Hoda…and the microbus that made me cry

I’m not the type to cry in the street.
But what happened today made me let my tears fall without hesitation.

I was coming back from college… The day had been hard, and the professor had humiliated me for being absent for two days.
I didn’t even have the energy to respond.

I got on the microbus, and I sat in the front seat by the door.
I was wearing a light gray abaya from Oswa, and a long scarf that fell to the middle of my body.
It wasn’t the first time I’d worn this…
But it was the first time I’d felt in danger because of it.

The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror and said loudly:
“Are you joining ISIS?!”
And he laughed.

All the passengers laughed.
Even the boy next to me couldn’t hold back his breath.

I kept quiet.
But my eyes welled up.

He said to me:
“Why are you crying? You’re joking, old lady!”

But I wasn’t crying from the jokes…
I was crying from the pain that accumulated every day.

Every day a word… every day a mockery… every day a question: “Why are you dressed like that?”

I walked off the bus before I even got there.

I walked on foot, praying:
“Oh God, make me steadfast… even if everyone thinks I’m strange.”

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📌 Tell us:
Have you ever experienced a situation like this?
Have you faced bullying because of your clothing?

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