To honor World Hijab Day, February 1, the Muslim Student Association hosted their fourth annual Hijab Panel event on February 16. This celebration of the hijab featured a panel of four Hijabi women sharing their story: Mariam Omar, Skyler Oliveria, Mariam El-Sharkh, and Gharam Foqahaa. A Q&A session followed, where the audience could submit their questions to be answered by the group. Myra Bajwa moderated the panel. The purpose of the Hijab panel was to enlighten and give perspective to the experiences of Hijabi women. The event was sponsored by Global USA, which seeks to enhance international efforts and support global engagement at South Alabama. 

In addition to the panel, the event was catered by local Mobilian restaurant, House of Kabob & Gyros. There were multiple booths for guests to check out, such as one to try on a hijab, gather information about Islam, and pick up a Qur’an. Mariam El-Sharkh, one of the panelists, hosted a booth featuring her small business, Simsim. They sell quality cosmetics as well as products for the home and car. A beautiful floral arrangement for photo opportunities was created by Mary P. Decor, who can be found on Instagram under the same name. 

“There’s so many small, tiny questions that people are kinda shy to ask, and this [event] is a great time for them to do it,” Omar said. She has been participating since her freshman year of undergrad and has been able to watch the event grow.

“[Attendees] learn so much,” Omar ssaid. “I’m really excited to hopefully inspire some more people.” 

The panel of Hijabi women highlighted the variety of relationships regarding the hijab and the Islam faith.

“Every Hijabis point of view is a good point of view,” Foqahaa said. “Everyone has their own experiences and stories.”  

On Thursday, April 4, the Muslim Student Association will be hosting a Ramadan dinner to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. Starting at 6:30 PM, there will be an informative presentation followed by a dinner with plenty of food. To RSVP, fill out the form which can be found on the MSA Instagram page, @usa_msa.