The Hoya: The Guide: March 28, 2014

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the guide FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014

The Veil For some, the choice to wear hijab extends beyond the religious sphere

NICOLE JARVIS Hoya Staff Writer

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Rabia Mizra (COL ’16) started to wear hijab in high school to reactions of both support and scorn from peers.

Khadija Mohamud (SFS ’17), Rabia Mizra (COL ’16) and Nimrah Baig (COL ’14) are just like any other young women studying at Georgetown. They worry about exams and internships. They feel the effects of long hours in Lau, bemoan the quality of coffee produced by The Corp and dream of medical school or the Peace Corps. They, like many students, are trying to strike the perfect balance between work and play, faith and expression. This question of faith, however, is what makes these women stand out from the crowds of blue and gray. Each of them proudly wears the hijab as an outward expression of their deeply held Muslim faith — a faith that has been misunderstood by their fellow Americans for their entire lives. Hijab might not be a word all students are familiar with, even though they have more than likely seen a few while walking around campus. While it has several meanings, hijab is most commonly used to refer to a covering over a woman’s head and chest that leaves her face, or sometimes just her eyes, exposed. Usually worn by Muslim women after the age of puberty, hijabs come in a variety of colors and patterns, although the overall effect is one of modesty. But this modesty is not just physical: According to Cyril Glasse’s “The New Encyclopedia of Islam,” hijabs act as a separation between man and God. But the hijab is more than just an article of clothing or an expression of faith; wearing one is also a personal decision and, for several, a way to unite American and Muslim identities. “Hijab is a lifestyle choice — it’s choosing to not only dress a certain way, but to interact with the opposite sex in a certain way, to use yourself in terms of your relationship with God and taking it another step in terms of trying to isolate other factors and go to a basic core of the relationship,” Mohamud said.

Mohamud, a resident of Silver Springs, Md., has spent her entire life in the United States, although her parents are both from Somalia. Interested in the Peace Corps as a postgraduate option, it was after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that she saw she was “somewhat different.” Through attending public school and weekend religion school, she realized it was possible to balance both her Muslim and American identities — and part of that came through proudly wearing hijab. If you ask 10 different Muslim American women, you will get 10 different answers for why they have or have not chosen to embrace the lifestyle of wearing

It wasn’t something you could wear Monday and take off Tuesday and put back on Friday. It was a lifestyle choice” —Khadija Mohamud (SFS ’17)

hijab, each based on intense, personal convictions about the role of Islam in their life. Some are influenced by the positive experiences of family members; while others cite their own beliefs about the role of God in their lives. For Mohamud, who decided to wear hijab permanently when she was 13 years old after wearing it off and on since she was 6, it was about asserting her Muslim beliefs and demanding respect from her peers. “I wanted people to know who I am because hijab is something that comes to identify you, and when you wear it, you want people to know that you’re Muslim. You want people to know that you expect a certain level of respect,” she said. “You want people to understand, ‘Hey, I choose to dress modestly and deserve to be treated with respect, because I have respect for myself.’” See HIJAB, B2

THIS WEEK THEATER REVIEW

LIFESTYLE

A Tale of Tense Truths ‘Doubt: A Parable’ expertly explores suspicion and secrecy

JOSEPH KUPERSCHMIDT Hoya Staff Writer

African Culture Through the Arts

Free fashion show and performance portray cultural roots through music, poetry and dance at Abissa. B3

New Perspective on GUSA Exec

Trevor and Omika reflect on their time so far on the Hilltop and look forward to their senior year. B2

FOOD & DRINK

Perfect Pasta Portions

An Adams Morgan institution, Pasta Mia, a simple Italian restaurant, pleases patrons with a classic menu. B5

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Recklessly Sinning

The Pretty Reckless shows improvement in its new album, “Going to Hell.” B7

THEHOYA.COM/ GUIDE @thehoyaguide

Whether one wears a habit or a hoodie, a person cannot avoid suspicion, and in the absence of proof, none can escape doubt. Such is the struggle of Sister Aloysius Beauvier in her mistrust of Fr. Brendan Flynn in John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt, A Parable,” which opens this weekend at the Davis Performing Arts Center’s Gonda Theatre. “Doubt,” which was originally staged offBroadway at the Manhattan Theater Club, premiered on Broadway in 2004, won the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was adapted in 2008 to a film starring Meryl Streep and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. “Doubt” has the power to haunt audiences, and this production — despite its perhaps unnecessary stress on Flynn’s obscurity — will undoubtedly do just that. “Doubt” takes place in a fictional school in the Bronx during the fall of 1964. The play begins with a sermon by Fr. Flynn that addresses the issue of uncertainty and effectively lays the foundation for the remainder of the performance. Coinciding with the arrival of St. Nicholas Church School’s first African-American student, Principal Sister Aloysius has begun to suspect the actions of Fr. Flynn of scandalous misconduct due to mysterious meetings between the student and Flynn . The theme of gossip plays a major role in the play, conveying how suspicion and secrecy can taint reputations and how powerful rumors can be. Confident and charismatic, Flynn has gained favor in the church community, but a peculiar incident leads Aloysius to believe that Flynn has abused Donald Muller, the African-American boy. In Aloysius’ pursuit against Flynn, it remains unclear with whom to place support, condemnation and belief. The clash of personalities and the tensions that result from the struggle give the play a unique quality See DOUBT, B3

OLIVIA HEWITT/THE HOYA

Maddie Kelley (COL ’16) gives a great performance as Sister Aloysius in “Doubt: A Parable” directed by Professor Maya E. Roth, perfectly capturing her intensity.


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