By Tusbeeha Kamran Cheema
In my opinion, nobody should decide what we must wear or not wear. It’s our body and it’s our choice. We should not react badly about how we wear our clothes, how we don’t wear them, or what we are going to wear. We must respect how we wear it or how we don’t wear it because it’s our own body. I can give you my own example.
I live in Denmark where they don’t take Hijab seriously. I’m a Hijabi girl. I am in 10th grade and I’m studying O-level. Many Danes make weird faces because they don’t understand why we wear the scarf. They want us to take it off. Denmark has already banned the use of the Niqab and most recently there are discussions in the media, that it should not be allowed to wear hijab in schools in Denmark anymore. I feel that it’s as if people are saying that it’s not allowed to take a shirt or trousers on anymore. These discussions emerged because Danes think that girls are forced to cover their heads. I agree that there are many kids in this world who are afraid of showing who they really are, and they are acting like a puppet for others’ sake. But believe me that there is also a lot like me who have chosen this lifestyle for themselves without any pressure.
A choice is a choice, one way or another. If girls can make a choice to wear a bikini why not wear a hijab and cover themselves?
My body my choice is a feminist slogan used in several countries, most often surrounding issues of bodily autonomy and abortion. My question is if my body my choice rule applies to having the freedom of showing their body and getting an abortion, then it must also be applied to those who don’t want to show their body …why do we suddenly stop using the slogan my body —my choice when it is about covering the body …A choice is a choice, one way or other. If girls can make a choice to wear a bikini why not wear a hijab and cover themselves?
There certainly are girls who are forced to wear hijab, which is bad. We should not force anyone, it’s our own choice. We don’t wear hijab for our parents, friends, or neighbors. We do it for the sake of Allah. It’s our body and our life, it comes when it comes. When we talk about “My body, my choice” it’s not only about what we wear, it’s about how we think and how we respect ourselves, our views, and our opinions. It’s about the beliefs, beliefs created over a period of generations and times.
The state simply had no business getting involved in “our bodies.” Nobody should tell anybody what to wear and what not to wear just like nobody must not tell anybody what to think and what not to think.
In my opinion taking a decision about my body whether it’s about aborting a child, covering it or showing it, or keeping a child should be mine and only mine.
Girl and ladies!! It’s our body we can do what we want to do with it and nobody should dictate us about it. To my hijabi sisters … keep on protecting our body, under the scarf we have the same brain which is special and beautiful. My body, my rights. My choice. We choose our freedom. So please Stop the madness.
Note: The writer Tusbeeha Kamran Cheema is a student of STX in Griev Gymnasium Denmark.
