I Would Not Have It Any Other Way
I was born in Jamaica to a Jamaican father and Trinidadian mother and have practised Islam all my 21 years of life and I would not have it any other way. My parents and I are the only Muslims on my dad's side of the family so I didn't exactly have any Muslim relatives growing up. I stuck close to the small Jamaican Muslim community and have considered them my family ever since.
I went to an Islamic Kindergarten, which was great, but transitioning from an Islamic institution to a Christian preparatory school was a big deal for 6-year-old Hassanah. I began wearing my hijab in grade 1 and after it was yanked off my head a couple times, people got the gist that whatever they did, I am not letting go of my faith.
My uniform was altered to a more modest skirt and blouse for the rest of my preparatory years. Even though there were no troubles with how I dressed moving on, I still received remarks about my faith. For career day in grade 5, I dressed up as a pilot and students hurled stereotypical comments such as "are you becoming a pilot so you can go back to where you came from?" and "are you gonna drop bombs on people?". That sucked, but overall, I was accepted.
Transitioning to St. Andrew High School for Girls wasn't as daunting as I had imagined, however, before entering the school, my parents were told that head-dresses weren't allowed with the school uniform and I have to dress like everyone else, even though I dress the way I do for religious reasons. I simply told my parents that if I can't wear my hijab to school I am not going. The principal at the time conceded and I was allowed to wear my hijab and long sleeves with my uniform. Making friends initially was a bit difficult. Most people only saw me for "what I wore on my head".
At that age, I just wanted people to get to know the person I was inside and not focus on how I dressed. I'm a human being under these clothes, you know? Anyway, the real challenge was having to deal with the public when taking the bus to and from school. I was used to people staring at me, but this was amplified. I would sometimes take a lonely route to walk from school to the Transport Centre (I know now that wasn't the safest thing) just so I wouldn't have to encounter anyone shouting "ISIS!" at me. It was rough but I tried to stay calm throughout it all. As someone who experiences social anxiety, children make me nervous because they blurt out anything that's on their minds whenever they see me, and I try my best to educate them.
As an adult, I look back and understand that a lot of Jamaicans don't exactly know much about being around Muslims, simply because the community here is quite small. I do what I can to set a good example for all Muslims and answer questions as best as possible. I must say that Jamaicans are overall tolerant of Muslims and they respect us. For all of my life, I am confident that if I go into any store or gathering, I will not be shunned or ridiculed for my faith.