Burkha Under — My Lipstick

But underneath that glossy sheen is the burkha —or rather, the hijr (the protection). It is the shield. It is the whisper that says, Your value is not in your neck, your hair, or the curve of your ears. Your value is in your substance.

The burkha taught me discipline. The lipstick taught me joy. Islam does not demand ugliness; it demands modesty of the gaze. And makeup, when worn with the right intention, is simply art on the canvas God gave you.

Don't ask me to take off my burkha to fit into your office. And don't ask me to wipe off my lipstick to fit into your congregation. burkha under my lipstick

Here is the secret I have learned at thirty:

You are not a hypocrite. You are a human being. And there is nothing more sacred than a woman who decides for herself what stays on her body and what comes off. But underneath that glossy sheen is the burkha

Let your hijab sit next to your highlighter. Let your prayer mat sit next to your vanity table.

I was wrong. They aren’t enemies. They are roommates in a very cramped studio apartment called my soul. Your value is in your substance

There is a specific kind of silence that comes with being a modern, visibly Muslim woman.