Squash.

today i had a squash date with a friend. to get to the sports center i had to pass through the medical faculty. there was a caretaker polishing the door of the admin building. it was 10 am in the morning and the university precinct was quieter than usual since most students went home for this easter hols. as i walked passed him, he turned his head and just looked at me for a long time. i mean, it's getting quite a norm for me to get those 'looks' from people because of my hijab i think. (or maybe it was because of my bright coloured orange sweater?) hehe. if it was because of my hijab, i don't mind really. it's my choice. and i know because of that i will always be seen as a 'stranger' or ghuraba'. as Muslims, it shouldn't really bother us because whatever it is that we're doing is not for one's eyes to judge but for Him alone. anyway, because i felt that it's been a bit too long for his eyes to be kept open. i mean come on, he'll need to blink eventually. so, just to ease his eyes from the constraint and the eye pain that he might suffer later, i decided to take a preventive act.
'Morning!' i said.
His reply was 'Morning!' and turned back to continue his job.
end of story. hehe.
sometimes, people act surprised towards those that may seem a bit different than themselves. but it doesn't necessarily mean they're thinking bad things about you, it may just be that they're actually fascinated or maybe they're trying to organize the numerous thoughts and questions that's popping out in their heads. so i guess the trick would be to try and keep a positive attitude. we're no more different than a table and chair with thoughts. both are furniture of which are made from the same source, wood, but functions differently because of how there're molded and shaped. i'm making up yet another awful analogy. but do you guys get my point? do you? do you? you? you? haha.

anyway, here's a song that could probably give a bit of understanding towards people wearing hijab. it's a song by Dawud Wharnsbyr Ali. MashaAllah it is a lovely song indeed.

They say, "Oh, poor girl, you're so beautiful you know
It's a shame that you cover up your beauty so."
She just smiles and graciously responds reassuringly,
"This beauty that I have is just one simple part of me.
This body that I have, no stranger has the right to see.
These long clothes, this shawl I wear, ensure my modesty.
Faith is more essential than fashion, wouldn't you agree?

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.

They tell her, "Girl, don't you know this is the West and you are free?
You don't need to be opressed, ashamed of your femininity."
She just shakes her head and she speaks so assuredly,

"See the bill-boards and the magazines that line the check-out isles, with their phony painted faces and their air-brushed smiles?
Well their sheer clothes and low cut gowns are really not for me.
You call it freedom, I call it anarchy."

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.
Lift the veil from your heart and seek the heart of purity.

sometimes i need reminding, that's probably why i write down things that may seem insignificant. peace!
(it's 2.20 a.m in the morning. where have my books gone?)