Long black cloth down to my feet,

a hijab wrapped around my head,

my intelligence I express,

my body I dismiss,

my dignity I protect.

They say I'm oppressed.

They say I'm abused.

They say I'm a terrorist, a bloodthirsty murderer.

They claim I have no heart.

They claim I'm a foreigner.

I'm not.

I'm an American.

I'm a Muslim.

I'm a fighter, not a coward.

I'm a person.

I'm a girl.

I'm an advocate for freedom bringers.

My heart is loyal.

My heart is pure.

My body is untouched.

My mind is untainted.

The West thinks they can define me,

label me like their beauty products.

The West thinks I obey them,

like all their brainwashed idiots.

I have an identity,

one that refuses to be silenced,

one that shines through bigotry.

My identity comes from Allah, not Western ideology.

You think I'm yours?

Think again because this is my identity.

-Sajdaa Taha

Character Aesthetics