‘Hijabi monologues’ at University of Texas
\nTEHRAN, February 7 – \u201cHijabi Monologues\u201d will be performed on the University of Texas campus for the first time on March 28.<\/p>\n
TEHRAN,\u00a0Young Journalists Club\u00a0(YJC) – The episodic show has been interpreted by different groups of performers across the nation and focuses on the narratives of Muslim women and their experiences in the world, not the social or political discussions surrounding their scarves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people are going to listen to these stories and forget that people are wearing a scarf,\u201d said Hanan Hashem, \u201cHijabi Monologues\u201d producer and educational psychology graduate student. \u201cThey are going to connect with the person telling the story and the story itself. I think we\u2019re trying to break that barrier of seeing the hijabi woman as being unapproachable or distant or different. We\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stories, written and compiled by Muslim women across the United States in 2006, will be performed by students and touch on topics such as love, friends and family.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a hijabi who has seen these shows, I\u2019ve always felt like, \u2018Yes, that\u2019s what I\u2019m feeling,\u2019\u201d Hashem said. \u201cYou feel like your story is being told without you telling it, which is a lot of the time the most exhausting part about being a hijabi. You\u2019re constantly having to showcase that all these stereotypes are wrong. This is a great way to do that without putting the burden on Muslim women all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The representation of Muslim women needs to go beyond television portrayals such as having strict parents or choosing to wear the hijab, said Sebri, international relations and global studies junior.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing I see is people not seeing hijabis as girls,\u201d Sebri said. \u201cWe have the same problems that any other women would have. We are not really seen as having a full range of emotions or a full range of experiences. There are so many other identities we embody and ways we view the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hashem has previously produced the show at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she finished her undergraduate studies. When she came to UT to pursue her graduate degree, she reached out to the Multicultural Engagement Center and met co-producer Joy Gassama.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I spoke to Hanan for the first time, I knew this is what we need,\u201d said Gassama, government and Middle Eastern studies senior. \u201cIt is great to have these spaces where people share similar experiences, but when you are in spaces that have similar experiences it\u2019s also important to remember that you\u2019re not monolithic. You get into these spaces and you realize that everyone is super different and diverse, just like the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMuslim women are not just Middle Eastern or South Asian,\u201d Hashem said. \u201cThere are white Muslim women, Latina Muslim women. We\u2019re looking for people who can take the personalities of the characters and really showcase them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source: Hawzah News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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