The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXI

Aya Bihi
Melissa Ma, Teacher
Salemwood School, Malden, MA
What is courage? Courage can be different for other people. Some say
courage is bravery. Others say it’s endurance. My definition of courage is
having confidence. When somebody is confident in themselves, they feel like
they could rule the world! In the beginning of fifth grade I chose to start
wearing a hijab, a religious scarf worn by Muslim women. My excitement was
skyrocketing! I now felt I could be more like people I admire, like my mother.
My smile spread from ear to ear, but that soon would all change.
When I arrived on the first day of school I felt people’s eyes stuck onto me.
I felt so self-conscious and thought there was something wrong with how I
looked. People constantly whispered behind my back, and it really troubled
me. My embarrassment rose while my confidence dropped.
“Somebody who does
not have confidence
is just like a ghost.
They don’t recognize
who they are until
they just fade away.
Having confidence
allows you to be
visible and advocate
for others.”
During a special month called Ramadan, we fast for 30 days. During the
school day I wouldn’t eat or drink and people took advantage of that. Before
lunch they’d talk loudly about food right in front of me, saying things like,
“Mmm can’t wait to dig into all this sushi!” and, “Imagine eating at 12 AM.”
It irritated me a lot since it had nothing to do with them if I fasted or not.
Eventually some students started mocking words in Arabic, my native
language. When the teacher heard them say these things, they told her it
meant something different. Some of the things they did were saying, “I
support Allah!” (The God Muslims believe in) while making the sign of the
cross. Also, they were mocking the word Astaghfirullah which means, “Oh
Allah, please forgive me.” I never told the teachers anything because I never
wanted to be involved with all the drama.
Some time during the year I met a girl who just moved and shared interests
with me. Before I knew it, I was laughing with her. There were two other girls
too. They said they really liked my style, and I inspired them to wear a hijab
as well! I did not know what to make of it because nobody really says things
like that about my hijab. Soon enough I started loving myself for who I was
because my hijab is also part of me.
Even to this day people still say rude things, but they never get through to me.
I now know there will be people there for me during difficult times. Somebody
who does not have confidence is just like a ghost. They don’t recognize who
they are until they just fade away. Having confidence allows you to be visible
and advocate for others.
The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond
Volume XXXI
68 69