, but not MOST religions.

It's also nice that when people think I'm going to start speaking in broken English, that I'm fluent :) It shocks them sometimes that I speak English so well.  I know that sometimes people pray I don't come to their line in the grocery store because they think communicating with me will be impossible, then, I open my mouth, don't have an accent, and they realize it's not so bad to talk to a Muslim lady!

Like I've said before, it's pressure, but it's also a gift.

So I Don't Have To Do My Hair

Okay, so it's not a religious reason, but it saves me a lot of time in the morning to not have to blow dry and straighten my hair everyday! Plus, my hair looks MUCH better than it ever did when I didn't wear hijab. Fine, so it's not a reason, but definitely a perk ;)

To Prevent Myself from Doing Wrong

Every time I look in the mirror, I am reminded that I am so incredibly blessed that Allah (swt) chose me to be Muslim.  It gives me the passion about my religion that I need to live every day as the best possible Muslim I can be.  You can't go into a bar in hijab.  It very easily helps you to avoid haram.

To Remind Myself of What Really Matters

Yes, I was much more attractive to the general population before I wore hijab, but it didn't mean anything.  It is so much more important to work on what's inside of you - to perfect your religion, to better your personality, to increase your knowledge - than to work out your calves and curl your hair.  Really, it is. I know.  I promise you.

For My Future Husband

A final, very important reason.  No, I'm not married. And I might not be married for a long time, but I already love my future husband and respect him.  I wouldn't want him to be out there right now - whereever he is - showing off for girls.  I'm not a hypocrite.  So, I choose to wear hijab - partially - for him.  I already belong to him, and him to me, so I'll save my beauty for him as I save my heart for him, inshaAllah.

I'm not under any pressure to wear hijab - and I wasn't when I first started wearing it.  I love it.  And I am not taking it off. InshaAllah, not now.  Not ever.  And I don't care what that means for my job, for what people think of me, or for anything except for the fact that it pleases God.  The rest of the reasons are just support of the first reason - and doing something for God is doing it for the Best of reasons.

Don't Men Beat You If You Don't Cover Your Face?! Why I Choose Not To Wear Niqqab...Yet

Such a great question that I get from my nonMuslim friends.  I also am quite surprised that I get this question - in a different form - from Muslim men and women. I guess it's a valid question.  I care about modesty, but I don't cover my face. Why don't I wear niqqab? What am I thinking?

Well, please know that: No, men won't beat me.

And, also please know that I have so much RESPECT for niqqabi girls that do choose to cover their faces.

And, to be honest, I hope someday to wear niqqab - but under the right circumstances!

Obviously, don't take what I have to say as what God would think - Allah (swt) knows best of course! - but, I don't think that in my life it is a good decision for me right now.

So, why don't I wear niqqab?

1. It is not required.

(Pardon my paraphrasing...) There is a hadith saying that Asmaa - the daughter of Abu Bakr - came to the Prophet Muhammad (saws) wearing clothing that was not appropriate.  When the Prophet saw her, he said that it is not acceptable for a woman who has passed puberty to walk around in clothing that exposes anything except this and this and he pointed to his face and his hands.  

To me, this tells me that it is not required - or "fard" - to wear niqqab.

If Allah (swt) wanted it to be so, He would have mentioned it in Qur'an when He spoke about hijab.

2. I have a job.

Now, this is one of the much lesser arguments for me, but it's still valid.  My job requires me to have human interactions.  It's hard to have these interactions when I don't look human.  I drive little old, rich ladies around to see houses.  Do they want to get into the car with a niqqabi? Hell no. As if the hijab wasn't enough adding the niqqab would be TOO much for their little hearts.

3. It's HOT!

Holy cannoli, have you ever put on a niqqab in Southern California? And walked outside? Saudi Arabia is SO HOT I can't imagine how women live there! But it gets hot in California, too! And I can barely breathe in hijab! What if you wear glasses? Half of the day you're cleaning steam from your glasses - that's not even a life! May Allah (swt) reward the women who wear niqqab in stifling heat - especially when their husbands are walking around in tank tops!

4. It would make me unapproachable.

Part of the reason I choose to wear hijab is because it allows people to ask me questions about my religion.  Anywhere I am.  Although it gets annoying sometimes, I like that I can set the record straight and help people to understand our religion.  I can't imagine anyone coming anywhere within 400 feet of me if I have niqqab on.

5. I would probably never find a husband.

At least 14% of my appeal comes from the fact that my face is decent.  This reason is just to make you laugh. Therefore, I won't even count it as a real number.

5.  The most important reason: I live in America!

This is the truth.  This is the REAL reason I don't wear niqqab.

I live in America.

I am not saying America is right, but people in America care a lot about looks and identities.  Personal connections are critical.

No, I don't think niqqab is oppressive.  No, I'm not scared of not being pretty.

But, what I am scared of is SCARING OTHER PEOPLE.

I don't want to walk into a room and have everyone in that room praying that nothing happens to them.

I don't want an entire plane ride to be spent with the woman next to me reciting "Hail Mary"s until we arrive at our destination.

When you wear niqqab in Saudi Arabia or in some of the other Arab countries, people aren't scared of you. It's a cultural norm.

Here, in America, when I walk down the street in niqqab EVERYONE is staring at me. And, that's exactly the OPPOSITE of the point of wearing niqqab.

Women wear niqqab to show their ultimate modesty.  They wear niqqab to protect themselves from perverted stares.  They wear niqqab to avoid being judged based on their beauty.

But, if you wear niqqab in America, you are going to be the most obvious person.  You will be stared at like meat everywhere you go.  You will be judged based on nothing except how you look.

It completely defeats the purpose.

Now, I do love niqqab.  I've worn it to the mall before - just to see what my niqqabi sisters experience.  And, I was stared at.  No one spoke to me.  People avoided me at all costs.  People walked on the other side of the walkway only to stay away from me. It made me uncomfortable.

So, why do I want to wear it someday if I just gave a million reasons against it?

The Prophet (saws)'s wives wore niqqab.  Who better to try to emulate than the Prophet's wives?

I think it will also teach me to care less about how I look - Hijab was a big step in this lesson in my life.  Niqqab will really finalize it for me.

That being said, it's on my "bucket list."  Someday, God willing, I will live in an Arab country, and at this time, I will find it appropriate to wear niqqab.

May we always remind each other of the purpose and meaning behind everything we do.

May Allah (swt) reward us all for our pursuits of doing anything to please Him - whether we're right or not - and may we be judged based on our intentions.