Being a minority of any sort in America can be challenging, especially if you belong to a group that has been historically oppressed. What can be really difficult is navigating your identity while growing up, and this applies to everyone even if you do not belong to a minority group.
Being Muslim in America is a rollercoaster. I never know what to expect when a stranger is staring at me. I’ve heard some ignorant remarks, but I have also been pleasantly surprised by some kind comments.
Due to the negative media portrayal of Muslims and Islam, I tend to expect negative judgments, which can cause lots of anxiety walking into a new classroom. Anxious thoughts race in my mind as I fear all the preconceived notions these classmates or professors may have of me. Although I do not think I have experienced religious or racial discrimination at ISU, here is my experience as a hijabi on campus.
Imagine you’re in class, and the teacher tells everyone, “Today is a special day, it is a holiday for (your name), can you please tell the class what this is about?” Well, if you celebrate Christmas you most likely have not been in this position, because it’s commonly known. However, I lack this privilege and oftentimes am the only Muslim in the room.
While this teacher’s actions may be well-intended, it can quickly become exhausting to be put on the spot like that. It’s not my job as a Mulsim to teach everyone I encounter about Islam. While I am happy to answer questions, it’s unfair to be an involuntary teacher. Things like Ramadan and Eid are very straightforward, and at our grown age in college, it’s quite easy to look them up on and get the gist. I would appreciate it much more for someone to say “I know the main idea of Ramadan but I had a question about….” Being asked to stand up to share such basic information year after year can feel unfair and makes me feel overlooked in society.
Another huge aspect of identity in college is that everyone comes from very different backgrounds. It’s amazing to see lots of diversity. What can be a con is that I may be the first Muslim/hijabi that someone has met. This can be a lot to handle as they compare me to TV show characters or inaccurate representations since Muslims can be underrepresented in America.
College culture does not align with more religious beliefs, and this is not just my perspective as a Muslim — people of other religions may be able to relate too. The culture of partying and ‘experimenting’ is what a lot of people go to college for. While I agree this is a time to try new things and learn more about ourselves, I go about that differently due to my beliefs. This can be tricky as some people may not see eye to eye with it. This is heightened by my belief in modest dress as well. As a hijabi, it can be hard to follow fashion trends as they do not align with the modesty aspect. While in a sorority, I had to alter a lot of the dress codes to make it work. While everyone in the sorority was super sweet about it and no one was rude, this is just something I have to deal with that other people do not realize it.
Other things I have to take into consideration are prayer times and with longer classes in college, I have had to excuse myself in the middle of class for 5 minutes to complete a prayer. My professors have been very kind and accommodating to this.
All those elements are nothing when it comes to ignorance and microaggressions. I didn’t realize until recently that I hold college students up to a higher standard when it comes to knowledge. I guess in high school I wouldn’t get so upset about someone saying something ignorant accidentally because “they don’t know any better.” But when dealing with people that are over 20 years of age, my expectations are higher. I guess the way I look at it is that we are soon to be adults entering the workforce. How is someone that is going to be a teacher in less than a year saying something so ignorant? It makes me realize the importance of representation in education.
This applies to not only Muslims but anyone that belongs to a minority group in their college classrooms and campus. Growing up can be complicated but it is wonderful to step into your most authentic and unapologetic self.