Dozens of Iowa City-area Muslim women gathered Feb. 1 in the Coralville Public Library to celebrate their religion and culture and debunk the misinformation and bigotry they often face.
About 250 people, including many friends and family of the women, as well as curious community members, attended World Hijab Day at the library. Organized and co-hosted by the library and the Mariam Girls’ Club, a local group with a mission to connect, unite and empower young Muslim women, Hijab Day involved displays about the history of the faith-inspired head covering, conversations aimed at creating understanding and time to build solidarity.
Women arrived in an array of hijabs with different backgrounds and connections to the Muslim faith.
A symbol of empowerment
The hijab, worn to demonstrate modesty and faith, is empowering, not oppressive, to women of the Muslim faith, said 45-year-old Viana Qadoura of Iowa City, founder and director of Mariam Girls’ Club .
“Usually, the Western World, they write our narrative,” Qadour said. She is a Muslim woman who lived in Burlington before moving to Iowa City. “We are here. We have loud voices. We can write our own narrative and speak.”