“Undercover as a Muslim Woman” was an event that took place at the University of Maryland that was open to people of all races, genders, and ethnicities. I heard about it through a girl in my sorority and thought that it could be an eye opening experience so I signed up.
It was a one-day event that consisted of wearing a hijab, or a head scarf, around campus. In the evening there was a banquet held for all of the participants. This was a chance for everyone to share their experiences and reflect on what thoughts and realizations they had throughout the day.
After signing up for the event I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had a lot of preconceived notions that were quickly proven to be false. The day before the event we were told to come pick up our headscarves.
When I see people wearing them around campus, I realized I never noticed the pretty patterns and colors of the scarves. I was more focused on the fact that they were wearing something that I was not.
I also thought there was an intricate way of keeping the scarves on all day, but the woman who showed me how to put it on was finished within a minute. I was told there were fancier ways to tie them, but I chose to keep it simple.
The day of the event I woke up feeling a little nervous. I was self-conscious to wear the hijab because I was scared of being judged. Walking around campus, I felt like everyone’s eyes were on me and people were looking at me differently. Looking back on the experience, I don’t think that was actually the case. I think wearing the hijab just made me more aware of my surroundings because I was nervous.
After a while I forgot I was even wearing the hijab. This was the most profound revelation for me. These women who walk around on a daily basis do not feel any different from us, we are the ones who make them seem different.
In one of my classes I sat through the entire 110 minutes with a friend and she did not comment on the headscarf once. After, I asked her if she had realized or thought anything of it and she said she thought it was a new fashion statement and had meant to compliment me on it.
While I was at work with people I see on a daily basis, they noticed. My boss asked if I was wearing a scarf on my head because I was sick or cold. A co-worker couldn’t wrap his head around the point of the experience and I couldn’t explain it to him. I exposed myself to this experience because I think it is important to understand other people’s cultures and I understand that others do not share this view.
Although while wearing the hijab I didn’t feel different, I felt like I had a purpose, as I think the women who wear these on a daily basis do as well. They have the courage to display what they believe in regardless of the fact that it sets them apart from what society sees as “normal”.
Something that I learned from this experience is that Muslim women are not forced to wear a scarf. On the contrary, they choose to do so.
At the banquet women spoke on their experiences and I think everyone agreed that they were self-conscious at first wearing the scarves. Once they became comfortable, they admitted feeling more beautiful than they ever had.
I participated in this experience to learn about the Muslim women who wear the hijab on daily basis and I came out learning more about myself.