By Kelly Malone

U of S students take Hijab Challenge

Jan 28, 2015 | 2:52 PM

A bustle of activity filled the tunnel at the University of Saskatchewan on Wednesday afternoon as students tried on hijabs for the very first time.

The Hijab Challenge is part of Islam Awareness Week which is taking place at five universities across the country including the University of Saskatchewan.

“It is like a standard kind of item of clothing feeling around you. It’s nice and cozy like a scarf. It’s a little tight under the chin and it’s warm,” third-year psychology student Michaela Madraga said.

Beyond just trying something new, Madraga decided to take the challenge so she could better understand many of her fellow students who cover their head on campus.

“I think that a lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about the hijab and I have heard a lot of people talk about how its oppresive rather than being a choice,” she said.

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“I wanted to learn more about why people would chose to wear it or to be able to see it as sort of a positive kind of thing.”

That’s the kind of conversation the challenge is meant to spark, according to civil engineering student and member of the Muslim Student Association Jannat Ishan.

“It is organized to bring people with their questions, try it on also, and if they have more questions we direct them to the scholars,” she said, while expertly fitting a hijab to a student.

“We want to provide them with the right  information from the women who already wear the hijab for many years, who are practicing muslims, (and) who are following the teachings of the Qur’an.”

Ishan said wearing the headscarf which is a symbol of modesty is a deeply personal and religious decision for her. It embodies the character and guidance which Islam teaches in the Qur’an, something she has become closer with throughout her life.

“I was learning more about why I was wearing it and it made me even stronger about wearing it,” she said explaining that she spoke with her mother about it as a child.

“Because I know the reasons why I’m wearing it not because someone is asking me to wear it.”

Growing up in Canada, it’s not always been easy to gain acceptance or move throughout the community without being stared at.

“Sometimes it’s a little bit harsh. Some people will say ‘take it off from your head, you don’t have to wear it here’ or like ‘your husband is forcing you’ or ‘your family is forcing you.’ I don’t feel angry at them because they don’t know about it,” Ishan said.

“That’s why we are here to educate them, to tell them why we are wearing it … It’s important that we address these issues properly and help people to understand so we are all accepting each other, so this kind of thing doesn’t become a barrier between us.”

Sharing information and an open conversation has become even more important in the wake of people and groups using the name of Islam for violent acts, Ishan said.

“I think many people should be aware of muslims around us at this time particular because of representing the wrong image of what Islam is,” she said.

“I am happy to represent it because I want represent it the right way.”

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