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Students participate in Hijab Week to broaden perspectives of Muslim culture

By Octavia Carson on September 28, 2011 11:11 am in Campus Events / 8 comments

 

Clinton Township junior Amanda Jaczkowski walks to Plachta Auditorium to watch the film Mooz-lum with Mount Pleasant freshman Katelyn Maylee and Byron Center freshman Luke Lubbers. "The hijab is a very misunderstood part of Islam," said Jaczkowski, "I wanted to help the girls better understand what it means." (Charlotte Bodak/Staff Photographer)

Before this week, Cadillac freshman Charly Loper could walk through the halls unnoticed.

“(Now) I feel like some people stare at me from a distance, then quickly turn away,” Loper said.

Loper has decided to wear a hijab, a traditional Muslim head covering, for a week. She has been participating in Hijab Week for her class, HON 100: Introduction to the Honors Program.

Clinton Township junior Amanda Jaczkowski has been coordinating the project and assisting the other women involved.

“(The) Hijab is a very misunderstood part of Islam and I wanted to help the girls understand better what it means,” Jaczkowski said.

Throughout the week, about 25 women have been participating in Hijab Week. Jaczkowski created the event this year and said it is only taking place on CMU’s campus.

Clarkston junior Hannah Grimaldi said she has experienced discrimination since putting on the hijab.

“I started on Friday and went to Meijer with my friend, and she told me people were staring at me,” Grimaldi said. “I’ve gotten a lot of rude comments. I realize this is not the inclusive environment I thought it was.”

Grimaldi said she comes from a predominately white area and had little to exposure to other cultures.

“You get a chance to be in someone else’s culture,” she said.

There are three different levels the participants can choose to engage in for the week.

The first level requires them to change their physical appearance by covering their skin and hair. They also cannot show public displays of affection or consume alcohol.

The second level encompasses the first, as well as eliminating the consumption of pork.

The third and final level includes the requirements from the first two, but also removes any sexual relations for those who are not married, in addition to forbidding the women from being alone with men.

“I thought it would be interesting to live with a hijab on and see how people would treat you,” Loper said.

Loper said she is quickly finding that wearing a hijab is drawing unnecessary attention from people around her.

“I feel like some people don’t know how to treat me,” Loper said. “I can tell they are uncomfortable.”

Before the event, Loper said she did not think it was right for someone to wear a hijab.

“I always thought it was degrading for women to wear them, but now I feel like it is not restraining,” she said.

 

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gia-Daniel/100000686066998 Gia Daniel

    To walk a mile in others’ shoes is a truism.  The Muslims are not seen as fully human, are woefully misunderstood, until it is comprehended that what we, the Muslims do, is a deeply ingrained part of our worship, of our belief, in obedience to Allaah over fashion, convenience, or the vitriol of others. 
    It may be that in the realization of the young women that their campus is not as inclusive as they thought, that they will be more willing to see others as human beings, to not follow the knee-jerk reaction to what is different from themselves, and they will teach this relatively hard won lesson to their families, friends, and acquaintances.

  • BARIAH ALAJI

    That’s a step forward! May Allah guide them…ameen
    If they mutiply the feeling of just the head scarf by 100 they’ll see how it feels to cover your face! :-)

  • http://ztruth.typepad.com/ztruth/ Brandi

    The main purpose to cover up in Islam is to “hide the shame”.  At least that’s what the Muslim leaders in Oklahoma have on their website under the section Dress Code in Islam:

    “…To save humanity from destroying themselves it is evident that both men and women need to cover themselves more properly. The main purpose of covering the body is to cover the shame and other physical features so that they remain out of sight of others, to avoid drawing undue attraction, and to prevent the excitement of evil desires in others…”

    http://www.isgoc.com/aboutislam/womeninislam/index.htm#dresscode

  • Michele

    there are also just as many Muslim women who don’t wear hijab. With all the issues in the world I find it sad that Muslim women reduce themselves to this one issue. As much as you might be discriminated against (which is ridiculous and wrong), many Muslims are just as guilty as judging and discriminating against their fellow Muslims who choose not to wear it. Let’s focus on bigger issues.

  • Anonymous

    He looked at me straight in the eyes and said, “Hana, everything that GOD made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You’ve got to work hard to get to them.”
    He looked at me with serious eyes. “Your body is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.”
    Source: “More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali’s Life Lessons Through His Daughter’s Eyes.”
    Barakallahu fiikum.

  • Sahih786

    Mashallah. A profound & beautiful analogy.

  • http://savageinfidel.blogspot.com/ Shawn

    People looked at these women oddly because it is odd to cover your hair in this fashion in our secular society.  It is not hatred.  It’s just weird.   Muslims say that the hijab is meant to protect women and help them be modest.  I think we see here that the hijab has exactly the opposite effect. It draws the attention of people and points out that there is something sexual about the woman who wears it, whereas if she did not wear it, one would not think twice about it.  Further it’s an outrage to have this sort of thing going on on college campuses.

  • Kristen

    I don’t understand why Vexed_populi would think muslims would be irritated with non-muslims trying on the hijab.  It shows that they’re open-minded enough to experience a different religion and try to understand the discrimination muslims experience.  This is a great event and I’m hoping to have one similar at MSU’s campus :)