Why it's Awesome Being in the Minority

On September 8^th, 2012 I decided wearing the hijab full time. One of the most common questions people have asked me since I started wearing it is, do people treat me differently now?

Before I started wearing the hijab I pretty much blended in with the crowed like any typical white girl. The first day I started wearing it was pretty nerve racking because I had instantly gone from being able to blend in, to becoming part of an obious racial minority group. One year ago from today, just the thought of wearing a hijab scared me so much it almost made me sick; little did I know how much I would love it.

To answer the question I asked in the first paragraph, “do people treat me differently”, I would have to definitely say yes, but not in a way that most people would expect. Usually when people ask me this question they’re waiting for me to tell them different stories of racism. Most people would be surprised to hear that since wearing the hijab my different encounters and interactions with people around me have only been enhanced.


One of the main reasons the hijab has enhanced my interactions with other people is that it has helped me to develop a very strong sense of community and belonging with other fellow Muslims. Like I mentioned earlier, before the hijab I blended in with the crowed and I use to think that was a good thing. The hijab has helped me because it works as a religious identifier. People see me with the scarf on my head and they automatically know I am Muslim. One of the best parts about wearing the hijab is the two second encounters I get throughout my day from other Muslims. Whenever another Muslim sees me, we usually exchange smiles and salam’s (Arabic greeting meaning “may peace be upon you”). As a non hijabi I use to keep to myself, never really exchanged glances or smiles with strangers in the hall, and I really couldn't see it as any other way.

I know it doesn’t really sound like something so special, but sometimes those salams and smiles make my day. I never use to have people say salam to me where ever I went. I use to have a very small social circle, and in a campus so big I use to tend to feel a little bit lonely.

One of my favourite things about being a hijabi is that it opened doors to so many new friendships I wouldn't have gained without my hijab. The scarf on my head has helped me to meet so many other Muslims from other cultures, people of cultures I never knew anything about before. Before I typically spent most my time with other Lebanese people. I now have Muslim friends from all over the world, Algeria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Malaysia, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria and Pakistan. 

It's funny because all my life I've been sold this unoriginal definition of happiness; as ladies we are told that to be happy you have to look a certain way. I never thought I would be happy looking different from the western idealized woman- an image many girls are struggling to attain. With a scarf on my head I’ll never fit into that description, yet I know now that description of happiness is not real. Through my scarf I have gained strong social bonds and a sense of community and belonging, which is were true happiness comes from.

Anyways, I tried to write that without sounding too corny, but quickly found that not being corny is impossible for me. Whether you’re part of a racial minority or not, let me know your thoughts! Do you relate? Do you disagree? Let me know!

Ta-ta for now!