By #ShitTSASays chronicles the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s ludicrous mistreatment and profiling of Muslims while flying. Send your story to editorial@muslim-girl-2021-production.mystagingwebsite.com.
I was on my way from Detroit, Mich. to Washington D.C. with my dad and cousin. I had just put my hijab on that year so it was my first time going through airport security with one on.
As I was walking through the metal detector, I tried my best to appear friendly, which is actually really difficult when you have resting bitch face. A female TSA agent stopped me to give me a pat down — just on my head.
As she was doing so, she asked, “So, what do you have under there?” I had hair clips pinning my hair under my hijab. I explained that they were shaped like flowers. She gave me a dirty look and motioned for me to go ahead.
Dear TSA Agent,
There’s hardly enough fabric to keep my hair covered, let alone to hide a suspicious object underneath. Please let me know if you find out otherwise.
Sincerely,
The hijabi with the flower-shaped hair clips.
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Written by Zanah Ghalawanji.