Common Thought: Why?

Indonesia is the country where most of Muslims live. You may wonder why don't Saudi Arabia is the one of it. Indonesia has 267,7 million of population and around 87% of it is Muslim and compared to Saudi Arabia, they have only 33,7 million of population even most of the population are Muslim. So, that is why Indonesia is the country where most of Indonesia live. Born and raised in Indonesia as a majority make me get so many positive and negative things at the same time. My life is so much easier because the environment itself is a really supportive area for Muslim. First, easy to find meals, where we don't need to worry what meat is on our plate in any kinds of foods from any taste of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and any other taste. Second, easy to do worship. In Indonesia, you may got culture shock because there will be a loud sound almost in every places for five times a day, it is called Adzan, a warn for Muslim to do Shalat. So we don't need to worry what time is it and thinking what time should we do Shalat because we will know from the Adzan. Besides, it is a culture in Indonesia for taking rest from activities on specific time for doing Shalat like around 12 PM for Dzuhur and it takes much longer because usually the rest will take time for lunch too, around 3 PM for Ashar, around 6.30 PM for Maghrib and around 7 PM for Isya. For the last, the Adzan is around 4 AM so you will probably wake up by this and be ready for the day. Last but not least, a right for Muslim women to wear hijab and this is a thing i'd like to elaborate.

I wear hijab since i was 10. I started to wear hijab because most of my friends, family, even my mom wears it. So i thought that wearing hijab is just a common habit and all i know is that all Muslim women have to wear it without really knowing why and it has been 7 years for me to live wearing hijab. I actually fine with that, because i don't get any difficulty while wearing it but i just don't know what purpose do i have and still wearing it. Now, i started to live in Norway for 2 years. Studying here is a really amazing chance i have never thought that this would be real. But then, i realize that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity let me know who i am and give me my identity as the time flies.

One day in a bright afternoon, a friend asked me, "Why do you wear hijab?" she said. "Because i am Muslim and i have to cover my aurat" i replied. But then she asked again,"Do all Muslim women have to wear it?", "It is actually a necessary thing to do, but it depends on how you interpret it and 'will you obey the rule' itself" i said. Later on, i don't know why, but i keep thinking that conversation. I don't feel satisfied yet by my answer. Then, i start questioning myself, why do i wear hijab...

This is actually a though question even tho it's sounds common. I don't think that I could find the best and the perfect 100% right answer for this. First of all because i am a Muslim women and Islam teaches me to cover my aurat. That's how i obey on what i believe and please my god. I am not saying that Muslim women who don't wear hijab is not proud of Islam, precisely because their belief is their way of how they believe and how they interpret hijab itself. So we can find Muslim women with no hijab, only turban, only scarf, or even niqab. This is also the way of how i do Hijrah and Jihad (a spiritual journey, a process when you make yourself better). Unfortunately, interpretation of Hijrah and Jihad in Indonesia has a not relevant parameter where you do Hijrah and Jihad already if you wear a super big hijab or sharing Islamic posts every time. For me, both of them is actually a thing that Muslim women can do it in any ways and by different goals. I live as a minority in Norway so the way i keep wearing my hijab, that's how i do Jihad. One day, when i told my friend in Indonesia through a chat about my updates here, she replied,"Be careful of whom u be friend, they might have a bad influence for you". I know what she means is actually for my good, but i think she deliver it wrong. I could be friend with anyone else, but talking about will bad influences influence me is depends on will i aware and avoid it or will i willingly accept it, and for sure, that's not about i should've avoid that person as friend. So sorry this might been a bit all over place i just have many things to say and have to put it into words.

Second of all, wearing hijab is the way i let the world know that i am a Muslim women. Eventually, obeying or not the religion is a private stuff. It gives me identity that i am a proud Muslim women. Notes, that i am more than my hijab. Having thoughts that wearing hijab can cause me refused by people around me is such an old and ancient thoughts. Wearing hijab is one of the feminist icon, it tells the society that women can decide what they want to wear and accusing the society's beauty standard (the more they revealing their self, the more they look beautiful; glowing skin, slim and tall, make up on everyday, and any other shits) is sucks. 

Last but not least, i am trying to love me more. Being insecure is a common thing that i think every one of us experienced it. I thought that i may belittle and i can move limited because of my hijab. But like i said, those all a really ancient thoughts. Come on, it's 2020 guys! 

So hopefully, i can be an open minded and stronger person also the one who knows me more than anyone does by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in UWC RCN.