Re: I am thinking of taking on the Hijab
Khumar, there are a number of reasons why girls wear Hijab
In this day and age , most people find image VERYimportant.... i mean style , fashion, how people see you and what you portray to the out side world and perhaps some may feel that covering your head is a big sacrifice because THEY feel it also is necessary to their way of life too ie change clothes (ie no tight low cut etc and I would say that in alot of people like to catagorise in their own mind ( just like practially every single other person on this planet)
For example
fat women in t shirt and leggings all belong in one box
middle aged pakistani women in another
and indian girls with bleached hair and brown lipstick will include that obese girl you know (although all the other girls in that box will squash up in a corner and say "shes not one of us put her in the fat box")
and so on
sometimes people automatically assume somebody has a specific lifestyle of even expect them to live a certain life style because the logic in their minds dictate that that is the way in the normal scheme of things.
somtimes these are based on what youve heard/been told, what youve experienced and what youve seen.
somtimes its a mixture of things
I get the impression Khumar that you seem to believe that people who wear the hijab SHOULD belong in the "good muslim- on the way to heaven" box
and that in order to wear a cloth on your head you must first be proficient in every aspect of islam and
then change your image accordingly ie cover your head and grow a beard and( boys can grow beards too as symbols of their piety, hitch up their troooosers and wear a Nike cap backwards )
However, there are many reasons for wearing a hijab
you can wear it because the goverment tells you to.....like in Iran
if your parents tell you to...
if your husband tells you to....
if you you and your boyfriend decide it is in your best interests in getting a change of image (true story)
if all your friends are doing it
if you feel guilty because you think you are bad muslim
if your convert friend is going the whole hog and you feel guilty
to make other people think better of you
as a token gesture
it fashionable
keeps your ears warm and the rain off your head
to start wearing as a physical statement that you are a muslim and will therefore start or help your resolve in becoming a better muslim step by step
It not written anywhere or preached any where that one must first pray hundreds of times a day, change their whole life to an ultra islamic one before you can wear head scarf.
in fact one of the first things the mullahs say is cover your head.
So what i am trying to say is that
perhaps your preconceptions/ perception are wrong.
and they way you categorise hijabans needs to be re assessed.
Not everyone is the same, lots of people wear hijab and tight trousers, or wear hijab and swaer and hijab and blow people up
We can judge these people by OUR Own standards /perceptions or we can let God judge them cos we dont have the ultimate right to judge people and make throw away comments perhaps use the time and effort more constuctively making ourselves better people or going off to eat a bowl of kellogs cornflakes.
perhaps we should re assess the boudaries or the types of boxes we class people in.
you can wear dungerees, it doesnt mean youare a farmer and know how to milk a cow
Im sure not all jewish boys in scull caps live their lives exactly as the jewish rule and regulations dictate.
and these rastafarians in london
I bet some of them go off to mcdonalds
no. now you know better