"She should do that in her own country not here"
I was sitting on the train when a french couple sat opposite me. I smiled at them both before they turned their heads away.
Everybody becomes seemingly brave with their b*tching when they think that you become completely deaf when your headphones are in, or perhaps because you wear a headscarf it somehow limits your understanding of English?
The woman then began talking about my headscarf (in English with a french accent) saying "I don't know why she's doing all this *gesturing around her head about the hijab before scoffing* she's showing her ankles... And the worst is when they do this thing *making burqa gestures around the eyes*, it's so stupid". "She should do that in her own country not here..." etc. The hate rant went on a little longer.
Her husband was agreeable, and said 'I know... you see them everywhere here'. Then after pausing he said to her "just try not to think about it". She responded 'I can't' waving her hands in my direction.
I was about to take my headphones out and respond before I received (and took) a phone call. I can only assume they were shocked with my 'near perfect'British accent because they couldn't stop staring at me with looks of surprise slapped across their faces.
I don't know if was embarrassment which lead her to her next sentence but she turned to her husband and said 'let's find another seat' and got up and walked further down the carriages.
What on earth is wrong with humanity?
I could've easily have sl*gged off her disgustingly coordinated hot pink outfit - which quite frankly I couldn't physically bare the sight of- mainly because it was an offensive fluorescent 'highlighter' shade pink. If anybody had any reason to move seats based on clothing choices of others it would've been me and my poor suffering eyes. But I didn't, why? Because I know better than to provide unwarranted/judgmental comments and actions based on the wardrobe choices of others.
As for my ankles which supposedly invalidated my whole hijab and attempts of pleasing God - I'm not a prefect, model Muslim, I have my own struggles in life, but If that's the only flaw she could point out with my hijab then that makes me proud. Lord knows the struggle I suffer to get to the point that I am at now and the amount of vile human beings (like these two) I endure on an almost weekly basis, who judge and make nasty remarks on the way women like myself CHOOSE to dress.
If you have an issue with a country which allows women the freedom to cover as little or as much as they please, kindly go back to France's secularism where they strip woman off in public, there is no place for that in our society.
Unfortunately for these Frenchman they were blessed with neither beautiful wardrobe choices nor personality. If you cannot possess both in life, at least strive to better your personality to make up for the days when you have hot pink 'disaster outfits'. Don't let this be you.
Think kindly of fellow beings, everybody is going through a struggle you know nothing about. My religion teaches me that you get rewarded just for smiling at others.
My Islam, my choice.
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