Women’s History Month: Celebrating Muslim Women

You are out and about on a busy street. It is 9 a.m. on Monday morning and as you are crossing the street you notice a lady, wrapped effortlessly in a hijab (head covering) on her way to work or school; the possibilities are endless. You think to yourself, how it must be like to step out into the world each day like that. You wonder about her challenges, her victories. You wonder if she was forced to wear it and maybe she’s miserable. But then you see it-her smile. You see a smile that reflects her confidence, her freedom, her happiness. Maybe all along it was the hijab that gave her that confidence. You say to yourself it must be the hijab.

For any Muslim woman, wearing the hijab is a lifelong honor; a choice that she makes herself. Or one that at least she should be making herself. There is no denying that some women are forced to cover up, to reveal no secrets about their physical appearance. The few uneducated manipulate the words of their faith and instill such great fear upon women that dwell upon their vulnerabilities. For them a choice that's supposed to be liberating, becomes no choice at all. It confines them, it deprives them of a fundamental right that Islam has given them. Women who don the hijab do so because their Creator has commanded them to be modest (Qur’an, 24:32). As a gesture of obedience, such women do not falter to gain nearness to God. They are eager to please Him despite all hindrances.

It’s 2019. Barriers are being broken, new records are being set. Women have increasingly begun to push for change in all aspects of society. They are making room for themselves in a society that only a few decades ago restricted them from everything they desired to do. As a young Muslim American woman who actively wears the hijab, it is incredibly relieving to be growing up in a world where progress is becoming cornerstone in many societies. Knowledge has become widespread and with that, acceptance has too. The month of March is known as Women’s History Month, a time of recognizing the immense impact of women on the world we live in today. Everywhere you turn to look you see Muslim women making a difference, whether it may be women like Malala Yousafzai who are pushing for educational freedom, or refugee mothers from war-torn countries settling with their children in foreign lands in hope of making a better life. They hold on to their faith in all difficulties, a sense of support rather than suffocation.

That woman you saw crossing the street on Monday morning, her smile radiated similar to the light of the sun, she holds her head up high, proud of her choice to wear her hijab that morning, like many others. To all the women, let’s celebrate each other, regardless of who we are or what we do, as there’s always something worth celebrating.

Happy Women’s History Month!