Hijabs are worn by plenty of Muslim and non-Muslim woman all over the world, but they receive criticism from supporters and critics.

There are plenty of people wearing hijabs on the Highline campus, and those students are no stranger to these cultural concerns.

There are many people from many ethnicities who proudly wear their hijabs to symbolize their pride in their ethnic identity. This can be seen in countries all around the world like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Afghanistan.

Hijabs aren’t just a piece of clothing though, they are so much more than that. They signify many things for many different people. It could be for religion or even a commitment to self.

One Highline student named Salma shared what wearing a hijab means to her.

Her hijab symbolizes “a source of protection and it just defines me.”

For whatever reason it may be, wearing your hijab, choosing how to wear it, or even choosing not to wear hijab should be a personal choice made by the individual.

One anonymous student said that her hijab is worn by her as a choice and that her family is supportive of her.

“They respect my decision,” she said.

Her family supports her creating her own story and is there for the ride to see her grow into her own identity. 

Even though wearing your hijab should be a choice made by oneself, it is not always the case. 

People who choose to not wear their hijab may face, in some cases, backlash like in the current Masha Amini case spreading worldwide. 

Amini was detained by Iran’s so-called morality police for wearing her hijab incorrectly. Then, official reports state that she suffered a heart attack, leading to her untimely death. 

However, her family tells a different story, they say that she was beaten to death by the police.

Because of the death of Amini, there have been nationwide protests that stood for the rights for Muslim women being able to choose the right to either wear their hijab or not. 

A Bellevue rally wants to tell the world that “Silence is Violence.” When hearing this, student’s opinions on the rally were very supportive and sad at the same time, because as one student said it happened “too little too late” for Amini. 

“She shouldn’t have died for everyone to realize the change,” said Malini, a Highline student.

Ramieyh Abdelnabi is a 27 year old who grew up in an Islamic school in Chicago where everyone wore their hijab. So for 14 years all the way through college she wore her hijab. 

Once she graduated she decided to make the choice of taking off her hijab. She says that the response she received was very tense

“When you put the scarf on, you have to understand that you are representing a community. That’s a huge responsibility. And I don’t know if it’s for everyone,” said Abdelnabi.

Students are dealing with changing times locally and globally, and the way communities grow is based on the actions of the people. But at the same time, wearing a hijab is the woman’s choice, a part of their identity.