Why I Wear Hijab

I often hear people say that muslim women are oppressed because the religion forced them to cover their heads and wear modest clothing. Guess what, no one forced me. It was truly my own choice.

Never liked showing my own skin
Since I was little, I have always been shy to show my own skin. I disliked when my mother changed my clothes in front of other people when I was in early primary, I hated wearing sleeveless tops and short dresses, and there is this one very embarrassing moment for which I got really angry with my mum - sorry, I can't tell the details, it's also wardrobe related malfunction when I was in high school. It looked like my mum would never understand the issues I had about her forcing me to wear these embarrassing pieces of clothing. So, modest clothing was always the way of life for me even before I know the concept of "hijab".

How I ended up wearing the hijab
I was almost an adult after all so I can make decision for myself, as long as it is good and positive. One day, I was reading the Quran and came about with the following verse:

And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. [Surah An Nuur: 31]

After reading that verse, it didn't take long for me to digest it. "Allah Himself prescribed this. So it's compulsory," I thought. Immediately without further questioning, I started to wear headscarf the next day.

Perhaps one important thing to note here that, although I came from a Muslim family, my family was not very religious, so there is no way anyone would forced me to wear it. I never wore hijab until I was in high school. I was the first in the family to wear hijab and even at that time my mother despised me and said, "I'm sure you'll take that off soon." Alhamdulillah it's been 10 years, and I can't imagine myself without it. Now, both my mother and sister wear them too.

Freedom of what to wear
Freedom is a big word nowadays. People advocating "freedom of speech", and other kinds of "freedom", but I think in some cases people has taken the word "freedom" too far by disrespecting other people. Sometimes I thought to myself, "Why does other people have to go through all the trouble telling us (Muslims) of what to wear? I never tell them what they can or can't wear. So why can't they just leave us (Muslims) alone?" I mean, where is "our freedom" if I can't wear what I wanted to wear?

Other people need to understand as well that not all Muslims feel oppressed by their hijab. They made the decision consciously to wear it. It's their choice, they're comfortable in it. If people can talk big about freedom, then why not give us our freedom to choose what we would like to wear, which includes our hijab.