Hijabi On Campus

I recently saw a video on Buzzfeed created by a group of African American students at UCLA's law school, describing how it feels to be at a school which is predominantly white. Now I know this is a touchy subject at a campus like James Madison University’s, but that video inspired me share my thoughts on this matter. This is not my opinion on the admission’s process or any type of affirmative action policy JMU might or might not abide by.

First let me introduce myself. I'm a nineteen year old Muslim American woman. I’m a hijabi, meaning I wear the hijab (or scarf) to cover my hair. I was born and raised in the United States, but my parents emigrated here from Egypt twenty years ago. I'm from Harrisonburg, Virginia. My dad works here as a computer science professor. My mother works at a day care center. I'm a sophomore on a full merit scholarship thanks to the Dingledine's, and I'm double majoring in political science and international relations. I'm fluent in both English and Arabic (although I find it easier to communicate in English).  

The reason why I gave you that little excerpt describing who I am is to then explain how it feels to be a racial/religious/ethnic minority, a feeling most JMU students might not be able to relate to. Picture yourself in a constant struggle to prove people wrong and you might have a slight understanding of how I feel. No I’m not oppressed. Yes I speak English. No I wasn’t born across the Atlantic. No I’m not a close minded conservative. Yes you can approach me same as you can approach anyone else. No I’m not an international student. The list goes on and on. You might not consciously have these questions but how I’m treated on campus by many students definitely reflects such thoughts. I’ve had people tell me “oh you don’t seem like the typical Arab”. To which I’m left wondering what exactly is the typical Arab and how will a person born and raised here know what that is. I’ve also been told I don’t dress like a lot of Muslim hijabi girls and that I’m more “fashionable”. Again this alludes to some kind of assumption that Muslim girls and fashion don’t mix. I understand these misconceptions come from people not personally knowing Muslim girls, but come on now…We’re all in college and should know better than to say these things.

I also often find myself in situations where it seems as if people are scared to approach me. I feel isolated, misunderstood and sometimes uncomfortable on such a huge campus. I’m a pretty social person and I approach people quite often, more than people have ever approached me, so I don’t blame myself for how I feel. Not only that, but I feel like I have to represent the American Muslim woman in the best way I can because I don’t have much help on this campus in that regard. I personally know of three other American Muslim hijabis on campus, while the rest are international students. I not only have to maintain my personal image, but the image of women in my community. I have to break people’s misconceptions and be a good representative of girls like me.

The difficulty doesn’t only stem from my responsibility to represent Muslim women, but also from an internal struggle. It’s hard waking up every morning and looking in the mirror thinking “look how different I am from all my classmates”. Different is good as long as people understand you, but it becomes a hassle when you feel like people aren’t approaching because you’re different from them. It’s also hard holding on to your identity and beliefs around people who have a completely different outlook on life and know little to nothing about your experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of who I am and I try to educate people as much as I could, but I would also like for  people to take it upon themselves to learn about those around them. Reaching out to others will broaden your horizons and introduce you to people of many backgrounds, so don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation with a stranger. Everyone should feel welcome on their campus, but reality is, if you’re a minority you’ve probably felt quite the opposite at times. Some argue that subcultures don’t assimilate well, but the other side of that story is sometimes we’re not allowed to fully assimilate because of how we’re viewed.