Cenet Doganay

I love this girl so much.  She is, in my opinion, among the best of Muslims.

Let me tell you her story.

In 2004, Cenet was only 15 and observing Islam in France.  That's not always easy!  There's a lot of xenophobia; "fear of foreign things and people," in Paris.  Despite their Gallic ancestors storming the Bastille for freedom, the French don't actually want human rights across the board.

So, Cenet became a pawn by the grown-ups playing around with dress codes.  She was stuck in the middle of a fight about religious articles in school.  The French government felt that any jewelery or clothing which identified the wearer's faith was wrong; it would fracture society.  No yamulkas.  No crosses on a chain.  No hijabs.

Cenet tried to work with her school. 

Bandana?  No. 

Beret?  No.

It was so frustrating for her to love school and want to attend but to be turned back day after day.  She was unable to go to her classes----not because she insisted on wearing hijab.  She didn't!  She was adamant, however, on covering her hair.

"No, you can't see my hair."

What I love, love, love about Cenet Doganay is that eventually she came to see how ridiculous and unreasonable the demands were.  She looked again at her bottom line, which was, "No, you can't see my hair". 

No...can't see....my hair.

No...can't...hair!

No...hair!

NO HAIR!

She realized what she could do. 

The next morning she arrived at school in her hijab.  The press was waiting for the showdown.  They knew she wouldn't be allowed in.  She knew it too.  She stood there a moment and then she took off her hijab.

She was bald.

She had shaved her head completely bald.

Yes, you could make her remove her hijab but that didn't mean that you got to see her hair.

Mashallah, that is one of the best jihad moments of our life time. 

Mashahallah!  Mashahallah!

I love Cenet Doganay.