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My professor asked us to go to class today dressed as our favorite celebrity.
So today I attended my college class dressed like this. I wore a Hijab and covered every inch of my body (I had a long sleeve T over this). As soon as my parents saw how I was dressed, they were terrified for my safety. I dismissed their concerns and continued to class dressed this way.
I was representing Malala Yousafzai, an 18 year old Muslim woman who was shot in the face by Taliban gunmen at the age of 15 for being a female attending school. She is now the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and a Women's Rights Activist, Children's Rights Activist, and an activist for education.
It breaks my heart to say this, but on my way to school today I experienced first-hand the fear & hatred against Islam.
As I was driving, I have more than a few people roll their windows down to stick their middle fingers at me, near the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru a young white male threw his coffee at my car, and 2 F-250 trucks chanced me down on Jog Rd and tried to crash into my tiny Toyota Camry...
In just a 20 minute drive to class, I felt that my life was threatened. But this only made my eyes open wider. The message is like for you to take from this is: terrorism is not a fair representation of Islam. Someone wearing a Hijab is simply a symbol of the Islam religion, but not of terrorist attacks.
We can't judge a book by the cover like many did to me today... Maybe people thought that because I was wearing a Hijab, I was responsible for the ISIS attacks that happened just recently.
As I drove in tears and arrived to class in tears, my respect for TRUE Muslims and my desire for peace only grew stronger.
We don't realize how often stereotyping happens and how often it puts people in danger.
Edit: People are telling me that I'm brave...
I'm not brave...
I just need everyone to realize what discrimination is doing to society.
There are people who deal with this prejudicing/stereotyping constantly and continue to be proud of who they are...
THEY are brave, NOT ME.
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