"Women are objectified very often. This notion of wearing a scarf is going against that objectification. It shows our identity is not limited to what we wear."
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| Kaitlin Robin, left, and Sana Khan attend Beyond the Veil at the University of Saskatchewan on Thursday. Photograph by: Richard Marjan, The Starphoenix , The Starphoenix |
Source/Credit: The StarPheonix
By Sean Trembath | October 16, 2015
Naiela Anwar wears a head scarf and says she doesn't feel oppressed.
The Grade 12 student was one of about 100 people who attended Beyond the Veil, an event aimed at educating people about the role of women in Islam, at the University of Saskatchewan on Thursday.
Anwar said there are many misconceptions about what Islam says about women.
"People are coming to harsh conclusions without really getting educated," she said.
The event was organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Students Association and featured presentations, readings from the Qur'an, spoken word poetry and a question-and-answer session.
"It's to open up and educate our peers," Naila Chaudry, one of the moderators of the event, said.
Chaudry said some of the rhetoric thrown around about Islamic practices during the current federal election campaign is sensationalist.
"That's spreading terror that's not even there," she said.
Bishra Nazeer, one of the presenters, said people should not judge all Muslims based on the actions of extremists.
"Extremists are everywhere, in every religion," she said.
One of the event's main focuses was the head scarves traditionally worn by Muslim women.
Sana Khan, another student who attended the event, said it is inaccurate to say people choosing to follow the tenets of a religion are being forced to do so.
"People aren't forced to wear head scarves. It's their right, and it's what they believe in," Khan said.
Anwar argued that wearing a niqab is actually feminist in many ways.
"Women are objectified very often. This notion of wearing a scarf is going against that objectification," Anwar said. "It shows our identity is not limited to what we wear."
She said her attendance Thursday served dual purposes.
"It's important for me to represent what my culture truly teaches. Secondly, it's really important I get educated myself about how to deal with the misconceptions," Anwar said.
-- strembath@thestarphoenix.com
-- twitter.com/strembath
Read original post here: Canada: Role of women in Islam explored at University of Saskatchewan
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