Salam!
Today, for the first time since I started wearing hijab, I got a negative reaction. Usually it's all smiles and polite words or quickly looking away. But TODAY I went to Harps. Harps is a grocery store. As I was driving up there was a guy in the parking lot with a woman and he stopped right where he was and stared at me... just stared. And it wasn't like unobtrusive staring. He even pivoted on his feet to follow the progress of my car around the parking lot. Then he poked the woman he was with and she turned around and stared at me too. I parked and got out of the car and decided to ignore them. Maybe they were curious or just ignorant, but as long as they didn't say anything to me or take my picture or anything I would be fine, no harm done. They sat in their car and waited until I walked into the store to drive away. The friend that I was with said that they looked scared... scared?? really??? I'm like... barely 5 feet tall. And I was smiling. Seriously... I'm not scary ya'll.
I thought about walking up to them and saying hello, but my friend thought it would be a bad idea and might make them do something stupid, so I didn't. I thought about asking where they were from, because from the looks of them I'd say that I grew up not too far from where they did. We might actually have a lot in common, you never know. But instead I prayed that they would learn enough to not be afraid of everything that they didn't understand.
It's amazing what one extra piece of cloth does to people...
to me on the inside
to the people who understand
to the people who don't understand
SubhanAllah, He works in mysterious ways.
4 comments:
People are so strange sometimes. I have had people stare a lot when I wore a scarf esp. with traditional Somali clothing. I hate how people automatically assume that all Muslims are foreign and don't speak English. May Allah make it easy for you.
Ameen, thank you Stacy or Fahiima ;-)Jazakillah Khair
yes, it seems that though my family has lived in this country for 7 generations now, I have been lumped into the "foreign" category. Ah well, I know what is right and honestly what people think just doesn't bother me that much. It was just an interesting experience.
I don't wear hijab but I feel happy when I'm in a shop with a Muslim woman who is covered. I think it's nice. Today we were out in the mountains here (in a very "Australian" area) and there was a woman with an abaya and hijab and I felt to happy to see her -but other people were a bit wary, it seemed. What did they think she would do? Spontaneously combust or something? lol.
to me on the inside
You see it too? It is amazing right? How old are you, anyway? I am 19.
Rubber.
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