Thanks so much for sharing this, Maha. I read it a few days ago and have been thinking about it since. I’ve talked to women before who have stopped wearing a hijab and they’ve spoken of their decisions as a way to wrest control of their own (female) bodies back from the overt and more subtle forms of patriarchy their perceived as part of their religion. They also spoke of the backlash they faced from family and community as part of their decision. Hearing your story, which is in so many ways diametrically opposed to theirs, has given me another viewpoint. It’s also made it clear to me that, as a “westerner” and someone who is strongly non-religious, I likely do tend to draw conclusions based on such things, and that’s something I really do need to call myself out on. Hopefully we’ll run into each other at some conference some day ’cause I’d love to talk to you more about this type of stuff!