They rudely stare,
oblivious to the fact
that I can see them staring.

With their obnoxiously loud voices

they ask me offensive questions,
forgetting that I too am a human being
who has feelings.

Because I don’t show my hair
they assume that I’m bald.
I guess they think that the ginormous bump
on the back of my head is
Voldemort’s face.
When they find out that I do have hair,
they assume I don’t wash it.
If you don’t show you hair
I guess that automatically means
your dirty or something.

“Omg Donia when you going swimming
what do you wear?”
A question that has been asked
by many people.
Don’t get me wrong,
it’s a reasonable question.
The reactions and shocked faces
I get after calmly saying
“tights with swim trunks
and a long selves T-shirt”
is what bothers me.
For some weird reason,
this answer is never good enough.
The person ends up asking me
the same question,
just with a different
wording and tone.
Doesn’t matter how many damn times
you repeat the question people,
I am still going to have the
same fucking answer.

"What would happen if you tripped and
your scarf fell off?"
A question asked by the most
annoying twerp
in my piano class.
Beause my hijab will really
magically "fly" off if I trip!

Sadly many of these people
would rather hide
behind their ignorance
then learn about individuals
who seem “different”.

I have kept quiet and smiled
politely for way too long.
I’m done with that!
It’s time I answered all these
“questions.”

No, I am not bald,

and yes I wash my hair.

No, I don’t shower or sleep
with it on.
No, the other Muslim kid in your club
isn’t related to me.
No, not all Muslims are Arabs
and vice versa.
No, I don’t speak Muslim,
I speak Arabic.
No, I am never as hot
as you think I am.
No, I won’t get struck by lightening
if I take off my scarf.
No, this isn’t called a f***ing towel or a hat;
it’s called a hijab,
and if that’s too hard to pronounce
call it a freaking scarf.

The next time you are watching Bill Maher or Fox News and

you hear them say something outrageously ignorant
and offensive
towards Muslims,
please don’t just believe what they says.
For once in your life use your damn brain and think.
It’s really not that hard,
A lot of us
do that on a daily basis.

Better yet, go outside and meet a Muslim,
ask her/him a reasonable question or two.
Once you do,
you might realize that
you guys have more similarities
than differences.