If you were to see me casually walking down the street, here’s what you might notice: One, I’m a girl. Two, I’m African American. But what you may never guess in a million years is that I am Muslim.
Don’t be alarmed. People are always shocked when I tell them.
I don’t have an accent, but rather possess the voice of a 12 year old girl with Oakland swang type talk. You know -- slang with swag. I rarely wear a hijab. That scarf thing that Muslim women wear on their heads. You definitely will never catch me in an abaya, those long plain black dresses that look hella big. I wear jeans, skirts, and rock braids.
Yes, I am a typical, ordinary American girl.
What makes me Muslim? My faith. I follow the five pillars of Islam, I read the Quran, and go to the mosque. Since the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, I keep seeing videos on YouTube of classmates beating up Muslim girls, trying to take off their hijabs.