When I first started wearing hijab full-time, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I constantly wondered why we had to wear hijab in the first place – after all, I would think to myself, it’s just hair. Wouldn’t it have been more prudent (astughfirullah) to command women to cover their faces, instead?
I was wrong, though. Of course I was. And I still clearly remember the event that changed my mind.
A private Islamic school in my community was holding a “Sisters’ Night” – an all-girls night where we would be permitted to don flashy dresses and let our hair [...]