The Veil

They say, Oh, poor girl, you’re so beautiful you know
It’s a shame that you cover up your beauty so.

She just smiles and graciously responds reassuringly,
This beauty that I have is just one simple part of me,
This body that I have, no stranger has the right to see,
These long clothes, this shawl I wear, ensure my modesty,
Faith is more essential than fashion, wouldn’t you agree?

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.

They tell her, girl, don’t you know?
This is the West and you are free?
You don’t need to be oppressed, ashamed of your feminity.
She just shakes her head and
She speaks so assuredly

See the bill-boards and the magazines
That line the check-out isles,
With their phony painted faces and their
Air-brushed smiles?
Well their sheer clothes and low cut gowns
They are really not for me,
You call it freedom, I call it anarchy.

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see,
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.

So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity,
Lift the veil from your heart to seek the heart of purity.