POMONA – The Muslim Student Association of California State Polytechnic University organized a ‘Hijab challenge’ for the students at the Bronco Student Center on Monday in celebration of World Hijab Day.
“We are here today to show people what a hijab really is and why we decide to wear it,” said Warda Ahmed, vice president of MSA and a 4th-year student double majoring in international business and marketing, The Poly Post reported.
The MSA showcased a variety of hijabs with different fabrics, styles, colors, and sizes. The participants were also able to keep them as a gift.
World Hijab Day is celebrated every year on the first day of February, and the MSA thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring the celebration to their university.
The worldwide event was created by American social activist Nazma Khan who states she created the occasion “as a means to foster religious tolerance and understanding by inviting women (non-Hijabi Muslims/non-Muslims) to experience the hijab for one day.”
One of the participant students, 1st-year mechanical engineering student, Zareen Ahmed, said: “I wear a hijab because I want people to know that we are not oppressed but liberated, and I like when people can only judge me by my personality.”
The MSA aims to end the discrimination, stereotypes, and fake information surrounding women who decide to wear the hijab.
As a multicultural club, the association seeks to create a comfortable environment for Muslims across the campus and to build a friendly and safe environment where people can learn what it means to be a Muslim.
“I feel good wearing it, and I like learning about the modesty behind it as it proves that there is much more to women than just their body,” graduate student Celeste Banaag said.
MSA’s vice president believes that “wearing a hijab helps people look beyond external characteristics such as sexual appearance and puts the focus on their intelligence and personality.”
“I started wearing a hijab in college, and I’ve always wanted to because I believe in being seen for more than just my exterior,” Ahmed expressed.