Hi! My name is Minall and I am in 4th grade.  The thing that makes me unique is that I wear a hijab and I’m proud of it.  I also speak two languages, English and Arabic. I can even read and write in Arabic.

Once in third grade I got bullied because of the hijab on my head. The kids kept picking on me and thought I didn’t have any hair underneath my hijab. Then I had to explain to them that I do have hair and I choose to wear a hijab because it is part of being Muslim. When I go to school I love to wear different kinds of hijabs.  I sometimes wear hijabs with rhinestones, and mix and match colors.  I especially like to wear sparkly hijabs on picture day.

I knew I was also different from my sisters because I like to play sports and they like to play with barbie dolls. At school, when I play basketball girls always say, “Why do you play basketball.  That is a boys sport!” I tell them sports are not for just boys.  They are for girls too.  In basketball I like to show my classmates how to dribble a ball and do a downtown shot which means a three point shot.  Also, I like to draw animals and people. When I finish my work in class, some kids ask me if I can draw pictures of their favorite animals. I like this since this is how they can get to know me and that is what is important.