Best friends Asmaa Abou Zeidan, middle, and Zahraa El-Zaibak, right, live across the street from each other. One wears the headscarf, known as the hijab, the other doesn’t. The girls tell the Star what everyone wants to know. Why the hijab? And why not?

Asmaa Abou Zeidan scans through her closet and – like most mornings – settles on a shirt her mother doesn't like.

It's a white linen button-up blouse, falling just above the knee.

"She thinks it's too tight," the 16-year-old sighs. "She thinks everything I own is too tight. `That's not the way a Muslim girl is supposed to dress. You're supposed to be modest,'" she says.

Asmaa doesn't consider herself super-religious. She reads the Qur'an – when her parents ask her to. She attends mosque, prays five times a day, and believes in Islam, but right now Asmaa's priorities are her family, friends and being 16.

On a typical day, Asmaa likes to hang around school for a bit after the final 3:15 p.m. bell. Sometimes, she and some friends will hop the 43 bus to the Scarborough Town Centre for some shopping.

"I don't have to be home until dark, although in the winter that's pretty early," she says. "My parents are pretty lenient with things like this. I can hang out with my friends as long as my mom knows where I am."That said, Asmaa lives a life of clear limits. She's never had a sleepover at a friend's house. She's not allowed to have a boyfriend and any secret crushes have to stay that way.

Well-liked at school, and as happy as a 16-year-old can be, Asmaa wears the hijab – by choice. It's a decision she made at 12, late by some standards.

"I liked the way people treated me when I wore it. I get more respect," says the Winston Churchill Collegiate student. "And I like the way it looks." Asmaa skims through her 25 or so scarves, selecting a chequered black and white one, with a pearl pin she bought at an Islamic clothing store down the street. In 30 seconds, she's wrapped it around her shoulder-length black hair.

"My hair's just black right now. But a few months ago I had it dyed red with highlights," she says, her soft eyes beaming. She laughs, anticipating the next question. But who's going to see it?

"What? I'm still a girl," she laughs. "My friends see it sometimes."

She means either at home, when no men are around, or in fitness class. "It's just girls, so when they close the gym doors, sometimes I take off my hijab," she says.

But sometimes, she just lets her hair down. Late at night, Asmaa will sneak down to her building's pool for a swim. Her bathing suit goes all the way to her ankles and wrists. She wears a cap on her head. Only when she's sure no one will walk in, Asmaa takes off the cap to feel the water run through her hair.


ZAHRAA EL-ZAIBAK


Most days, Zahraa El-Zaibak and her friends congregate outside the main school entrance after the final 3:15 p.m. bell.

Kids from other cliques stop to chat. A grade 11 student in conversation with Zahraa's friend Asmaa stops mid-sentence, looking over at Zahraa. He makes a face.

"Are you Muslim?" he asks

"Yes," the 15-year-old replies, with a hint of annoyance.

"Then why don't you wear the scarf?"

Let's just say Zahraa's heard that before.

In typical teenage fashion, clothing is a pillar of Zahraa's teenage life. On this day, Zahraa's wearing a brown crushed velvet track jacket over some loose-fitting blue jeans. It's a modest ensemble compared to what the average, low-rise-jean-wearing high schooler might wear. But by traditional Muslim standards the jacket's too short.

And the jacket's zipper is only half done up, revealing a not-so-baggy tank top that scoops a few millimetres too low below the collarbone.

But it's the one thing she doesn't wear that always creates questions.

"It happens all the time and I'm sick of hearing it," she says, in a severe tone.

"People think that if you don't wear the hijab you're not religious. They look on the outside. If you're wearing the hijab then you're automatically religious, instead of getting to know a person and see what they're really like."

Zahraa is "the sweetest girl you'll ever meet," according to her two best friends. But discussing the hijab brings out an uncharacteristic passion.

A scarf is not the only indicator of your spirituality, she says. She's learning how to read and write Arabic, so she can study the Qur'an, prays, attends mosque, fasts during Ramadan and says she thinks about faith and religion and what they mean to her.

"It's not that I won't wear one," she says about the hijab. "I'm just not ready for it yet. I will wear it one day. I know that. Just not right now. For me, I want to be spiritually ready to do it and not regret it later. It really changes everything."

She knows she's treated differently than Asmaa, her best friend, who does wear the hijab.

"They think you're more – I can't think of the word – traditional."

For one, it would change how she dressed every day. Like many 15-year-olds, she wants to be able to wear what she likes.

As it is now, Zahraa gets up a bit earlier than the rest of her friends. She has to.

Her voluminous shoulder-length hair takes at least half an hour to tame. After a shower and quick blow dry, Zahraa reaches for a can of mousse and works it through the curls, crunching her hands into fists.

The last thing she does before she meets the morning is pull her dark brown bangs back with a pair of bobby pins.

Why was this moved form social? It is of little importance here.

Because Reds feels it's religious.
Reds hate anything to do hijab but insha Allah make dua that one day she will be able to see the virtue in it.

quote:

Originally posted by Abu Jihad:
Why was this moved form social? It is of little importance here.

i like a woman in hijab. its a turn on

Libass al taqwa..dhalika khayr. Quran.

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:

quote:

Originally posted by Abu Jihad:
Why was this moved form social? It is of little importance here.

i like a woman in hijab. its a turn on

It is true. There one scene I will remember forever. We had just completed Hajj and woman was the last thing on my mind while I walked into the Lobby of the Hotel. As I entered I saw the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. She was covered from Head to toe in black and the only thing I could recognize was her eyes through the slit and her hands. Yet I know this was a beautiful woman.

Bannas...cow eyes are beautiful. Put a hijab over a cow, and they eyes will make you think you got a houri under pardah. Tek it off, and what you will think will make you sing "allah mere tauba."
I have seen beautiful women with/w/o hijab. Some of them in Saudi. Most of them in Guyana.

i like the hijab because i can tie her around her neck and drag her around

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
i like the hijab because i can tie her around her neck and drag her around

Now yuh loosin it Krish.

quote:

Originally posted by ksazma:

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
i like the hijab because i can tie her around her neck and drag her around

Now yuh loosin it Krish.

no i am not. it the privacy of one's home. it can be really be used as a turn on. try it tionite

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
it can be really be used as a turn on. try it tionite

Sounds more like abuse to me. Nat into abusive stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by ksazma:

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
it can be really be used as a turn on. try it tionite

Sounds more like abuse to me. Nat into abusive stuff.

arite i guess you are not the creative type

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
arite i guess you are not the creative type

if yuh seh yuh mekkin joke. but even suh it wud be a bad joke rant.

i am not jokinmg

quote:

Put a hijab over a cow, and they eyes will make you think you got a houri under pardah.

Me tell ayyo rant , this should be in social.

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
i am not jokinmg

Den yuh fulla shit Krish.

.

quote:

Originally posted by Abu Jihad:

quote:

Put a hijab over a cow, and they eyes will make you think you got a houri under pardah.

Me tell ayyo rant , this should be in social.

lol

When I was in saudi, one of my literature teachers said that the hijab was a mercy from God. He explained that god made it for ugly women. The story is memorable to me because, unlike the other mideast universities, Saudi had a rule..professors could only speak perfect arabic (no street talk). His language was like cornel west's english.

quote:

Originally posted by ksazma:

quote:

Originally posted by krishna:
i am not jokinmg

Den yuh fulla shit Krish.

wah kind daag?

quote:

Originally posted by Chief:
Because Reds feels it's religious.
Reds hate anything to do hijab but insha Allah make dua that one day she will be able to see the virtue in it.

excuse me what????/

i didnt move the friggin thread. and where did i say i hate the hijab? like i should come over there and choke you rass with one?...

quote:

Originally posted by Reds:

quote:

Originally posted by Chief:
Because Reds feels it's religious.
Reds hate anything to do hijab but insha Allah make dua that one day she will be able to see the virtue in it.

excuse me what????/

i didnt move the friggin thread. and where did i say i hate the hijab? like i should come over there and choke you rass with one?...

well go and put in on now before me come over and choke you to :):) how na deed ?

quote:

i didnt move the friggin thread. and where did i say i hate the hijab?

since you like hijab, put it on and stap cussing the bruddah. Hijabis should know betta.

quote:

Originally posted by Abu Jihad:

quote:

i didnt move the friggin thread. and where did i say i hate the hijab?

since you like hijab, put it on and stap cussing the bruddah. Hijabis should know betta.

now look how Reds gun cuss you out fu start :):):)

quote:

Originally posted by SuperMike:

quote:

Originally posted by Abu Jihad:

quote:

i didnt move the friggin thread. and where did i say i hate the hijab?

since you like hijab, put it on and stap cussing the bruddah. Hijabis should know betta.

now look how Reds gun cuss you out fu start :):):)

i dont speak to ignars like him.

quote:

Originally posted by Reds:

quote:

Originally posted by SuperMike:

quote:

Originally posted by Abu Jihad:

quote:

i didnt move the friggin thread. and where did i say i hate the hijab?

since you like hijab, put it on and stap cussing the bruddah. Hijabis should know betta.

now look how Reds gun cuss you out fu start :):):)

i dont speak to ignars like him.

OOUCH...don't be so ruff with the broda Reds :)