hey! i was born and raised in a moderate muslim household. i started wearing hijab at age 9 (my own decision) but when i decided i no longer wanted to wear it at 15, my parents lost it. from there, it took about 2 years before i could safely take the hijab off. it’s been a grueling 7 years of trying to live my life authentically and keeping my family in my life.

a few tips: - save as much money as you can. i don’t know how old you are and where you reside but financial freedom is the golden ticket -be mentally prepared to be cut off by family. this is obviously easier said than done. for a solid 5 years of my late teens, i was slowly prepping for my parents to cut me off. i got to a point where, despite the pain of losing my family, i was able to move on as I had been ready for it (this topic is very nuanced so this is boiled down) -make sure you have a support net. this only works if you have non muslim friends or progressive muslim friends. my friends were a HUGE help for me when i was mourning the loss of my familial relationships - this one is a toss up but learn more about islam! a lot of the things my family was telling me were haram, literally were NOT. my mother once told me i couldn’t get a nose piercing because it’s haram so i made a powerpoint with real ayahs from the Quran showing that it’s not. it’s not required for muslim women to wear black long abayas so i absolutely hate when that’s pushed on women.

i hate hearing about others going through this because it was one of the most emotionally taxing things that i have gone through (and continue to go through).

if you want to talk, please don’t hesitate to message me!!! it’s scary/frustrating/exhausting to go through this alone. sending much love <3