where all your dreams come true my
dreams were at least until I heard mmm
oh my god I can’t believe her mom makes
her wear that wait a minute what
after a brief confrontation I realized
that that girl was talking about my
headscarf more commonly known as the
hijab see I was in the Magic Kingdom
that day on my way to meet my favorite
Disney Princess Merida from the Pixar
movie brave and I was fixing my scarf in
an attempt to get the perfect style the
perfect coverage however those girls
thought that I was a quiet uneducated
oppressed girl that deserved to be
pitied
however I am NOT oppressed nor am I an
educated considering I’m standing before
you today instead we should consider the
hijab to be a form of social expression
contrary to the mainstream idea that
it’s a form of female subordination
today we will delve into a whole new
world and identify what the hijab is
then we’ll look at the different reasons
behind wearing the hijab before we
finally look at how the hijab allows a
woman to let it go and empower herself
first let’s actually think about what
the hijab is according to the
merriam-webster dictionary the hijab is
a traditional covering of the head and
neck that is worn by Muslim women the
definition is technically correct the
job is much more than that the hijab is
not only a cloth a woman uses to cover
herself but a lifestyle a lifestyle
that’s prescribed to men as well a man
should lower his gaze when speaking to a
woman in order to show her respect in
both genders shouldn’t touch one another
casually unless there is a relation
between them though it sounds strict and
straight-laced it’s not as extreme as it
seems see it not only humbles the woman
but the man as well so they must respect
one another as equals you are wearing
the hijab right now you just didn’t know
it the hijab is not only how you dress
but also how you act and interact with
others how you judge yourself and how
you view the world around you that is
your
and some women choose to symbolize that
hijab by wearing the headscarf now we
come to the next question
why do women wear the hijab anyways
according to many misconceptions that
are around the world many women are
supposedly forced to wear the hijab
however that’s further than the truth
according to Islamic teachings a woman
cannot be forced into doing anything
against her will a philosophy our dear
Merida strongly believes in there are
many reasons behind wearing the hijab
and it can really vary from person to
person for me it took about two to three
years to decide if I really wanted to
wear the hijab or not but my journey
with the hijab began much before that as
a young girl I was enamored and
fascinated by the hijab all the
different colors and styles through so
many options however I was scared I
started the summer before seventh grade
at the time it felt like an uneducated
decision one that was fuelled by
instinct sure my parents supported me
wholeheartedly but I could still feel
the unwanted stares as I walked on the
street later on I realized that I felt
like I had a duty to represent my
religion and my gender in a positive
light I was frustrated with the way I
was being represented in society and in
the media when I turned on the news I
was considered to be the wife sister or
daughter of a terrorist and when I
looked to society as a woman I was being
judged more by my appearance not by my
intellect in other words if I chose to
go against societal norms I was
considered to be oppressed and if I
chose to follow them I became an object
the hijab allowed me to silently express
my opinion breaking the mold of how a
woman is valued in society by changing
the way I dressed but also shedding a
positive light on my religion of Islam
through my contributions to society in
the hijab I was able to find peace and
protection after I started wearing hijab
I really began to let it go I became an
independent and empowered women the
hijab allowed me to feel more judged by
my intellect and my
actions not by my appearance popular
Malaysian artist Yuna skyrocketed to
fame in the United States after her
creative lyrics became known to the
likes of Pharrell Williams and later
moved on to perform a full US tour with
Florentin machine however unlike many
mainstream artists hood of today Yuna is
not your typical beauty her bare minimum
makeup of red lipstick and cat eyeliner
grace her for APS in two full albums
along with her hijab Yuna was recognized
for her creative talents not for her
appearance but that doesn’t mean muslim
woman can’t be fashionable as well
according to studies done in january
2015 the muslim fashion industry was
valued to be at 96 billion u.s. dollars
that is a lot of glass slippers see what
we felt is he has a society is the
positive impact the hijab has on a woman
we take in the secular anti a job
sentiment seen in our media and
portrayed in society and subconsciously
also portrayed them when presented with
the idea of hijab
however in Islam a woman is equal to a
man she gets the same rights that he
does she can be the breadwinner of the
home the hijab allows a woman to go
above appearance and focus on her mind
so that she is in more control for
actions when you think about it the
hijab is a beautiful idea one that is
happily embodied by many women around
the world however it is an idea that is
under constant attack especially in the
current climate of our country after the
dreadful attacks in France last November
the number of Islamophobic incidents in
the United States raised significantly
almost higher than the numbers in the
months following 9/11 as of October 26th
2016 after all show up as of October 26
2016 there have been a 111 reported
incidents of Islamophobia in the United
States now these are things that have
led to police charges or actual police
filings but haven’t considered the
harassment that many women face on the
street every day after the election
many Muslim communities feared that this
number would increase significantly and
we’re concerned about the women and
girls that chose to wear the hijab there
is something wrong with that and we have
the power to fix it we have the power to
accept and respect the hijab now I’m
asking you something very simple today
I’m not asking you to completely fall in
love with the idea of the hijab nor am I
asking you to wear a pillowcase on your
head every time you go out but what I am
asking you is to be open to the idea of
the hijab consider to be a form of
social expression the hijab is not a
chain that holds a woman back from her
true potential but is instead the key to
her success those that choose to wear
the hijab wear than individuals
individuals that choose not to succumb
to society’s norms the hijab keeps a
woman steadfast in which he believes in
and strong against her obstacles that
day at the Magic Kingdom I got my
picture with Princess Merida as you have
seen before and let me tell you it was
pretty awesome on my way home as I chose
the 20 Instagram filters that I applied
to this picture I chose something I’d
realized something really really
important sure there was Merida in that
picture a beautiful independent and
strong Disney Princess who embodies many
values that I tried to embody myself but
there was also me and who says I can’t
be a princess to accept I would be
wearing a crown of a different kind
thank you
[Applause]
thank you so much for that powerful talk
you certainly taught me a lot I hadn’t
known about Islamic culture and I thank
you again for reminding us that we must
accept and respect each other no matter
what no matter how different we may seem
I do have one question though you said
your favorite princess was Merida but is
brave your favorite Disney movie or do
you have another as a very proud classic
student Hercules is my favorite doesn’t
even know I mean accurate a maybe
Hercules is my favorite that is also my
favorite movie guys you make connections
every day it’s amazing Maria thank you so much you