"Why do you wear that thing on your head? Isn't it hot?"

Assalamualaikum and warm greetings on a cold autumn's day. :D

During summer, there is always one question that is frequently asked to me. "Isn't it hot wearing that thing on your head?" or even worse, "Don't you feel suffocated?"

There was once when I was traveling to go back to my house in Konkuk, and one of the ahjumma (read: makciks) didn't even greet me with a proper greeting, and started scolding me because I was wearing the hijab.

She started yelling at me and said that if you are in someone else's country, don't try to impose your culture! You should wear like Koreans when you are in Korea! After nagging me at least 5 minutes, and since all I could do was smile and try not to look affected by her harsh words, she said "Hot! It looks hot! Take it off!" and she started pulling on my hijab inside the train, with everyone else looking at me, all silenced because they don't dare talk back to their elderly. Despite being rather old, I guessed that if we were to have a wrestling match, she would win. That's how scary the makciks are in Korea.

It's hot but why do you wear hijabs?
I, and most of the rest of the muslim women who wear a hijab in Korea are probably used to people staring at us because we look different than your average foreigner.

That doesn't mean, that we aren't disturbed when people start grabbing our hijab and forcing us to take it off. That doesn't mean that I didn't cry after I got off the station. That doesn't mean I wasn't hurt when nobody tried to defend me.

I am also used to people asking "Why do you wear that thing?" and the most frequently asked question is "Isn't it hot?" I usually smile, and lie right through my teeth and say "Nope, it's not hot. We have a layer of fabric to protect us from direct sunlight, which doesn't damage our hair, nor our scalp. We also have a scarf-ish kinda thing that we can flap and it acts as a fan (I have no idea how to describe this.) When it rains lightly, we don't need to be carrying an umbrella, because it protects us from rain. Most importantly, hijab doesn't just protect us from the elements, but it protects us from men's eyes." That is what I have said countless of times, in broken Korean of course.

All of which are the truth, but it would be a lie to say that it isn't hot. It is. But we bear it, because Allah told us to.

It's freezing, but why do you wear short skirts?

It's now autumn in South Korea. But today, it was 7 degrees Celsius in the morning. It will continue to decrease as the days pass by. I once asked one of my Korean friends who coincidentally wore a short skirt above her knees, like really short. LIKE REALLY SHORT. If she wore a tshirt pass her bum, it would look like she wasn't wearing anything underneath. That was how short it was.

I asked her, "Yoona (not her real name), remember when you asked me why did I wear a hijab when it was so hot outside?" She nodded. "Well then, why do you wear that short skirt when it's so freezing? I mean, I wear 2 layers of trousers, and still it's freezing."

She laughed, we were in that sort of friendship where I can ask her almost anything.

"Silly Maria." She said in her usual chirpy voice. "It's to look pretty, of course!"

If I was in a cartoon, I would fall off my chair with those big vertical lines on my forehead.

Intentions, intentions, where for art thou?

She wears shorts skirts on a winter's day, at -3 degrees, because she wants to look pretty.

I, wear a hijab on a summer's day, at 37 degrees, because it is compulsory for me, because Allah tells me to, and most importantly, it may sound like it's being forced upon me, but it isn't, I wear a hijab because I love Allah.

A mother, who loves her child, would sacrifice anything, her life even, for her child. She would go through an unimaginable amount of pain for her child.

When you love someone, you sacrifice. Even if it's hot, even if it hurts, even if it's annoying or uncomfortable, you'll do it, because you love them.

I endure the heat, the discomfort, the eyes, the stares, the ahjumma who pulls my hijab, because I (hopefully) love Allah.

She, endures the cold, probably a flu, maybe pneumonia, because she loves to be pretty.

We all, do something, because we love something or someone.

It puzzles me that they find it so weird that I could endure the heat. They expect me to take it off when it's hot, to put it back on when it's cold. Is it so hard to understand why we wear hijabs? Why is it so hard to understand?! You wear skirts despite being frozen because you want to look pretty. I wear hijab despite being scorching hot because I want to please Allah. It's the same concept.

Intentions, intentions.

To my fellow sisters.

You are a princess.

Sad. Heartbroken. Sympathy. I've learned that I can't be angry at women who claim themselves as muslims but don't wear the hijab. Or even those who wear them but they don't cover their aurah properly. I was once that girl, who tried to mold fashion with modest clothing. It came to a point where I was too focused on the fashion, that my definition of covering the aurat was just as long as my skin was clothed, it didn't matter how tight.

To break away from that, was liberating. It would be a lie if I said I didn't want to look pretty. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't envious of those koreans with long legs and cute dresses, but I don't want to be spending half of my time worrying about my hair, or my make-up, or what I wear.

After properly covering my aurat, it was one of the most refreshing things I've ever done. Wearing loose clothing has let me move without restrictions, I am not self conscious about whether people will see parts of me that were not meant for them to see, or whether I look fat, and the fact that wearing tight clothes really is suffocating and restricting.

In Malaysia, you are in your comfort zone. When you are tossed into a place where Islam is so foreign, hijab is YOUR identity to protect. Because in Malaysia, there are other people who can protect the hijab, but in a place where Islam isn't so common, it is your duty to protect the hijab. But if everyone in Malaysia keeps thinking that someone else is going to protect the integrity of hijab, in the end, who's going to protect it?

You. You have to protect it. No matter where you are. Alhamdulillah, I feel so proud that I can wear a hijab, I can protect my hijab, I can explain it to Koreans who have no idea why I wear it. The more foreign I feel, the more protective I am of my hijab, my identity.

The next time someone asks you why you wear a hijab when it's hot, ask them, why do they wear heels when it hurts? why do they drink alcohol when it's damaging to the body? why do they smoke when it's bad for you? why do they wear make up when it's a nuisance? why do they wear skirts when it's freezing outside?

it's the same concept. We do something, despite the hardship, because of a motive. why do people drink alcohol when it's damaging to the body? because it's "delicious". why do people smoke? to release "stress". Why do they wear make up, don on high heels at least 3 inches, wear short skirts when it's freezing? because they want to be pretty.

Why do we wear hijab even if it's hot, even if we're condemned and laughed at, even if we look like an alien in a foreign country?

Because we love Allah. Or at least, in a part of our heart, the need to please Allah is there.

Isn't that the best of reasons for Muslims? :D

Wallahualam.
Assalamualaikum