Dear Friends,

Salaamualaikum.

We’re looking at almost 60 days (since the time this was published) since violence and war broke out in Gaza, which has turned into an ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. October 7th was the catalyst for everything Israel has done since then, but as many have pointed out, the violence, oppression, apartheid state, killings, brutality and aggression disproportionately targeting Palestinians has been going on for decades prior.

And now? More than 16,000 Palestinians have been massacred to date, thousands of them children. And there is no end in sight. Meanwhile, there is ongoing conflict and the death of thousands in Sudan and the Congo, Muslims in India are facing ongoing violence and persecution (as are Rohingya Muslims and Uyghur Muslims in China) and on and on and on.

It’s hard to think about anything else, do anything else. And yet, we have an obligation to keep moving forward, to trust in Allah (S), to continue planting seeds, as the oft-quoted hadith teaches us and doing whatever we can to enjoin good and forbid evil. To build bridges with fellow bridge builders, to live with humility, humanity and kindness, to push back against hatred and to stand up for justice.

At our last monthly meeting where we plan out what we’ll be focusing on in the coming month with products, content and community care, we knew that December brings about our annual #LikeYouMeanItHH end-of-the-year reflection time, when we typically discuss what it means to renew our intentions around hijab and various aspects of our lives.

This month of reflection typically has been one of our deepest and connection-driven months of conversations with you all about why we wear hijab, what our intentions are behind it, how to feel confident wearing it, supporting each other and so on. We look forward to it every year to talk through some deeply personal things with you, which is so helpful to us as a company and for us as (Muslim) women.

But while in past years we’ve reflected on what it means to "wear it [hijab] like you mean it," this year that focus felt too narrow and out-of-touch with the realities of our current world and lives. The fact of the matter is we are a hijab company that is struggling to talk about hijab right now. Our hearts are hurting with yours.

These are difficult, challenging, painful, somber times – for a number of reasons. It feels like this is a major turning point for us as Muslims, to break free of the shackles of what we thought was important and to focus on what is important to us as Muslims, as an ummah and as part of a collective humanity.

So yes, we will go forth with our #LikeYouMeanItHH campaign. But instead of focusing primarily on hijab, we want to explore what it means to live and focus “like you mean it” against the backdrop of everything we are enduring. We invite you (and ourselves) to renew our intentions and reflect on what our faith, our families, our commitment to fighting for justice mean to us. And yeah, this does include finding strength and purpose in our commitment to wear hijab (for those of us who wear it) and be known as Muslims, especially in these trying times.

So, join us this month in conversations here on the blog and on our social media pages. Continue to pray deeply with us and do whatever we can to push back against injustice. We are a collective of tender- and strong-hearted Muslim women who are here for each other in love and support.

We're also going to bring you some helpful articles and posts on performing Umrah, as many of us tend to make Umrah plans during the Thanksgiving, winter and spring break holidays. And, with 2023 coming to a close, we will have some year-end wrap ups for you.

And yeah, there are some exciting things coming down the pipeline with regards to our hijabs and products, so stick around for that, too.

As always, keep us in your du’as, as you are forever in ours. Pray for Palestine. Pray for Sudan. Pray for Yemen. Pray for whomever needs our prayers, both personal an collective. Pray for earthquake victims who continue to rebuild their lives in Turkey and Syria. Pray for Uyghur Muslims and Muslims around the world. Pray for our communities here in the U.S. As you continue to pray, do whatever you can to help those in need. And, start everything you do with Bismillah.

Editorially yours,

Dilshad