By NIK IZZA IMAN 

Syakinah Idham was told to put on a hijab at age 10. Without reluctance or questioning, she did as her mother instructed.

The first time she wore it to school, she remembers the looks her classmates gave her when she stepped into class. One of her friends asked: “Why the sudden change of style?” She shrugged because she didn't know the answer. All she knows is that she was told it was "for her own good”.

At 11, Syakinah left her home country of Malaysia and moved to Australia with her mother for her work. Her parents reminded her of her duty to her God, reminding her “to not take her hijab off”.

She was scared about the move, she says – afraid of being judged, of not being accepted and of being a minority. "I had to leave my friends back home and start a new life. I was scared if nobody would be friends with me. Especially with me wearing the hijab, I knew it was going to be hard."

And it was. The week after they arrived, she witnessed her mother being told to remove her hijab by a stranger on the street. It felt harsh and frightening.

It wasn't the last time something like that happened. Syakinah, now 15, says one day going home from school with friends, a bully confronted her, telling her to remove her hijab, that it didn't belong in Australia. 

“He asked me at first why I was wearing this thing, he pointed at my hijab and told me to take it off,” she says. 

“I told him because of my faith for my God. He told me he wasn’t stupid, he meant why am I wearing it here in Australia, and again he told me to take it off. I was brave enough and told myself not to fear people like him, not to let myself be disturbed by his words.”

In many Western countries, the veil has been viewed as a symbol of oppression and a sign of humiliation of women by men. But for many Muslim women, it represents modesty, identity and respect for a higher being. For Syakinah, it means loyalty.

“I did ask my parents once as to why I’m wearing the hijab,” she says. “They smiled at me and said ‘my dear, you have a duty to Allah'.”

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship found 88 per cent of Muslims in Australia felt harshly judged for their religion. Idham says it represents her own feelings, mostly because of the hijab she wears.

“It’s always hard being a newbie. Especially when you come from a different country and from a total different culture. So yeah, guess who got stared at?” Syakinah says.

She wonders if the meaning of the veil is being lost. One day walking home from school, she saw a woman wearing in a hijab smoking a cigarette. “Where’s the sincerity towards the Almighty?” she says. “I just couldn’t believe what I saw. Whatever happened to the real meaning of the veil?”

It made her question again why she wore the veil, but she says that as she grew older, wearing the hijab became a symbol of loyalty to her religion.

She says her mother told her: “Never let fear take control of oneself. Don’t let it fool you, believe in your faith and your faith will help you.” But she questioned whether she would have made the decision to wear the hijab if her mother had not told her to do so.

The issue of children wearing hijabs exploded when an Australia Day billboard displayed an image of  two young girls wearing hijabs while holding the Australian flag, raising questions about forcing the veil on children.

“I don’t mind wearing it because I believe in my faith. But sometimes, I think about the opposite,” Syakinah says.

“How would it be if my mother didn’t give me the hijab? Will I eventually wear it? Will people treat me and look at me differently compared to how they look at me now? Will I still be treated as a minority in this country?”

So why do women cover themselves? It’s a question Hazim Farid, a member of the Islamic Society of Victoria is asked all the time.

“It’s nice to know that they’re interested,” Ms Farid said. “Because the way I see it, the media just changes everything. How we look at things, how we portray others by judging the mistake they do. They find one characteristic about a person and it links to their religion and boom! They find Islam as a faith that goes against their word. It’s just unpleasing to hear.”

SBS columnist Ruby Hamad wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that the media had been obsessing over Muslim women and their choice of Islamic garments for far too long.

“The dynamic conversation about the veil’s place in western society has become an obsession to some people and it needs to be had both on the role and manifestation of modesty within Islam itself, and on the responsibility for children to follow the beliefs of their parents,” Ms Hamad said.

Discussions about putting the veil on children have been controversial in many Islamic countries.

University student Alysa Raja said young people should be educated about the hijab before they are told this is what they should be wearing.

“I would say to an extent it is acceptable, though I personally feel children should be able to live their lives freely and only willingly choose to wear the veil themselves when they are ready,” Ms Raja said.

“If parents would prefer that their children wear the hijab, they should first be able to explain the meaning of wearing a hijab.”

For Syakinah, the decision is now one she's happy with. "There will always be obstacles, but that’s because it’s a test. Be faithful to him and good things will come your way."