Yasmin Mogahed – Hijab – Trends Interview

			So I started wearing Hijab when I was between 13 and 14 years old. And I, what motivated me to do it
is that I was actually I used to be pretty active when I was in middle school in high school in
these youth camps, Muslim youth of North minute specifically Muslim youth of North America. And one
time when, summer after eighth grade, I was a summer between eighth grade and ninth grade, I went to
a minicamp. And this particular minicamp for some reason, I just felt at the end of the camp, I
wanted to change my life, I wanted to become more serious about my stomach identity. And so at that
time, I made a couple of decisions. And one of those decisions was that I would be absolutely
		

			committed and regular to my prayers to my salon. And because I like a lot of middle schoolers, I
was, you know, on and off. And I decided at that point that I was going to be committed to my salon,
I was never going to miss my salon. And then it was also at that time that I decided to wear hijab
starting before the next school year, so I went into high school wearing the hijab, so hijab, to me,
means so many things, it's something that is absolutely a part of my identity now. But most of all,
hijab is a symbol of my love of Allah, my love of God, my
		

			my commitment to the fact that as a woman, I am not to be objectified. There's so much
objectification of women in our, in our society, and in ads and in media. And I feel, I feel like my
hijab is a symbol of empowerment. In that it it says, you know, it's a symbol for me that represents
that I am, what's most important about me is my relationship with my Creator. I'm not to be on
display, I'm not a body, I'm not the external, but I am the internal. And it's a decision that I've
made, to put a love first to put my Creator first. And what is beautiful to my creator is more
important to me than what's beautiful to society from the beginning of my journey with hijab, I feel
		

			that I've worn it from the beginning, for the the reasons that I still wear it today. It was
actually a very funny story. When I told my mother when I was like 1314 years old, I told her, you
know, Mama, I'm gonna start wearing Hijab and her reaction was so funny. I still remember what she
said, her initial reaction was, I'm not forcing you. I was like, we're not forcing you. It was like,
Yeah, no, Mama, I want to wear it. So it was like, it was like a, it was just like this further
emphasis of the fact that it was my decision. It wasn't anything coming from my society wasn't
coming from my parents, it was like, obviously come from a husband, I was like, I was a kid, you
		

			know, but, but it was just something from internal inside of myself. And so because I had that
strong conviction, that this is part of my path to God. And I continue to feel that way about it
till today. I honestly, I feel very, very blessed in that
		

			sense have this belief about
		

			the world around us. And that belief is that
		

			when you become very, very firm, internally, when you become very firm, and strong in your
conviction internally, you actually people see that, like you give off. People can tell whether
you're confident, whether you're firm in what you're doing, and what you believe in, or if you're
not. And so I truly believe that our what we need to do as women is and as women and men really is
that is that wet is to be convicted is to be convinced and to be, and to have conviction in our
faith and in our beliefs. And when we do that, what happens is, no matter, really, no matter who it
is, human beings have respect for that there is there is a respect for a person, even when you don't
		

			you agree with them, even if you disagree with them, but you respect their conviction. And so I
think that, that as long as we are a people of conviction and strength, that that that comes off and
people people no matter who they are, in general, I found they respect that they respect a person
who's stands up for what they believe in and stays for a minute. One of the things I mentioned the
beginning was that was the salon and I truly believe that there is a very there is a very strong
link between our salon hours, our prayers and everything else in our life including hijab including
any any other acts of devotion. So what my advice would be to people considering putting it on or
		

			those
		

			considering taking it off, is that make your foundation strong with Allah subhanaw taala. And the,
the best way to make that foundation strong is by building a strong relationship with your Salah.
And as long as a person does not
		

			compromise in that in that relationship, specifically the commitment to sola, sola and salon time,
as long as a person stays firm in that anything else will become easier. And that's just that's a
basic that I've learned. And I've, I've I teach, because either those who are just thinking about
putting it on or those thinking about turning, putting it off, taking it off. It's all linked to the
salon. I truly believe that I believe that.
		

			There that hijab is a symptom. In a sense, it's an it's a, it's a symptom of our, the, our
relationship with Allah subhanaw taala. In other words, it's a manifestation. It's one and let me
correct. Let me let me emphasize it's one of many manifestations of our relationship with Allah.
Because at the end of the day, it's one of many acts of devotion that we do for God. Why do we wear
hijab because Allah said, so, you know, people can give lots of reasons. Yes, I gave I gave the
benefits of, of not of showing the basically making a statement that I'm not objectified. Obviously,
that's a that's a benefit. modesty is a benefit. But what's the actual core reason that we wear
		

			hijab? Because Allah said so and because we are slaves of Allah and it's part of our semana will
altana we hear and we obey. And so
		

			why, what why I'm saying it's a it's a it's a manifestation of our devotion to a love. And when a
person gets to a point where they feel like they want to take it off, or they're having trouble with
it, you know, I've had people come to me and asked me that question, you know, what advice do I give
and my advice Honestly, I don't talk about the hijab, I go back to the route, I go back to the route
and the route is in the relationship with Allah subhanaw taala specifically in the salon, that if a
person can strengthen the the relationship with Allah subhanaw taala and, and that bond with a lot
through the salon, then it will become easier to wear the hijab, and to keep it on, and not just the
		

			hijab. Obviously, any act of worship will become easier when our bond with a loss of Paragon is
strong.