Panelists Unveil Role of Muslim Women

By Broadside Correspondent J.D. Mink

Three Muslim women sat down with students and other members of the George Mason University community last Tuesday in an attempt to dispel popular myths and set straight the role of Muslim women in regards to their faith, their culture and ways of living. The program was titled, “Unveiled: The Lives of Muslim Women,” which was held as part of Islam Awareness Week, a series of events sponsored by the Muslim Student Association.

The informal panel discussion was held last week in Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center. Panelists made opening introductory biographical statements to the audience about their daily lives. Prior to the discussion, audience members were given note cards, which were used to write down questions for any of the three panelists.

Each of the panelists provided a unique perspective and glimpse into the Muslim culture and was able to relate to Mason students. Although none of the panelists currently attend Mason, two of the speakers graduated from Mason.

One of the panelists, Khatira Harrif, graduated from Mason in 2005, after coming to the United States in 1999, and currently works in the biology field. The second panelist, Narmeen Slim, was born in Jordan and lived there prior to coming to the United States. In addition to teaching, Slim is a mother and volunteers at a nursing home. Harir Atmar, the third panelist, has lived in the local area and also attended Mason. Atmar’s husband, Saif Qargha, moderated the lecture.

Most of the discussion revolved around cultural aspects of the lives of Muslim women, which included an extended discussion about wearing headscarves. At one point, one of the members of the audience posed the question, “What does it mean to wear a headscarf?”

In response Slim said, “Basically, as a Muslim we know that it is in the Holy Qur’an that we should cover. Some people take it as an obligation; some people take it as a virtue.”

Panelists urged members of the audience to look beyond their clothing, particularly the headscarf, to inward matters of personality and character.

“I’m more than that,” said Atmar. “I was reading Thoreau today. I’m a mother. I see my work a spiritual work. You’re more than just your physical self.”

Muslim women in the audience also added to the discussion that when they wore their headscarves and spoke in class it brought a different form of attention by their peers and professors. The women added that their professors tended to notice them for their intellectual ideas rather than being distracted by their bodies and clothing.

“In the Muslim world, one of the amazing benefits throughout Muslim history was that Islam created an intellectual female society,” said Atmar. “Islam as a religion is actually a very female society.”

“The media is the strongest hold and the monopoly of the image of the Muslim women,” said Atmar. “Images of Muslim women have been used to define the West’s political agenda.”

Atmar said, “In the media, it seems like all the rules are for Muslim women and that men can do whatever they want.” At another point in the lecture, Slim commented that “we have some excuses, because of our natures, but it is the same duties for us as believers.”

The lecture made it clear that many people who do not have an adequate understanding about the nature of Islam and Islamic texts make false claims about Muslim beliefs.

“When you come to the Qur’an, there’s a specific problem,” said Maria Dakake, Associate Professor in the Religious Studies Department.

“There’s also the problem of the issue of context. It’s not a history book; it does not tell a story the way that the Bible does,” said Dakake. “The Qur’an doesn’t tell a linear story. It’s more like divine aphorisms.”

“You need to know why those verses were recorded, in what context and what was going on in the Islamic community,” said Dakake. “To what were these revelations responding? They came down as revelations to specific events.”

Following the discussion, MSA President Farooq Yousuf discussed some of the misconceptions and challenges that Muslims face today.

“A few misconceptions that are everywhere,” said Yousuf. “Women are oppressed in Islam, Muslims are terrorists [and that] Islam is a backwards religion. These are all misconceptions; these are all myths. It’s a religion that liberates women.”

“There is no room in Islam for terrorism. Islam is a religion about justice and equality. It goes beyond all races, all colors [and] all nationalities,” said Yousuf. “Don’t be afraid of Islam. Ask Muslims about what Islam is. Don’t think it’s a religion of terrorism or a religion of hatred.”

Tuesday’s discussion was followed by another lecture titled, “Night of Light: A Night of Recitation of the Glorious Qur’an” and occurred before the final lecture titled, “Heroes: Following in the Footsteps of the Pious Predecessors,” which was held on Thursday, Feb. 28.