Saba Syeda, Conservative Muslim

Over her typical American clothing, Saba Syeda wears a face veil, a long head scarf, and a roomy outer garment -- even while riding a Jet Ski. "I put a life jacket over my abaya [the outer garment]," she explains, "and that keeps it from flapping around. Believe it or not, my niqab [the face veil] stays in place most of the time. Of course, all those clothes can be burdensome and uncomfortable. But they remind me of my commitment to God, so I'm willing to make some sacrifices. Overall, covering makes me feel like a better Muslim and a stronger woman."
Syeda, 33, who lives in Newark, Delaware, with her husband and three kids, represents a small minority of Muslim Americans who cover from head to toe in the name of Islam. Wearing a face veil is not a requirement, but for Syeda it is a religious choice. She says it helps her remain modest and humble and ensures she maintains platonic relationships with men other than her husband. But Syeda's clothing isn't stocked at the local mall -- she orders her garments online from Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan or buys them when she travels abroad.
Syeda started covering her face with a veil as a sophomore at the University of Houston, where she was a biology major. Her parents, who are Pakistani immigrants, were not thrilled. Her mother wore a head scarf but feared that Saba's face veil was going too far. "They were afraid the niqab would make me stand out too much," says Syeda. "But they eventually accepted it when they realized it was more than just a passing phase."
Today Syeda is well known in the Islamic community as the founder of a Muslim women's magazine called Daughters of Adam and as a featured blogger on the website Muslimmatters.org. She says covering doesn't stop her from doing "normal" things like shopping for kids' clothes, lunching with friends who don't cover (she had to learn to eat with the veil on, and they had to learn to stop laughing at her when she did), or playing at the park with her kids. "The other children are always curious about me. They'll say, 'Look mommy, it's a ghost, or an angel.' It's the parents who look the most uncomfortable."
Dressing in an outfit more synonymous with Saudi Arabia than the Eastern Seaboard does raise eyebrows, but it doesn't bother Syeda. "From the outside, they might think, 'Whoa, she's so oppressed,' but to me it's exactly the opposite," she says. "The loose clothing and face covering mean I no longer feel objectified by men. It makes me feel confident and liberated."
Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, February 2011.