I was born and raised in Texas. My family lived in a small, but tight-knit, Muslim community. Before I hit my teen years, I had a half dozen Muslim families I called neighbors. Naturally, with such a secure environment, my friends and I had no hesitation in donning the hijaab. It was simply a part of Islam, and therefore a part of us. As a matter of fact, our mothers occasionally told us not to wear it. “You’re only six!” they would cry. “It is not fardh [obligatory] on you yet!” So much was my love for hijaab then.