hijab,,,why debate it?
Tonight, as I listened to the dialogue held on the Islamic Online, I started to wander of my own choice in wearing hijab 
I started to think of the first time I was wearing it. Did I choose to wear it myself, or was my parent push me? No…none of them actually. Let me tell you my story briefly.
I was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 24 years ago. I joined the Indonesian School for my kindergarten till my junior high. I remembered when I was in the fifth grade; I saw my seniors were wearing hijab at school. Later on, my friend asked me to start wearing one. Just because of their request, I started to wear it although I did not wear it properly; in a sense that I wore hijab but with a short-sleeve skirt. I didn’t know exactly why I had to wear it, nor that was I curious to ask. All I know at that time that it was a kind of norm for all female students to wear hijab closing to their final grade in primary school. So, there was me, standing there with my hijab on 
Later on, when I returned to Jakarta to continue junior high grades, I started to wonder why did I wear hijab. And it didn’t occur after my friends asked me of my reasons. Looking back, I would say that I was pretty much lack of concern of anything surrounding me. I tend to follow what others do as I thought that was the norm or habit
Nowadays, especially when I live and study in the non-Muslim countries, I started to question myself. What is exactly the reason of me wearing hijab? Without me answering this question, my feeling had already answered it. I felt outstanding and people around me treat me differently. With different I mean, in both positive and negative ways. Especially in my present campus where it has a strong Christian identity where I am the only student with hijab, it gave me a kind of plus point, I would say. Obviously, it goes without saying that some people did look at me with a bit of wonder and with a strange look, but that’s ok. As I would have expected once I entered the campus, the first question people asked me was “why did you wear that thing.” That thing is the hijab. It is an obligation for all Muslim women to cover their obliged body parts. And this is our way to cover it by wearing hijab and not to show off our body except face and hands.
Honestly, I feel secure, comfort and respected with wearing hijab. It shows my identity, it shows that I’m different from the rest of the women out there and most importantly, people treat me differently 
