With broken-down barriers and newly-erected bridges appearing in the headlines this year, the Muslim Students’ Association has followed suit by hosting a week of Islam-related events to inform students of facts about Muslim life.
The week began with a Tour of Islam, an interactive event highlighting important aspects of the religion.
On Tuesday, MSA invited students and community members to watch an interfaith film screening of the documentary “Talking Through Walls: How the Struggle to Build a Mosque Unites a Community.” The film showed how a rural U.S. town dealt with a growing Muslim community after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Then, more than 50 people packed into the Lake Huron Room in the Union on Wednesday for a Gender in Islam event titled “The Truth Behind the Veil.”
The event, co-sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center, provided both Muslims and non-Muslims with explanations about gender in Islam, said Nada Zohdy, vice president of MSA.
“It was really important to have this event to share perspectives which aren’t heard very frequently in the media or elsewhere,” she said.
“(We wanted) to stimulate discussion and answer peoples questions because I think a lot of people are left with these open-ended ideas.”
Khalil said the media often portrays Muslim women as depressed and oppressed because they’re apparently forced to do things they don’t want to do, but Khalil said that is not always the case.
Khalil also sat on a discussion panel with seven members of MSA and answered questions from the audience about Islamic practices. The main topic of discussion was about the veil, or hijab, that many Muslim women wear.
The word “hijab” means barrier in Arabic. The purpose of the hijab is to establish equality between men and women.
Khalil said some Muslim women also believe men are aroused by the sight of hair and wear it to avoid being objectified. Others may choose not to wear the hijab until they feel they’ve reached a higher level of devotion to the religion.
Most Muslim women have a choice of whether they would like to wear a hijab, Zohdy explained.
“From some people’s perspective, (the hijab) is a symbol of oppression. For some women, it’s a symbol of liberation,” she said.
Christina Cinuga, a human resources senior, said until she attended the event, she thought the hijab was a drawback of Islamic religion.
“(The hijab) actually empowers them to be a better person,” she said. “It’s actually really awesome.”
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