Burkha Under My Lipstick (2027)

Sometimes, I walk into the mosque for Friday prayers, and the aunties look at my manicured nails and tinted lips with suspicion. They whisper about how the West has corrupted me. They don’t realize that the Quran they are holding teaches that God looks at your heart, not the pigment on your mouth.

The hardest part isn't wearing both. The hardest part is the smudge. burkha under my lipstick

Let your hijab sit next to your highlighter. Let your prayer mat sit next to your vanity table. Sometimes, I walk into the mosque for Friday

It’s not the silence of oppression, as the pundits on television would have you believe. It’s the silence of being a walking contradiction. I am the girl who sips a caramel macchiato while discussing Tafsir. I am the woman who can negotiate a six-figure contract in a blazer, yet soften her voice when an elder enters the room. The hardest part isn't wearing both