Strange how we always stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd; strange how we are always the attention grabbers on media; strange how everyone thinks we are oppressed and don’t have rights; calling us “ninjas,” illiterate, telling us to go back to where we came from. Strange how we always have to defend our identity and fight for our freedom. But isn’t it indeed strange how we sometimes get caught up in the midst of all this confusion, sometimes giving in, sometimes striving out?

A smile in passing, an “Assalamu ‘alaykum” when our paths would cross and an occasional “whats-up-with-you?” was the limit of our contact.

Dear World, Why do you think I am oppressed?
Oppressed? Because I do not walk the streets undressed?

Alhamdulillah! Over the last few years, we have seen a tremendous rise in the number of women who have chosen to observe hijab. When we venture out of our homes, we are guaranteed to see on the streets at least one out of three women in hijab. There has been a massive awareness of hijab as well. These developments are revolutionary.

We may have been filling our bookshelves and computers with whatever Islamic knowledge that we come across. But the question is how much of it are we really implementing?