World Hijab Day

BY THOMAS LORENZINI

Miami University journalism student

Miami University will participate for the first time in World Hijab Day on Wednesday, Feb. 1

Although World Hijab Day has been an annual movement since 2013, this will be Miami University’s first participation in the movement as it acknowledges its growing Muslim community with women in particular. This event at Miami is being supported and organized by the Women’s Center and Intercultural Education at Miami along with the help of Muslim women here in Oxford.

“It is a day to help show the public that these Muslim Women are not wearing their hijabs because they are oppressed or forced to, but instead choose to out of their own choice and respect of their religion.” said Rhonda Jackson of the Women’s Center. Jackson says that this is a day that people can learn about the wrongful stereotypes that surround Muslims and specifically Muslim women in general.

The event at Miami has a couple of different locations throughout campus. Students will have a table at Amstrong Student Center with information and even a hijab that people will be able to try on. Another group will be on slant walk also with information about Muslim women and the religion in general. These areas will pass out information from 1 to 4 p.m. On the same day, the group will host a video and panel session at 6:30 p.m. at MacMillan Hall in room 212, according to Jackson.

At this session, they will show videos and have Muslim women there to speak to the audience about their culture and misconceptions. Nathan French, who teaches an introduction to Muslim studies class, will be a moderator at this event.

The Women's Center and Intercultural Education teams hope to make this an annual event here at Miami. According to Jackson, this is bigger than just Muslim women, it is about all races and genders and try to truly live the worlds of Miami University that are Love and Honor.