I dunno why I'm so addicted to blog-hopping today haha. Kalau taknak baca, aku paham... Tu nampak 'x' warna merah tu, silalah click. Ni blog aku, aku punye suka lah. Nanti aku jugak yang baca.

Anyway, I visited Sis Mardhiah's blog and there was a link to another blog which gave me a new perspective on hijab, yes that head gear I put on my head every morning. I think I wear a scarf faster than I would tie up my hair like in Secondary school days.

So back to the topic. There's this girl in Saudi who 're'verted to Islam in Paris and she shared about hijab and what it means to her. Read on... I took random excerpts from the entry...

My hijab made me happy; it was both a sign of my obedience to Allah and a manifestation of my faith. I did not need to utter beliefs, the hijab stated them clearly for all to see, especially fellow Muslims, and thus it helped to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood in Islam. Wearing the hijab soon became spontaneous, albeit purely voluntary. No human being could force me to wear it; if they had, perhaps I would have rebelled and rejected it. However, the first Islamic book I read used very moderate language in this respect, saying that “Allah recommends it (the hijab) strongly” and since Islam (as the word itself indicates) means we are to obey Allah’ s will I accomplished my Islamic duties willingly and without difficulty, Alhamdulilah.

The hijab reminds people who see it that God exists, and it serves as a constant reminder to me that I should conduct myself as a Muslim. Just as police officers are more professionally aware while in uniform, so I had a stronger sense of being a Muslim wearing my hijab.

Once, on a train, the elderly man next to me asked why I was dressed in such unusual fashion. When I explained that I was a Muslimah and that Islam commands women to cover their bodies so as not to trouble men who are weak and unable to resist temptation, he seemed impressed. When he left the train he thanked me and said that he would have liked more time to speak to me about Islam.

Just as a short skirt can send the signal that the wearer is available to men, so the hijab signals, loud and clear: “I am forbidden for you.”

My first niqab left my eyes uncovered. But in winter I wore a fine eye- covering as well. All the feelings of un-ease when a man’s eyes met mine disappeared. As with sun glasses, the visual intrusion of strangers was prevented.

Observing the hijab from outside, it is impossible to see what it hides. The gap, between being outside and looking in, and being inside and looking out, explains in part the void in the understanding of Islam. An outsider may see Islam as restricting Muslims. In side, however, there is peace, freedom, and joy, which those who experience it have never known before. Practicing Muslims, whether those born in Muslim families or those returned to Islam, choose Islam rather than the illusory freedom of secular life. If it oppresses women, why are so many well-educated young women in Europe, America, Japan, Australia, indeed all over the world, abandoning “liberty” and “independence” and embracing Islam?

A person blinded by prejudice may not see it, but a woman in hijab is as brightly beautiful as an angel, full of self-confidence, serenity, and dignity. No signs of oppression scar her face. “For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts within the bosoms, that grow blind,” says the Qur’an (Al-Hajj 22:46). How else can we explain the great gap in understanding between us and such people?

More? Read the post titled: The Veil: The View From The Inside

Waah, her post make me feel like wearing my normal tudung is insufficient. She was a 'liberated' woman before, meaning she had gone without hijab. Yet, after reverting to Islam, she tried the tudung and preferred it. When she went to Saudi, she tried the niqab and preferred that.

Just this one post hs shown me what we learned during KPR is true. At one point of time, someone may be 'worse' than you, but do not kutuk him/her cos you never know if one day that person will become better than you...

K better go sleep. Besok skola, opps. Alar kul 11... Hehe. Oh I need to take 2nd dose of HepB injection tr *gulps*