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Dear conventional Muslim women,

Please stop trying to make me like you; I am different. Please don’t tell me to wear what clicks into your frame of mind as “modest”. Understand that, just as you are most comfortable doing so, I may not be. Your purdah is a mere part of your religion, not all of it. Nor is it your ticket to paradise. The amount of scrutiny you put me and others like me through, however, could be a major deciding factor in your path to heaven (or hell).

Yes, I get that covering up is something our religion heavily promotes, but that, in no way makes you superior to me. You do not have the right (just like any entity other than God) to tell me how good of a person I am. Also, you are not in charge of my faith, so don’t blatantly assume at the back of your head that I am bound to rot in hell just because of how I dress.

Don’t judge me for how loud I laugh or hanging around guys. Trust me, I’m fully aware of all my religious boundaries and hence, won’t cross them. We say that us, Muslims, are hated on by the entire world because of a bunch of lunatics who go around blowing things up. But think about it, aren’t you doing the same on a lower level, too? You’re blowing up my faith in God by making me feel like He hates me because of the way I was raised.

And plus, so many of you wear it only because your parents won’t let you out of the house without it after puberty or because your in-laws think that their dear bahoo (daughter-in-law) should look like the epitome of modesty. So, if you can’t think of a good enough reason as to what you’ve been following for majority of your life, why preach? Stop treating purdah like it’s a social status symbol.

It’s something some of us do in order to feel protected or closer to God. And if a woman feels just fine without it, let her be. Stop giving her the judgmental glares and astaghfirullah’s (an expression referring to seeking forgiveness from God). If she wants to repent, she’ll do so herself.

So, dear women, please respect the fact that we believe in the same God and the book He has sent to us. Respect the fact that I am human before I am a fellow Muslim. You are fully entitled to your opinion of me, but please don’t let those opinions make me feel like shit. Broaden your mindsets, be a little more accepting of those who don’t live lives similar to yours, and let live.