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In honor of Islamic Awareness Week, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) Thursday will present the Hijab Day Challenge to give students the experience of what it feels like to dress like a Muslim for a day.
“Hijab” is the Arabic word for “veil;” students will be able to pick up a hijab on the Titan Walk and wear it for the rest of the day.
Mona Bennani, president of MSA, said the main goal of the event is to defy stereotypes of Muslims.
“(Being Arab) is not the definition of Islam,” said Bennani.
The headscarf is supposed to make one more conscious of God by taking attention away from physical attributes like hair. Bennani said people can have honest and healthy relationships with other people like this and that so much of relationships are based on physicality.
According to Bennani, the experience will help people learn a lot about themselves and she would like to see a lot of girls try it, just so people can relate. This is the most real “walk in my shoes” one can ever do, she said.
“As soon as you put on the headscarf it should be assumed that you are Muslim,” Bennani said. “It’s something you can do to actively be in their shoes, and actively feel what we feel, wearing the Hijab, and being stared at. But also to feel that it’s not oppression, it’s rather a liberation.”
Although she said it is a commandment from God, they choose to wear the head veil.
“Because once you wear it you can’t say we’re oppressed anymore … There is no compulsion in religion, so it’s something we have actively made a choice to wear, and it’s a hard one,” Bennani said.
She said just having someone experience wearing the headscarf for one day “would make the world to us, hopefully open their eyes as well.”
However, students like Nijah Crenshaw, 22, a health science major, said some may not think the event is for everybody.
She said it would be good for those who have an opinion about it or think negatively about it “just so they can know,” she said. “But for me it doesn’t really make a difference. I wouldn’t want to do it, personally.”
According to Sarah Salama, vice president of MSA, when people participate in the event they will gain an understanding of someone else’s life experience.
“It’s important for anyone, regardless of which religion you come from,” Salama said.
She used an an example of someone from the Hindu faith desiring to understand the point of view from a Christian or a Muslim’s point of view from a Buddhist.
“That’s why we’re here to understand, and feel each other and find commonalities amongst our experiences. That’s a huge part of being a human,” Salama said.
She said society has a negative view on Islam in the West, and they don’t see it for what it really is.
“I hope that anyone participating in this event is going to realize the beauty of this, and the beauty of the concept of the Hijab,” Salama said.
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Heck flipping NEVER! I want muslims to wear a bikini and high heels and know what it feels like to be FREE!! Wear that ugly crap in your MUSLIMS COUNTRY.. NOT IN MY CHRISTIAN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
Absolutely what Gabriela said. We do not need this in our country. Ever notice that muslims are never happy in their own countries, but always happy in those that they are trying to wear down?
Wise people NEVER cave in to islam or its whims.
All tour comments are a breath of fresh air. I actually thought college students were dumb and naive. What this muslim student is doing is part of the MSA and the Muslim Brotherhoods plan to replace the constitution with sharia law. I love the comment, if MSA students wear high heals and a bikini to experience our freedoms, then we’ll wear their silly oppressive costumes…..LOL.
I can appreciate culture too… but NOT that one!!
I think everyone should pick a DIFFERENT culture on that day. Just to make it FAIR, and show protest!
Leiderhosen- Plaid/kilts -grass skirts….. what ever you can find.
I like the dress of India!
Why in the hell would I want to be anything like these evil, vile rotten backwards terrorists? Give me one good reason why I should take steps to relinquish this nation to these intolerant, no class, dirt dwelling pieces of shit?
These middle eastern professors and students are part of the overthrow of America with Islam Shariah Law. There is no argument, millions of Americans know this and yet Saudi Oil still buys useful idiots (University of California) on-going stealth jihad civilization most Americans are aware of. Bibles are outlawed in Saudi America and these professors and students love it because Islam has no, as Dr. Warner states”there is no golden rule in Islam” hence it is not a religion it is simply a 7th century ideology not equally yoked with America……….
Hell will freeze over first!!!!!
If they want to be permitted to wear their head rag In support of their Muslim faith in our country, it should only be Red, White and blue!
If we’re going to wear hijabs we should stone adulterers, blow up Christian churches, and execute homosexuals just to get the full islamic experience.
And when will the muslim students be wearing a Cross or Star of David?
Soooo…if it brings you closer to “God,” why don’t men wear one, too? Does Islam believe women are less holy? Oh, wait, that’s right, it *does.* Mohammed himself said there were very few women in heaven, aside from the 72 virgins for each man. For a “religion” that supposedly obsessed with not focusing on physicality, isn’t it weird that men are rewarded with abundant virgin sex when they go to heaven?
Yes the men are promised 72 virgins, but not promised what kind of virgins.
Now I know where the war on women is taking place and from where it appears.
fuck this shit.
Not so much the Hijab but the Burka is forced on women so that terrorists can move around freely. To this day I believe Osama Bin Laden and his minions were able to be in hiding as long as they were because they actually donned burkas to go everywhere they wanted, incognito. I don’t find Hijabs offensive at all but forcing burkas on women, by men, is very evil.
Please gather up the Faculty and Staff of these Liberal Universities and send them on a field trip to the Middle East!!!!!!!!! I am truly angered.
How does this fit in with “freedom from religion that secular schools embrace when it comes to Christianity? Should they offer to wear a cross, or perhaps relate to Judaism by wearing a skullcap? What would Daniel do?
this is more than a little extreme even for the left coast.
How is wearing a scarf on your head putting yourself in their shoes? What are you supposed to learn from that? Stupid. This is America founded on Christianity not Islam. This I am afraid is just the start of something really bad.
I am fairly certain this event took place last year, November 2011.
Goliath was already defeated by King David. There is no way any Jew or Christian should wear any kind of Muslim or Islamic veil or any clothing. Doing so and accepting Muslim for a day is not a Christian thing to do. In fact, it is not advised as they may be the Mark of the 666 Beast. Stay away from dressing like a Muslim. Stay far away from their religion. Respect them by treating them the same as anyone but do not dress like them.