Re: wearing hijab.
Your post kinda judges those who live in Pakistan. There are plenty of women, whether they are educated, uneducated, liberalised (as you mentioned0 , not so modern, conservative women who wear hijab and abaya in Pakistan. Why one wears hijab, and why one does not wear hijab is up to them.
I’ve worn hijab for many, many years. Wearing hijab does not make me a saint (I am far from it). Those who wear hijab have their own struggles and ups and downs in their faith. Wearing hijab does not make one more mindful of their prayer or more pious.
I was pretty much the first female in my entire khandaan to wear hijab. It was my choice, not the choice of my husband. I received so many taunts from my in laws; heck, my own father did not like me wearing hijab ( he didn’t say it to me, but disapproval was there.) I attended a massive family wedding in Pakistan 22 years ago, where my own Phopho yanked my hijab off in front of every single guest, as it was ‘paindoo’ and “backward”. That hurt the most. I kept my mouth shut, my husband picked up my hijab and put it back on my head. End of matter. Twenty years later, my Phopho tearfully apologised to me. ![]()
Don’t make it a tit for tat with your relatives, or anyone who complains to you. Hijab is not about wearing a piece of cloth on your head. It encompasses so much more, especially the way one talks and the way one carries themselves. People are so much more accommodating to hijab now , versus twenty years ago. Be ready for anything, simply don’t take it to heart. in one ear and out the other. Oh, and those who want to laugh, let them. You certainly are not obligated to explain the why’s etc..