I Don’t Judge You, Don’t Judge Me

الأربعاء 05 أيار 2010

Written by Samar Sarhan

“If I opened a school, I wouldn’t allow anyone to wear hijab until they were 18.”

This is the sentence that has spurred me into writing something, anything about hijab.

I was having a disucssion with some people about work in Jordan and how I am searching for a job. I mentioned that there is some discrimination against hijabis in the workplace. Most people I have mentioned this to have said “No way!” but then again they don’t wear hijab. I have talked to ladies who do wear the hijab and they agree with me for the most part. I felt that there was some kind of understanding that people who wear hijab give off a certian image that people don’t want their company to be represented with. I’m not sure what this image is but I’m going to assume it’s not very nice.

I began to wear hijab in the 9th grade. I started wearing it a week before my birthday, 2001. It was something I had been thinking about since 8th grade but I felt it was important to learn how to pray first and then take the next step. I also wasn’t sure how my family would react to it. I ended up doing it and have been happy with my decision ever since. I have never thought what would my life be like without it? Because it’s not something that has ever occurred to me. I have had a lot of experiences and encounters because of my hijab. It has opened and closed a lot of doors for me, but each time something happened, it taught me another lesson and made me a stronger person. Today, I choose to wear the hijab for different reasons than I did when I was in the 9th grade.

I can say that I am a pretty moderate, non-judgmental person. I would like to change the world, which is idealistic, I know. I don’t think hijab will hinder my job performance. It doesn’t affect who I am and doesn’t change my work.

I was in my first year of college, when I went to visit a friend at another college. I met some Arab girls at my friends’ college and one of the first things they said to me was “Take off your hijab”. Mind you, this is the first time I am meeting these ladies and they told me to take off my hijab. I thought it was very insulting that someone would assume that I am oppressed because I choose to wear it. It was an eye opening experience in terms of how I was viewed as a hijabi. It then became my mission in college and beyond to show people that I’m not oppressed because I choose to wear this piece of cloth on my head.

I’m actually liberated by it. I realize this argument has been used many times but honestly, it’s true! Like Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” But I would substitute color of their skin with what they wear on their head. I think my hijab should help people look past what I wear and focus on how I act.

I don’t speak for other hijabis because they have their reasons for doing what they do and I don’t know all of them so, I can’t make those assumptions but I do know myself and I know my experiences and views. I don’t walk around assuming every Christian is out to convert me because it happened once or twice when I was in college. I just don’t think it’s fair to make that assumption.

I came to Jordan to get away from the uphill battle that I faced in the U.S because of the hijab. I thought that it would be easier to work here without people assuming that I wanted to kill them or convert them. For the record, I want to do neither of those things. I just want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I don’t think that my hijab should be a hinderance.

“If I opened school, I wouldn’t allow anyone to wear hijab until they were 18.” This is the sentence that has spurred me into writing something, anything about hijab.
I was having a disucssion with some people about work in Jordan and how I am searching for a job. I mentioned that there is some discrimination against hijabis in the workplace. Most people I have mentioned this to have said “No way!” but then again they don’t wear hijab. I have talked to ladies who do wear the hijab and they agree with me for the most part. I felt that there was some kind of understanding that people who wear hijab give off a certian image that people don’t want their company to be represented with. I’m not sure what this image is but I’m going to assume it’s not very nice.
I began to wear hijab in the 9th grade. I started wearing it a week before my birthday, 2001. It was something I had been thinking about since 8th grade but I felt it was important to learn how to pray first and then take the next step. I also wasn’t sure how my family would react to it. I ended up doing it and have been happy with my decision ever since. I have never thought what would my life be like without it? Because it’s not something that has ever occurred to me. I have had a lot of experiences and encounters because of my hijab. It has opened and closed a lot of doors for me, but each time something happened, it taught me another lesson and made me a stronger person. Today, I choose to wear the hijab for different reasons than I did when I was in the 9th grade.
I can say that I am a pretty moderate, non-judgmental person. I would like to change the world, which is idealistic, I know. I don’t think hijab will hinder my job performance. It doesn’t affect who I am and doesn’t change my work.
I was in my first year of college, when I went to visit a friend at another college. I met some Arab girls at my friends’ college and one of the first things they said to me was “Take off your hijab”. Mind you, this is the first time I am meeting these ladies and they told me to take off my hijab. I thought it was very insulting that someone would assume that I am oppressed because I choose to wear it. It was an eye opening experience in terms of how I was viewed as a hijabi. It then became my mission in college and beyond to show people that I’m not oppressed because I choose to wear this piece of cloth on my head. I’m actually liberated by it. I realize this argument has been used many times but honestly, it’s true! Like Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” But I would substitute color of their skin with what they wear on their head. I think my hijab should help people look past what I wear and focus on how I act.
I don’t speak for other hijabis because they have their reasons for doing what they do and I don’t know all of them so, I can’t make those assumptions but I do know myself and I know my experiences and views. I don’t walk around assuming every Christian is out to convert me because it happened once or twice when I was in college. I just don’t think it’s fair to make that assumption.
I came to Jordan to get away from the uphill battle that I faced in the U.S because of the hijab. I thought that it would be easier to work here without people assuming that I wanted to kill them or convert them. For the record, I want to do neither of those things. I just want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I don’t think that my hijab should be a hinderance.
“If I opened a school, I wouldn’t allow anyone to wear hijab until they were 18.” This is the sentence that has spurred me into writing something, anything about hijab.
I was having a disucssion with some people about work in Jordan and how I am searching for a job. I mentioned that there is some discrimination against hijabis in the workplace. Most people I have mentioned this to have said “No way!” but then again they don’t wear hijab. I have talked to ladies who do wear the hijab and they agree with me for the most part. I felt that there was some kind of understanding that people who wear hijab give off a certian image that people don’t want their company to be represented with. I’m not sure what this image is but I’m going to assume it’s not very nice.
I began to wear hijab in the 9th grade. I started wearing it a week before my birthday, 2001. It was something I had been thinking about since 8th grade but I felt it was important to learn how to pray first and then take the next step. I also wasn’t sure how my family would react to it. I ended up doing it and have been happy with my decision ever since. I have never thought what would my life be like without it? Because it’s not something that has ever occurred to me. I have had a lot of experiences and encounters because of my hijab. It has opened and closed a lot of doors for me, but each time something happened, it taught me another lesson and made me a stronger person. Today, I choose to wear the hijab for different reasons than I did when I was in the 9th grade.
I can say that I am a pretty moderate, non-judgmental person. I would like to change the world, which is idealistic, I know. I don’t think hijab will hinder my job performance. It doesn’t affect who I am and doesn’t change my work.
I was in my first year of college, when I went to visit a friend at another college. I met some Arab girls at my friends’ college and one of the first things they said to me was “Take off your hijab”. Mind you, this is the first time I am meeting these ladies and they told me to take off my hijab. I thought it was very insulting that someone would assume that I am oppressed because I choose to wear it. It was an eye opening experience in terms of how I was viewed as a hijabi. It then became my mission in college and beyond to show people that I’m not oppressed because I choose to wear this piece of cloth on my head. I’m actually liberated by it. I realize this argument has been used many times but honestly, it’s true! Like Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” But I would substitute color of their skin with what they wear on their head. I think my hijab should help people look past what I wear and focus on how I act.
I don’t speak for other hijabis because they have their reasons for doing what they do and I don’t know all of them so, I can’t make those assumptions but I do know myself and I know my experiences and views. I don’t walk around assuming every Christian is out to convert me because it happened once or twice when I was in college. I just don’t think it’s fair to make that assumption.
I came to Jordan to get away from the uphill battle that I faced in the U.S because of the hijab. I thought that it would be easier to work here without people assuming that I wanted to kill them or convert them. For the record, I want to do neither of those things. I just want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I don’t think that my hijab should be a hinderance.
“If I opened a school, I wouldn’t allow anyone to wear hijab until they were 18.” This is the sentence that has spurred me into writing something, anything about hijab.
I was having a disucssion with some people about work in Jordan and how I am searching for a job. I mentioned that there is some discrimination against hijabis in the workplace. Most people I have mentioned this to have said “No way!” but then again they don’t wear hijab. I have talked to ladies who do wear the hijab and they agree with me for the most part. I felt that there was some kind of understanding that people who wear hijab give off a certian image that people don’t want their company to be represented with. I’m not sure what this image is but I’m going to assume it’s not very nice.
I began to wear hijab in the 9th grade. I started wearing it a week before my birthday, 2001. It was something I had been thinking about since 8th grade but I felt it was important to learn how to pray first and then take the next step. I also wasn’t sure how my family would react to it. I ended up doing it and have been happy with my decision ever since. I have never thought what would my life be like without it? Because it’s not something that has ever occurred to me. I have had a lot of experiences and encounters because of my hijab. It has opened and closed a lot of doors for me, but each time something happened, it taught me another lesson and made me a stronger person. Today, I choose to wear the hijab for different reasons than I did when I was in the 9th grade.
I can say that I am a pretty moderate, non-judgmental person. I would like to change the world, which is idealistic, I know. I don’t think hijab will hinder my job performance. It doesn’t affect who I am and doesn’t change my work.
I was in my first year of college, when I went to visit a friend at another college. I met some Arab girls at my friends’ college and one of the first things they said to me was “Take off your hijab”. Mind you, this is the first time I am meeting these ladies and they told me to take off my hijab. I thought it was very insulting that someone would assume that I am oppressed because I choose to wear it. It was an eye opening experience in terms of how I was viewed as a hijabi. It then became my mission in college and beyond to show people that I’m not oppressed because I choose to wear this piece of cloth on my head. I’m actually liberated by it. I realize this argument has been used many times but honestly, it’s true! Like Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” But I would substitute color of their skin with what they wear on their head. I think my hijab should help people look past what I wear and focus on how I act.
I don’t speak for other hijabis because they have their reasons for doing what they do and I don’t know all of them so, I can’t make those assumptions but I do know myself and I know my experiences and views. I don’t walk around assuming every Christian is out to convert me because it happened once or twice when I was in college. I just don’t think it’s fair to make that assumption.
I came to Jordan to get away from the uphill battle that I faced in the U.S because of the hijab. I thought that it would be easier to work here without people assuming that I wanted to kill them or convert them. For the record, I want to do neither of those things. I just want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I don’t think that my hijab should be a hinderance.
“If I opened a school, I wouldn’t allow anyone to wear hijab until they were 18.” This is the sentence that has spurred me into writing something, anything about hijab.
I was having a disucssion with some people about work in Jordan and how I am searching for a job. I mentioned that there is some discrimination against hijabis in the workplace. Most people I have mentioned this to have said “No way!” but then again they don’t wear hijab. I have talked to ladies who do wear the hijab and they agree with me for the most part. I felt that there was some kind of understanding that people who wear hijab give off a certian image that people don’t want their company to be represented with. I’m not sure what this image is but I’m going to assume it’s not very nice.
I began to wear hijab in the 9th grade. I started wearing it a week before my birthday, 2001. It was something I had been thinking about since 8th grade but I felt it was important to learn how to pray first and then take the next step. I also wasn’t sure how my family would react to it. I ended up doing it and have been happy with my decision ever since. I have never thought what would my life be like without it? Because it’s not something that has ever occurred to me. I have had a lot of experiences and encounters because of my hijab. It has opened and closed a lot of doors for me, but each time something happened, it taught me another lesson and made me a stronger person. Today, I choose to wear the hijab for different reasons than I did when I was in the 9th grade.
I can say that I am a pretty moderate, non-judgmental person. I would like to change the world, which is idealistic, I know. I don’t think hijab will hinder my job performance. It doesn’t affect who I am and doesn’t change my work.
I was in my first year of college, when I went to visit a friend at another college. I met some Arab girls at my friends’ college and one of the first things they said to me was “Take off your hijab”. Mind you, this is the first time I am meeting these ladies and they told me to take off my hijab. I thought it was very insulting that someone would assume that I am oppressed because I choose to wear it. It was an eye opening experience in terms of how I was viewed as a hijabi. It then became my mission in college and beyond to show people that I’m not oppressed because I choose to wear this piece of cloth on my head. I’m actually liberated by it. I realize this argument has been used many times but honestly, it’s true! Like Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” But I would substitute color of their skin with what they wear on their head. I think my hijab should help people look past what I wear and focus on how I act.
I don’t speak for other hijabis because they have their reasons for doing what they do and I don’t know all of them so, I can’t make those assumptions but I do know myself and I know my experiences and views. I don’t walk around assuming every Christian is out to convert me because it happened once or twice when I was in college. I just don’t think it’s fair to make that assumption.
I came to Jordan to get away from the uphill battle that I faced in the U.S because of the hijab. I thought that it would be easier to work here without people assuming that I wanted to kill them or convert them. For the record, I want to do neither of those things. I just want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I don’t think that my hijab should be a hinderance.
“If I opened a school, I wouldn’t allow anyone to wear hijab until they were 18.” This is the sentence that has spurred me into writing something, anything about hijab.
I was having a disucssion with some people about work in Jordan and how I am searching for a job. I mentioned that there is some discrimination against hijabis in the workplace. Most people I have mentioned this to have said “No way!” but then again they don’t wear hijab. I have talked to ladies who do wear the hijab and they agree with me for the most part. I felt that there was some kind of understanding that people who wear hijab give off a certian image that people don’t want their company to be represented with. I’m not sure what this image is but I’m going to assume it’s not very nice.
I began to wear hijab in the 9th grade. I started wearing it a week before my birthday, 2001. It was something I had been thinking about since 8th grade but I felt it was important to learn how to pray first and then take the next step. I also wasn’t sure how my family would react to it. I ended up doing it and have been happy with my decision ever since. I have never thought what would my life be like without it? Because it’s not something that has ever occurred to me. I have had a lot of experiences and encounters because of my hijab. It has opened and closed a lot of doors for me, but each time something happened, it taught me another lesson and made me a stronger person. Today, I choose to wear the hijab for different reasons than I did when I was in the 9th grade.
I can say that I am a pretty moderate, non-judgmental person. I would like to change the world, which is idealistic, I know. I don’t think hijab will hinder my job performance. It doesn’t affect who I am and doesn’t change my work.
I was in my first year of college, when I went to visit a friend at another college. I met some Arab girls at my friends’ college and one of the first things they said to me was “Take off your hijab”. Mind you, this is the first time I am meeting these ladies and they told me to take off my hijab. I thought it was very insulting that someone would assume that I am oppressed because I choose to wear it. It was an eye opening experience in terms of how I was viewed as a hijabi. It then became my mission in college and beyond to show people that I’m not oppressed because I choose to wear this piece of cloth on my head. I’m actually liberated by it. I realize this argument has been used many times but honestly, it’s true! Like Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” But I would substitute color of their skin with what they wear on their head. I think my hijab should help people look past what I wear and focus on how I act.
I don’t speak for other hijabis because they have their reasons for doing what they do and I don’t know all of them so, I can’t make those assumptions but I do know myself and I know my experiences and views. I don’t walk around assuming every Christian is out to convert me because it happened once or twice when I was in college. I just don’t think it’s fair to make that assumption.

I came to Jordan to get away from the uphill battle that I faced in the U.S because of the hijab. I thought that it would be easier to work here without people assuming that I wanted to kill them or convert them. For the record, I want to do neither of those things. I just want to contribute to my community in a positive way. I don’t think that my hijab should be a hinderance.

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