Hoda…and my fiancé who told me: “If you wear the niqab, we will leave each other!”

I was sitting with him in a quiet café, away from people and crowds.
We don’t sit in places like this often, but this time I wanted him to listen to me.
I was wearing a simple beige abaya and headscarf, without a niqab, just as he likes.
But my heart wasn’t at ease… because of what I was about to say.
I told him calmly, “I’m thinking of wearing the niqab.”
He was silent.
His face changed.
He removed his hand from the glass and looked at me with a blank stare:
“Hoda… we agreed to live a normal life.
This niqab doesn’t suit you… nor does it suit our way.”
I told him, “What’s normal? That I dress for people to be comfortable?
Or that I dress for God’s sake?”
He said coldly, “I love you like this… and I think the niqab will hold you back.
If you intend to go down that path… then we need to rethink everything.”
My heart ached. I thought he’d hold my hand when I was weak…
Protect me when I was embarrassed…
Encourage me when I was afraid.
I found him putting me in front of a choice:
Me…or the niqab.
But what he doesn’t understand is that the hijab isn’t just clothing,
it’s a covenant…between me and God.
And every day I discover that I need to cover more than just my body…
I need to protect my heart from people who see religion as a “burden” rather than a light.
He was silent.
I didn’t answer.
But as I was leaving, I had made a decision.
If this is love…then true love won’t let me give up on myself.
And if he doesn’t see the niqab as anything but a prison…
I won’t look for a key…
I’ll look for someone who doesn’t lock the door in the first place.
I am Hoda…
And if I’m left alone,
I am not alone.
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📌 Share with us:
Have you met someone who rejected your Islamic dress? Have you ever been subjected to pressure from your fiancé or family?
Share your thoughts with us, and we might share your story in Huda’s Diary (under a pseudonym, if you’d like).