I’m just chickensh* because I had literally just put hijab on Friday night and said “I think this is it this time!!” I wore hijab when I was 18 and I remember the stares and comments. But this time, I proudly walked around thinking I was ready at 38. I went to the store and bought sleeve extenders, hijab caps… I was ready to do this.

Then I read your story and as much as it was intended to be empowering, the coward in me said “meh, maybe hijab is still a ways away for me”. I’m a diagnosed Borderline, which means that if I ended up in the situation you did, somebody would have left in a stretcher and another person in handcuffs — the latter one being me and the former being the store manager.

Islamophobia is a very scary thing. I’ve been on the legal side of it where I once worked at a law firm that represented some major Islamophobic players. I’ve also been on the receiving end of published hate by Breitbart and Pamela Gellar. So while your story of empowerment is a great daily reminder, there’s a very scary backstory to real truth to the behavior of the people in the store. Their backstory is one rooted in heavily funded Islamophobia, with millions of dollars in place to fund behavior that ultimately leads to what happened to you in that store.

I’m proud of you for what you did. We do need to set an example for our kids. And I’m equally sure you were trembling while you stood your ground. As I read your story, I read courage and fear at the same time.

You certainly have more courage than and grace than I could have in that situation.