I was inspired...

Have you ever walked down the street and read peoples' view of you as you passed by them?

Most people have not and will not see the frank expressions of interest, distaste and then distrust that most orthodox people of any religion will see on a daily basis.

Years ago I wore hijab, I expressed myself in a way that was shocking to everyone around me, I was shocked at my own need to wear the hijab. I was struggling with the way I saw myself and with my identity as a Muslim. At a time where most girls would be shedding the hijab for stylish clothes and make up I was putting it on everyday and going to school. It was never for me a decision of orthodoxy but of moral inclination to do right by the teachings I was brought up with but never told to fully embrace. Although I did one day remove my hijab I have always cherished the time that I wore it because it taught me that I would never be put into a box, and that in most orthodox cases it was a box that was self created. I will never forget the day I took it off and went to work at the hospital I was doing my co-op at, people asked why? For me it was a greater answer than what most people probably thought...that it was the pressure, or maybe teenage will to fit in? They probably didn't know that I had in the time of wearing my hijab, got great grades, got my license, a car, worked a part time job, got a coveted placement at a renowned hospital and had just been accepted at UofT. I came to realize that I as a person had not changed but how I was viewed had, and maybe just maybe I was playing into a stereotype.

I am Muslim and have tremendous faith in GOD, but I don't think he sees me shedding my hijab as a downplay of my faith, I think he knows its an expression of my inability to fit into a box.

So recently I read a book titled The Search for God at Harvard, by Ari Goldman, it was truly phenomenal in its style but most of all in the idease it sets forth. This book about the search for god was such an eye opener in terms of how others view religion and specifically how much you can have in common with someone of another faith. I felt like Ari Goldman while reading this, and I hope that one day my writing will be as good as this journalists'. It showed me that with every religion people face the irrevocable need to fit into society, even those that we might think are inclusive already. It showed me how so many religions are really one, and that to be truly religious you have to be open to GOD in the many forms that he has taken shape through human history.

The view of orthodox religion is so narrow these days that we term it fundamentalism in every notation of it but maybe just maybe if some of us stay a little truer to the fundamentals or our religion we could find a little more peace in our daily lives...

I'm not saying we should all go out and buy hijabs, yarmulkes, etc...but maybe just start with showing some faith and giving true thanks for the things in our lives...Inshallah.