Women who wear the hijab are often stereotyped, treated differently and discriminated against, said Nama Qadir, a young Muslim girl who wears the hijab.
The hijab is the headscarf that some Muslim women choose to wear as a symbol of modesty.
“The hijab is meant to be a respectful symbol, but no one sees it that way,” said Qadir.
Racism is not supposed to be so bad anymore but, it is still prevalent in Northern America, Qadir said.
“They think that just because I wear this, I am stupid or inferior to them, like I am less intelligent or oppressed,” said Qadir.
The hijab is viewed in a negative light and many people seem to mistake it for a sign of terrorism, said Qadir.
“It doesn’t mean I am secretly working for ISIS. Islam and ISIS are not synonymous and I wish people would realize that fact.”
Muhajabis deal with slights against their religion on an almost a daily basis, but not everyone has had a negative reaction to Muhajabis, said Qadir.
A Muhajabi, amongst Muslims, is often used as a term to refer to a woman who wears the hijab, also known as a headscarf, explained Qadir.
Qadir said that the idea that non-Muslims see the hijab in a negative connotation, makes her mourn for humanity.
“Us Muhajabis we cover our hair not our brains, we are just as smart as the next girl, and I hate it when people don’t see that,” said Qadir.
The reason why Muslim girls choose to wear the hijab has grown obscure, some girls are forced by their parents, the majority made the decision of their own volition, said Qadir.
“I wear the Hijab because I chose to, because it was my decision and no one else’s; Mine,” said Qadir.
BBC said that over 50 percent of Muslims in the U.S. say they have felt discriminated against in recent years since Trump was elected.
According to StatsCan, although Canada is a multicultural country, victimization of immigrants is still prevalent.
Abeer Hagar said that although she has been in Canada for over 20 years, and is a successful businesswoman she still has experienced racism and contempt because of what she wears.
“It hurts because I am human too and it is hard when it happens because the way they treat you feels unreal, and it is depressing,” said Hagar.
Hagar once was approached by an intoxicated male on the train who shouted extremely offensive remarks at her.
“You know, the part that hurts the most is the fact that even though he is of a different colour he still felt the need to treat me so badly,” said Hagar.
“He actually told me to go back to my country, and that I should get off the train. I was so scared, and it was not because of the colour of his skin, I was afraid of what he would do,” said Hagar.
During 9/11 Hagar was still relatively new to Canada and had been on the bus to drop her young child off at daycare.
“They glared at me and I didn’t know why, but it hurt because they were blaming me and my baby for something we had nothing to do with,” said Hagar.
The judgment cuts deep and racism has been prevalent within society for a long time it only became more obvious when 9/11 happened and ISIS and the Taliban surfaced, Hagar said.
Like Qadir, Hagar has been subjected to stereotyping, and has been treated as though she lacks intelligence.
“I hate it, they speak to me slowly and try to explain things to me as if I don’t know shit, after 20 years in Canada I know things,” said Hagar.
Hagar said that even Muslim women who don’t wear the hijab are subjected to islamophobia, and it is not solely the women either.
Although it is harder to tell when a male is Muslim, a lot of the time they are treated poorly by other people, said Hagar.
“Whether someone is white, brown, or black and whether they are immigrants, refugees or were born here and whether they have a piece of fabric wrapped around their heads or not, man or woman. We are all human beings and should treat each other as such,” said Hagar.
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