Hijab is my protection feat. Fatima Patel

Melissa Askew

Fatima is an 18 year old Muslim blogger who blogs over on La Vie De Beauté (which means 'The Beauty of Life!) Fatima also has a YouTube channel. I interviewed Fatima before about all the questions you may ever want to know about the hijab. I did ask Fatima many quirky questions and Fatima done an amazing job at answering them. 

Read more about 'What is World Hijab Day?' and everything you may need to know about the purpose of this interview.

1. What does the Hijab mean to you? 

Hijab isn't just wearing a scarf on your head but to me it is about covering yourself with modesty. The hijab is like my crown & forms a big part of my identity. Without it I just wouldn't feel like myself. Being a hijabi and representing Islam gives girls & women the opportunity to show others and almost be like an ambassador for other Muslims showing them that you are a proud Muslim especially because now a days media has a very negative perception of Muslim women who wear hijab or Muslims in general. 

2. How do you feel when you wear the Hijab? 

Wearing the hijab makes me happy because it is part of who I am. Most importantly it gives me the feeling of empowerment. 

3. When did you start wearing the hijab and what lead you to making that decision? 

 I started wearing the hijab from quite a young age. I was in year 3/4 so I was probably around 8/9 at the time. I did wear it out of my own free will and the reason I decided too was because I already used to wear it when I went to mosque but also because all my sisters wore one so I wanted to wear it too! 

4. What reactions did you get when first starting to wear the hijab? 

From what I remember, my friends were really supportive but I don't think they expected me to come in one day with a hijab on. But overall, I had such positive reactions which helped loads because it boosted my self-confidence! 

5. Have you ever had any negative attention while wearing the hijab?

No I haven't Alhamdulillah. I think that comes down to the fact that the area that I come from is quite multicultural and there are a lot of hijabi's around so it's kind of normal to see someone with a hijab walking around. 

6. If you could say what you wanted to non-Muslims regarding the hijab what would you say? 

Well, I would tell them the reason behind the hijab and why I wear my hijab so that they gain a better understanding of Islam and what the hijab is about. The reason for this is because not all non-Muslims may be exposed to an environment with Muslims around them so they will kind of go with what they hear on social media which is totally opposite of what Muslims stand for. I would also tell them that the hijab is never a form of oppression for any individual who wears it. The hijab allows you to do everything and anything you want & if it makes you stop and think 'what would people think of me if I did so and so action?' Then the real question is should you even be doing that in the first place. So the hijab acts like a protection even without you realising and there are so many other benefits of wearing the hijab. 

7. Lastly, how do you feel about the hijab being recognised as ‘oppressive’? 

It's actually quite sad to hear such thing. If you were to ask anyone who wears hijab what they felt when wearing it, oppressive would be far from it! The hijab not only helps to bring one closer to Allah but it empowers an individual. 

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I want to thank Fatima for being a part of this amazing day! Make sure you all go show Fatima your love and support. 

Fatima's Blog     Fatima's Twitter     Fatima's Facebook

Fatima's YouTube     Fatima's Google+

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