hijab rant

For anyone who ever wanted to understand why Muslim women wear hijab... here is the only thing you need to know about it:

BECAUSE
WE
WANT
TO!!!
!

okay, so i'm talking about in America.
i'm just soooooooooooooooo sick of it, so i had to say this. in all caps. bold.
i don't wear it because some men in my family told me to. (actually it was my momma, initially). (and if you think she's weak, oppressed or brainwashed... well, just try saying it to her face. i DARE you. i'll videotape it and put in on youtube. before i'm arrested for complicity).
i don't wear it because i don't want people to look at me. they look at me. more. i know this. i grew up in the south.
i don't wear it because i think it will protect me from unwanted sexual attention. i've gotten that anyway. from muslims, actually. in a muslim country. we brown women know all about this.
i don't wear it because i think all men are dogs and need to be protected from the sight of my breathtakingly gloriously stunning tresses. which they are. (my hair i mean).
i wear it because I WANT TO!! it's between me and my Lord! this is AMERICA people. what else do you need to know?

honestly, a more useful question is to actually examine the commandment for hijab in the qur'an and try to understand its place in islamic belief AND muslim society. (and yes, i know that many people interpret that particular verse in such a way that they conclude it is NOT a commandment for hijab. but, many other people conclude that it is. they haven't convinced me, so this is where i'm writing from.) it being 12:30 a.m., i ain't about to touch this in any other way.

for cryin out loud, isn't there enough hate out there??????????????????????
forget about my headscarf. praise God for children instead!

why i love trader joe's

apart from the unique food items and high-inducing, rather than high, prices... oh, and the taste of The Best Orange-Peach-Mango Juice Ever Cartoned, which is why i just refer to it as OPM (say that fast...):

"The first thing you may notice about this cheese snack is the absence of a brilliant, yet artificial, orange color... We're selling each seven ounce bag of Trader Joe's Baked Jalapeno Cheese Crunchies for just $1.79. They won't glow in the dark, but neither will you if you eat them."

"This dessert is such a tart, we almost called it Lemon Hester Prynnes. But then we'd have to put an 'A' on it..."

"While a gorgonzola or an Emmenthaler can be polarizing, Cheddar is sort of the Switzerland in the cheese lineup. Yes, these are the conversations we have at Trader Joe's."

- Trader Joe's Summer Guide 2008