World Hijab Day – What I Learned

February 1 is Change Your Password Day (which I didn’t) and International Face & Body Art Day (Really?!). It’s also World Hijab Day, which I only learned the day before thanks to ESTHER, our local religion/justice group. Right away I was taken with the idea of wrapping, not because of some secret wish to hide – though my hair desperately needs a trim – or to pretend to be someone other than myself.

No, what drew me was the chance both to:

• Support my sisters’ in faith right to wear whatever seems best to them as they live out their understanding of who they are and whose they are (G-d’s); and
• Practice this solidarity in the eyes of the church and community I serve, perhaps ruffling a few feathers but also trying, pastorally, to live out Jesus’ example of justice for all G-d’s children.

So without much thought or prayer I committed myself. I have an abundance of scarves so that part was easy. But what does one wear with a hijab? I went simple – gray slacks, black top. I researched wrapping online before going to bed. The young woman on the first video suggested pins. But trying that the next morning, I discovered that while my pinning didn’t hold, it did succeed in snagging my pashmina. (Glad I chose an older one.) No pins.

In the end, I didn’t think it looked terrible though a hijabi might have had to suppress laugher.

But… what did I learn?

1. Most of the women I’ve seen in hijabs are younger than me. For me to wrap in front of the bathroom mirror was an act of humility. My hair’s been a vanity. I have a lot and it’s been slow to gray. But my face is looking more like my mother’s and grandmother’s all the time. The woman in the mirror looked well on her way to being jowly. 
2. Driving to work, I thought, “People can see me. What’re they thinking? Do they notice me?” This has never occurred to me on my drive to work before. Some years ago I took a class at Luther Seminary on Whiteness. I learned from some women of color about putting on one’s “game face” before going out into the world. As a white person, I’ve never had to do this. Never even thought of it!
3. I could hear people over the phone just fine, but putting on my reading glasses was a bit of a challenge.
4. People didn’t ask! Since I’d decided only the day before, I hadn’t prepared anyone for what I was doing. No one said a word until Markus – lead pastor – did a double-take during a meeting and asked. He was most concerned with why I’d wear a symbol of another religion and how people would interpret that, which leads me to #5.
5. I wasn’t ready to articulate my reasons for doing this. When faced with a skeptical asker I found my explanation flimsy and unconvincing.

I knew why I was doing it and I believed I had good reasons. Yet without an awareness that I need to be proactive in explaining my wackier decisions or being ready to express my convictions, I can do people a disservice; I can leave them uncertain. 

True, some catch on easily. One young woman thanked me for wrapping, saying that her family has been facing persecution lately because her step-father is Muslim. But others might just be silently confused which could impact their willingness to talk to me about other things, and thereby my ability to guide them. Before the community meal that evening, I prepared cards with a simple explanation. While not everyone read them, some expressed appreciation and support.

Would I do it again? Yes, I might even invite others to join me. But I will hope to remember that the Boy Scouts’ motto – “Be Prepared” – is a good lesson for all of us.

I chose not to include a verse from 1 Corinthians 11 because while Paul does talk about women (and men) covering their heads, he also say just before that, "Now I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man..." and I could not validate that.