The organization distributed hijabs to educate students on the Islamic faith. Will Smith/The Fordham Ram
By Eddie Mikus
The Muslim Student Association conducted an event on Friday, April 10, which let students try on a traditional Muslim headscarf known as a hijab, which is worn by Muslim women when out in public.
During the event, students could approach a table in the McGinley Center where the group was distributing the hijabs. In addition, the organization provided pamphlets about various aspects of Islam.
Maliha Gul, FCRH ’17, co-treasurer of the Muslim Student Association, said in an email message to The Fordham Ram that she felt the event could help promote tolerance of Islam amongst Fordham students.
“The main purpose of Hijab Day was to promote an accepting society in which a person is not treated any differently due to the fact that they wear religious clothing like the hijab,” Gul said. “By wearing the hijab, the participants were able to see that people who wear hijabs daily are just like them. Many participants continued to wear the hijab for the rest of the day, which made the hijab a common sight on campus. The purpose was to make the hijab something familiar rather than something strange.”
Gul also said that the Muslim Student Association felt it had to correct a misunderstanding regarding the purpose of hijab use within the larger American culture.
“Although there are always open-minded people, there are also people who believe that the hijab is a symbol of oppression and fundamentalism,” Gul said. “One simply needs to look at the comments section of any argument about hijab to find these people. When we look at these kinds of comments in context with the increase in hate crimes against Muslims in the West particularly against those wearing religiously identifiable clothes such as the hijab, it is easy to see why events like ‘Wear a Hijab’ Day are necessary.”
According to Gul, hijab wearers in the United States not only face discrimination within society at large, but also within the workplace. She also believes that this type of discrimination is not limited only to Muslim women who wear hijabs, but also individuals of other religious affiliations who openly identify their affiliation through clothing or other means.
“Hijab wearers definitely face discrimination,” Gul said. “I’ve heard of many people who applied for jobs and it was clear that they had been accepted until they appeared with the hijab, after which they were mysteriously dropped. I do think that things are changing and people are more accepting about the hijab and other religious clothing like turbans and skullcaps worn by other religious groups, especially in New York City.”
Gul also talked to The Fordham Ram about her personal experience wearing the hijab.
“I have been wearing hijab by choice from an early age, so it was very much a part of me and I never really felt like the odd one out for wearing it,” Gul said. “Although I’ve been mostly lucky, I’ve had many friends who were bullied about it in school and many times I have been told by strangers to go back to my country.”
Gul then went on to relate one of the more traumatic instances of intolerance that she has experienced in her life.
“The worst incident that happened to me was when I was in sixth grade. I was the only one waiting for the bus on my way to school. I was reaching into my bag to check the time on my phone, when a man who had been standing nearby staring at me made a comment along the lines of ‘Is there a bomb in your bag? What are you going to bomb next, huh?’ I remember being really scared and speed walking to the next bus stop to avoid him.
“Other than this incident however, the majority of people have generally been more accepting. I grew up here in New York City and I’d like to think that most people in cities are more exposed to diversity and as a result are more open minded about these things, but maybe that’s just my personal bias.”
The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is a student-lead organization sponsored by Campus Ministry, which serves the needs of all students of the Islamic faith. Meeting weekly, the MSA is an opportunity for Muslim and non-Muslim students at Fordham University to gather for conversation, spiritual growth and understanding.
