America`s Beauty Is In Its Diversity

America is built on the idea of freedom, and there is no exception for Muslim women. I believe in the freedom of religion and speech. But mostly, I believe it’s OK to be different, and to stand up for who and what you are. So I believe in wearing the hijab.

美国是建立在自由理念上的，对穆斯林女性也没有例外。我相信宗教和言论自由。但在大多数情况下，我更相信有差异，能表明你是谁，这不错。因此我相信带面纱。

The hijab is a religious head covering, like a scarf. I am Muslim and keeping my head covered is a sign of maturity and respect toward my religion and to Allah’s will. To be honest, I also like to wear it to be different. I don’t usually like to do what everyone else is doing. I want to be an individual, not just part of the crowd. But when I first wore it, I was also afraid of the reaction that I’d get at school.

面纱是一种类似头巾的，宗教性的蒙头装饰。我是一个穆斯林。覆盖我的头部是成熟的标志和对我信仰的尊重，是安拉的意愿。实话讲，我也喜欢带它来显得与众不同。我不喜欢做每人都在做的事情。我想成为一个个体，而不仅是群体的一部分。但当我第一次带时，我也被我到学校的反应吓坏了。

I decided on my own that sixth grade was the time I should start wearing the hijab. I was scared about what the kids would say or even do to me. I thought they might make fun of me, or even be scared of me and pull off my headscarf. Kids at that age usually like to be all the same, and there’s little or no acceptance for being different.

我自己决定六年级时我应该开始带面纱。我害怕伙伴们会说什么甚至他们会做什么。我想 他们也许会取笑我，或者甚至会害怕我并扯下我的头巾。那个年龄的孩子们总喜欢都一样，几乎没有不同，也不接受与众不同。

On the first day of school, I put all those negative thoughts behind my back and walked in with my head held high. I was holding my breath a little, but inside I was also proud to be a Muslim, proud to be wearing the hijab, proud to be different.

到校的第一天，我把一切负面想法抛在脑后，昂着头走进学校。我稍稍屏住呼吸，但内心里仍为我是一个穆斯林而自豪，为带头巾而自豪，为与众不同而自豪。

I was wrong about everything I thought the kids would say or even do to me. I actually met a lot of people because of wearing my head covering. Most of the kids would come and ask me questions—respectfully—about the hijab, and why I wore it.

我那些关于伙伴们会说些什么，做些什么的想法都错了。我确实因为我带了头巾而碰到很多人。大多数孩子会走过来并礼貌的问我关于面纱的问题，以及我为什么带它。

I did hear some kid was making fun of me, but there was one girl—she wasn’t even in my class, we never really talked much—and she stood up for me, and I wasn’t even there! I made a lot of new friends that year, friends that I still have until this very day, five years later.

我也听到有人嘲笑我，但有个女孩-她甚至不是我班的，我们从没说很多话-而她站出来为我辩护，我甚至不在那儿！那年我交了很多新朋友，而直到五年后的今天，他们仍然是我的朋友。

Yes, I’m different, but everyone is different here, in one way or another. This is the beauty of America.

是的，我与众不同，但这儿的每个人这里或者那里都有与众不同的地方。这就是美国之美。

I believe in what America is built on: all different religions, races and beliefs. Different everything.

我相信美国建国所基：不同的宗教，不同的种族，不同的信仰。所有的不同。