From the corner of your eye, you can spot an outlier. Despite the fact that you have never met this person before, your brain easily grasps onto a word to identify this stranger. Muslim.

No, it isn’t the way they look or act. It is also not necessarily the way they dress that makes you look twice. What catches your eye is the cloth wrapped snugly around the woman’s head. A hijab.

Really the only thing people associate with a hijab is the faith. Of course, this is the main part, but it is way too general of a statement.

A hijab is not only an article of clothing, but a symbol. It undeniably symbolizes your belief in Islam, but it also is a part of who you are.

One reason a hijab is worn is for modesty. This attribute is also mirrored from the clothing the person is wearing too. What is not commonly known is when it is worn and when it is not. A hijab is not a limb, it’s not something you can never take off. It can be taken off in the presence of qualified people. When you are with members of your family or are alone, you are fine without it. It is worn when a man outside of your family is in presence.

No, you do not wear the same hijab every day. Think of it as a T-shirt; it’s a part of your outfit. You have creative freedom. In many ways, a hijab is also a great way to express yourself and who you are.

Overall, the hijab isn’t something that you can pinpoint and define in thin lines. There are people who wear it and people who go without it. What really matters is that whatever someone not wearing a scarf can do, someone with it can do also. It doesn’t hold us back, and in the end, although we look different, we are all human.