Hijab...degrading or an honour for women?

This is something which is discussed time and time and time again... Muslim women... are they oppressed? Do they wear the hijab, the veil because their fathers or their husbands made them? I myself chose to start wearing the hijab with out any encouragment, force from my father and at the time I was not even married so there was no husband to force me into doing so. It was something I had decided to do myself after learning more about my religion and how the hijab rather than being a sign of oppression is actually a symbol of dignity, honour and suprising for some is actually a true sense of freedom!Before wearing hijab and im sure others can sympathise with me here I would cringe and hesitate if I was passing by a building site with builders in progress especially if I was on my way to visit friends therefore dressed up slightly. Id feel like a piece of meat while walking past hearing the filth coming out of their mouths... they did not like me as a person, they did not respect me for who I was they were just disgusting perveted men who thought they had the freedom to gape and stare shouting out filthy comments at the cost of mine and other womens feelings, feedom and honour. I remember when the real sense of freedom came to me and I truly understood what it meant. While I was at uni I sometimes used to walk to the station at the same time every day. Like most other students Id be in my jeans and a nice top at the time I would spend time in the mornings doing my make up fixing my hair etc...Every morning while I was walking to the station at a particular point the same mini bus would drive past carrying disabled people...and although the passengers were innocent unfortunately the driver certainly was not. Every day he would slow down as he passed and would shout out things Id rather not remember. I remember every day trying to hurry so as to miss him on the road but would fail and Id cringe every time he drove past. Anyways some time past and uni had finished and I had started to wear the hijab alhamdulillah. One morning I was up early and off somewhere so again I was walking to the station and low and behold I saw the same mini bus with the same driver coming down the road... my heart started to thump and I started to cringe thinking 'oh no I really dont want to hear his uncomfortable comments'... however he simply drove past not slowing down, not shouting any comments! What had happened? ... take a guess... yes the Hijab had happened and suddenly I felt the real sense of freedom, I felt a huge sense of relief and dignity I felt honoured to be a Muslim woman protected by this simple piece of cloth alhamdulillah! I will never forget that day and when ever I hear people say... Hijab is a sign of oppression, Muslim women are oppressed I remember that day and think... if only you knew its so the opposite... as hijab is the true sense of liberation, freedom and honour for women Allahu Akbar!