My Days as a Muslimah Convent Girl

 

In my secondary days, I studied in a Roman Catholic School. I wore the hijab to and from school. I have memories of schoolmates talking and laughing with me in school but becoming total strangers once we were out of school compounds.

But with time God made the journey easy for me and these same people became close friends. An exceptionally close friend I had was a Catholic girl. Her family was very warm towards me whenever I went over to their place.

My friends used to ask me the reason as to why I don the hijab. Initially my reply came with a religious explanation that we Muslim women have to guard our chastity as taught to us in the Quran. However, the day came when I no longer had to explain. All I had to do was to point.

You see there was a church right next to my school and every morning I went in to change into my uniform – blue pinafore with a white blouse. In the front portion of St Anne’s Church, there was a lady dressed in a long white gown (Abaya I’d like to call it) with a scarf that draped over her hair and shoulder.

Who was this lady? She was none other than Mary, the blessed mother of our prophet Jesus (peace be upon them). SubhanAllah, there I was standing in a church and yet we both had something in common; our dress code. This had been the conviction that I was looking for and my love for the hijab deepened.

A year later, my sister joined the same school and her spiritual journey began. With His guidance, the both of us took a brave step and wore our hijab into the school compounds.
Fast forward a couple of months, a junior came up to me and expressed her liking to don the hijab. So with that, began our iconic journey as striving Muslimahs in a convent school.

My journey is not extraordinary but it has made me to grow into a person that I am grateful to be today. I love my hijab and it defines who I am.