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When I was one of the very few girls wearing hijab in a small southern town with a tiny minority population, the general belief was that girls who wore the hijab were judgmental and looked down upon girls who did not.

But over the past few years, as the number of girls in hijab has visibly grown, the tables seem to have turned. I hear so many judgments of girls who wear hijab by their own Muslim brothers and sisters. They usually start with, "Look at that girl in hijab. And they continue with one of these - her bangs are showing," "her jeans are so tight," "she's wearing lipstick," "she's talking to a boy," "her sleeves don't go until her wrists." And they often end with, "Why does she even bother wearing hijab?"

And don't even get me started on the term that groups them all into one huge category - hijiabi. Do we do that to any other group (besides namazi, which is an outdated Urdu term [at least for the generations raised in the US]) of people who are trying to worship Allah? We don't hear prayi, or fasti, or charity giveri or volunteeri or truth telleri.

When a Muslima decides to wear hijab, she's not saying that she's any better than anyone else. She's just doing one more thing to be closer to Allah; it's just like someone who gives up cursing or listening to music or takes up daily prayer or prays more often at the masjid or starts to attend a halaqa. We're all just trying to fulfill our deen.

And the funniest part is that those who are passing the judgments are often the same people who are tired of being judged by aunties and uncles in their communities. They're the ones who are always complaining about how horrible it is to judge a Muslim for smoking hookah or hanging out with the opposite sex on campus or not always make it to Jumaa salat on time. They're annoyed that others don't understand that they really are God-fearing and good people.

So why do we do this, hold hijabis (ugh, the word makes me cringe) to higher standards? I think it's because these girls are so visible and their sacrifice is so apparent. But most girls who wear hijab are like any other girls. They enjoy dressing up, wearing makeup and jewelry and styling their hair. They enjoy dressing up and going out, hanging out with friends and having a good time.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) advised us to overlook our brothers' and sisters' faults, so why do so many girls in hijab still attract so much scrutiny?

Rehma Pervez is an Atlanta resident who spends as much of her time exploring Georgia's natural beauty as she can. She enjoys hiking, kayaking and biking and encourages those in her community to get active and fit. She integrates the love of nature into each of her Islamic lesson plans for her 2nd grade class.

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