The Girl With The Headscarf

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She heard the sniggers and was aware of the not-so-subtle whisperings behind her back. But today was different.

Today she had been confronted by a group of girls who had cornered her in the bathroom. They hadn't gotten physical with her but one of them had pulled on one end of her scarf. People would say that it was harmless teasing but Lamees knew that this could just as well be the beginning of something unpleasant.

What if the next time they teased, they got rough with her? What if they actually hurt her?

She cried herself to sleep that night because the mere fact that her brain had been wired to think about the worst possible outcome from any situation spoke volumes. She wasn't blind to the hatred and the judgment that came with being a Muslim. She had seen it and heard it and even experienced it.

Most Muslims lived in fear of being isolated, of being different and picked on because of that and it was because they saw how other people treated Muslims. She didn't want to be treated like that. She didn't want to be afraid - and she had already started to become fearful.