On a recent Sunday morning, a group of about ten women gathered in front of the entrance to Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. The women, dressed in hijabs and flowing athletic gear, laughed, chatted and prepared to take on the occasionally challenging terrain.
It’s a monthly event connecting women from Birmingham’s greater Muslim community.
Organized by the Birmingham Islamic Center, Maymunah Hicks initiated the hiking group during the summer of 2023 to inspire youth involvement in the community. Hicks herself had been interested in hiking, but was worried about the dangers of hiking alone. She figured other members of the community could feel the same way, and so she organized the monthly meetups at various parks in the region for Muslim women to come together, be active, and interact with the natural landscapes of the Birmingham area…