Muslim women were tying hijabs on BruinWalk to promote solidarity and awareness
There will be a discussion tonight to talk about our experiences
This morning, women of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) took to BruinWalk and offered hijabs to students as a symbol of solidarity.
The event celebrated Hijab Day, which is a part of UCLA’s Islam Awareness Week. The goal is to raise awareness about the reason for wearing hijabs and decrease the stigma towards them.
The scarves were sponsored by Austere Attire, a company started by a UCLA alum
“The idea behind it is not that by putting the hijab on students we are allowing them to enter what it’s like to be a Muslim student, because that’s impossible,” explained Rahma Junaidean, a third-year transfer student and gender studies major.
“However, it is a means to open a door to a larger conversation about what Muslims believe in, how Muslims practice our religion, what we do, and debunk a lot of misconceptions about what it’s like to be Muslim, especially in America.”
Even though there are many Muslim students on campus, it can be hard to start discussions with each other due to the fast-paced nature of our school. As a result, the MSA encourages students to attend their reflection tonight in Dodd 121 from 6-8pm. There, students can share their experiences wearing the hijab, ask questions, and meet other people from around UCLA.
The group ran out of scarves and pins an hour before they were expected to close up, turning to extras from last year to keep up with their initiative. “The fact that we had extras last year, and this year we ran out so early – it’s a good thing,” said Hana El-Arabi, another third-year transfer and chemical and material science major.
El-Arabi hopes to break down assumptions about Muslim women
Members of the MSA strive to break the assumption that Muslim women don’t have many freedoms within their religion. “The common rhetoric is that Muslim women are oppressed, and that they are forced into things that they don’t want to do,” El-Arabi said.
Some of the typical questions she might be asked include how many scarves she owns, whether or not she showers in the hijab, and if she gets hot wearing it.
Ultimately, the goal is to encourage unity and discussion between students of different backgrounds. Junaidean loves engaging in these conversations because, she says, “when do we get the opportunity to go up to someone and say ‘hey, where are you from, what’s your life like, how did you grow up?’ When do we break those barriers?”
The main takeaway is that wearing a hijab is a personal choice and a symbol of female empowerment. “Wearing the hijab isn’t a deterrent from any career. We actually have lawyers, we have doctors, we have nurses, we have teachers, we have artists, we have writers. We have these amazing people who are doing amazing things and in no way, shape or form does wearing a hijab stop that,” Junaidean concluded.