Culture, or Religion?

Wearing the hijab: is it a religious requirement, or a cultural practice? I have Muslim friends who are covered from wrist to ankle, and others whose gorgeous long hair flows freely. All are observant Muslims.

The delightful YA novel, Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah addresses this issue. When sixteen-year-old Amal decides to wear the hijab full-time, her entire world changes, all because of a piece of cloth...

She makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full-time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else.
Can she handle the taunts of "towel head," the prejudice of her classmates, and still attract the cutest boy in school? Brilliantly funny and poignant, Randa Abdel-Fattah's debut novel will strike a chord in all teenage readers, no matter what their beliefs.