“Why don’t you dress like that Muslim girl?” “Do your parents force you to?” “Why are you Muslim?” These are questions I am asked quite often. These and some others that are asked are out of pure curiosity and interest, while others are asked because the people want to have some fun.

I was born and raised in a Muslim household and homeschooled up until 7th grade. As a result, I never would have thought that people would actually ask these types of questions; not until I went to public school, that is. Going to public school put a lot into perspective for me. One is that not every hijabi (a girl who wears a head covering) covers all the time. Second, and because of this, I will be asked why that is so. My answer is always the same: “It is my decision to cover, and other girls choose not to. It is something I believe is right.”

At first, it was different to be asked these questions all the time and, for a short period of time, I wished that every Muslim girl around me would just dress like me. After a while, though, I realized that this is the world I live in, and not everyone is going to be the same. I’ve never felt forced into doing anything regarding my religion. I thank my parents for raising me to be who I am today. I’ve always been happy about the person I am. We all have different ways of living, so I’m a bit confused at why my being covered and dressing to what people call “grandma looking” is a bad thing. I’ve been asked several times, “When you get older, are you going to take ‘it’ off?” The answer is simple; I don’t look towards the future, thinking about the outfits I’ll be able to wear.

I feel that if you have a strong belief in something but plan on changing it later, what’s the point of doing it now? Being able to wake up every day and wear something that is beautiful and different is an amazing. In fact, while some see it as stifling I see it as liberating. While some see it as not having freedom, I see it as following rules of something that you base your daily life around. What is restricting is waking up every day, wondering what you’re going to wear instead of being comfortable and still looking nice.

Being Muslim for me is having all faith in my religion and knowing that, every day, waking up and doing what I do and living how I live in the correct way. I don’t judge any Muslim girl or the choices she makes because no one is perfect. What I do know is that, if you do something because you believe in it, don’t change it just because you’re afraid of what others will say or how they’ll look at you. Wearing a hijab is something that’s part of who I am; it makes me, me! I love knowing who I am in this world. I’m proud to be a Muslim.