Friday Fiction in Five Sentences

Behind The Hijab…

jacquelineobyikocha

Halima is a good Muslim woman, but in her husband’s eyes, she’s too beautiful to a fault.

When she joined the bank as an intern, she met the gentlemanly Rashidi; a legal adviser at the bank.

A quick courtship ensued; they fell in love, their marriage Nikah was conducted and baby Hakeem arrived, with a darling baby girl Salama all within two years of nuptials.

With respect to Rashidi’s wishes, she became a stay-at-home mom and agreed to always wear the full covered Hijab because he wanted no one ogling his wife when they went out.

In no time, her hijab became a veil to mask the pain in her eye’s and the bruises around her throat. She kept struggling harder to be a better wife, to speak more softly in the face of the new brute who has invaded their home.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

P.S. I don’t care what religious denomination you believe in, but I care about humanity and domestic violence. Say no to domestic violence. This story came after watching an annoying video of a Pakistani man viciously striking his wife consistently on a train. I wondered why no one tried to stop him.


Jacqueline writes from her heart on passion, pain, suffering, loss and LIFE. I have been incredibly moved by her poetry and I know I will return to “Out of the Silent Breath” again and again.

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Published by jacquelineobyikocha

A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.

69 thoughts on “Behind The Hijab…”

      1. There have been two ‘honor killings’ in the past two weeks.

        I can’t believe this kind of thing is going on, although, if you want to beak it down, calling for the execution of a woman because she disagrees with you is pretty freaking sexist.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Ohh! That’s so sad. Some sections of society are always oppressive of women. They are raised from birth to be submissive and dependent on her provider, in which case, not speaking out of fear might be understandable. But well-educated women, who once had an ambition of doing something good with their lives also fall prey to domestic violence, which is very sad. A man who doesn’t respect his own life partner is not worth any kind of relation. Society too, plays a crucial role in such cases. Sometimes the victims don’t speak out until its unbearable, just to put a front for society, which is so, so wrong!

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    1. Your analysis is so correct. Society is not helping these matters at all. A woman is not a chattel to be used and tossed aside as deemed fit by any man and in most cases, such society shames a woman when a marriage falls apart even when she’s been brutalized. Just wrong on so many levels.

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      1. True… I feel sad about the woman on train. Taking a stand is very very difficult when you have no support. And to think of, somebody actually recorded it, but didn’t think of helping her. If a man beats his wife, even publically, it is always considered as a private matter. As if she’s his slave, not wife. Such a shame!

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  4. The reason I “liked” this is because of your writing, not the content of it. I think you accurately portrayed that we do not know what is going on the lives of some women whose men are abusive. We do not know the pain they live with, whether it is hidden behind a naqib or behind some other mask.

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  6. This violence should have stopped by now. I grew up seeing it all around me,and I lost respect for many men back then. I continue to loose it even now when I see stories like these.

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  7. No-one should have to live with domestic violence Jacqueline ( or any other kind either).The naqib does not make a woman owned and she is still entitled to be the woman she was before marriage complete with her own views and dreams.
    xxx Massive Hugs xxx

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  8. It is not necessarily religious. It is just the matter of belief systems. The brain washing such fellows get at a very young age is like etching something on stone! A Thousand Splendid Suns is full of such sad stories.

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  10. Hi, I’ve too watched that video, very disturbing. Me being a Muslim from Srilanka ,totally disagree with the concept of oppression and brutality, and of course I’m surprised to see men behaving in such manner. . which is not so common in my part of the world.Surely they need to be sentenced for such behavior.

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  12. The whole veil is a mask to subjugate women. By wearing it women subjugate themselves to inhuman submission. Men who cannot treat their women as equals are inadequate cowards indeed. These men treat their stinking camels better than their women.

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  17. Violence, of any nature, is not much different than a raging plague for which there seems to be no cure. Domestic violence comes in so many forms that it boggles my mind. Your words portray, what I am sure, is far too common. While women and children seem to be the victims, the majority of the time, I believe women are frequently the aggressor. It’s a pitiful situation, no matter how it goes. I appreciate you bringing this topic up and raising awareness. Blessings to you. I’ll be following for more of your work! 🙂

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    1. Thank you for your insightful comments. Domestic violence is quite amorphous that it’s almost impossible to get a handle on it and oftentimes, it’s easier for a man to walk away from an abusive relationship than a woman, especially in situations where the lady is completely financially dependent on the man.

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  18. I get so sad that this goes on, in public and private. There are times I wish I could save every woman from abuse and heartbreak. I’m glad you posted this Jackie, because I always think its better for the collective when we have conversations and don’t hide behind the truth. Maybe, change can happen?

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  20. It’s always such a shame when people feel comfortable enough to film violence and other tragedies but then don’t take the time to help the victim. It doesn’t make any sense at all.

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  21. A twinge jerked my hands liking this post. Well written (as always), it strikes at the heart of my past and supports my present conviction to speak out loudly against domestic violence. Thank you, Jacqueline and all those who speak out about this lurking monster in our world. ❤

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  23. Ah. This just gave me chills. How sad, for both of them. For him to believe that is his right, the hatred in his soul, and for her to believe she must accept that from him. You cannot protect someone with your own hate or disgust.

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  25. People need to speak out against domestic violence which happens across the globe, regardless of nationality, religion, covering up or not covering up.. clothes have nothing to do with it ….from Hollywood stars being guilty of the same, to victims on Oprah. As for people around who don’t stop it, this reminds me of a video I once came across, in which the same was experimented with in public….

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  27. This is such a sad story. I’m sorry you had to see that, though we have to see the darkness to be driven to do anything about it. My prayers sent to all women who are oppressed by anything. in lak’ech, Debra

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  29. oh, what a lovely byline “decorating your heart with our words”…. gave some joy after the shivers i felt just reading your post. violence against women is everywhere, whether women are veiled or unveiled…. and it must stop. it has to stop. i saw a beautiful video the other day with a man passionatel kissing his girlfriend on her shoulders and neck for five minutes. the byline said “teach men to love passionately so they dont take out their passion with guns and rifles”. and their fists.

    the event of the indian woman who was brutally raped and murdered on a public bus some time back also stays with me…. a shocking indictment on humanity. well, on many men.

    thank you for drawing attention to this evil, Jacqueline.

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  31. That’s true, women should not be forced into wearing a hijab. I must say though, there are exceptions in the form of females who decide to take the hijab themselves. I happen to be a girl who decided to take the hijab (in family and friends, only my sisters and I take it now) without any compulsion. 🙂 But Pakistani men do tend to ogle shamelessly at women even if they’re covered from head to toe. It’s a pretty common problem here and a hijab is not a solution.

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    1. Having lived a bit in the Middle East I know what you mean by ogling. Sometimes, they stare shamelessly. I do know loads of women who chose their hijab – by the way, the Emirati women make wearing hijab so glamourous, they just float around the place 😉

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I love it when you decorate my heart with your words..