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TUESDAY,DEC.11,2001
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FROM THE COVER
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
Muslims: From behind hijab, believers adjust in Lawrence
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Above: Mariam Syeda, Karachi, Pakistan, graduate student, left, and Asma Rehman, Kansas City, Mo., junior, face northeast to pray in Rehman's apartment before eating their evening meal. Prayer is an important part of Islam, with five official times set aside for praying throughout the day. Right: Asma Rehman prepares to break her daily Ramadan fast. Right: biryani, a mixture of rice, lamb and chicken with curry sauce. "It's not bad after the first few days," Rehman said about fasting during Ramadan.
and was confronted by four men at an intersection. The men spit on her car and yelled at her. When Rehman's friend attempted to ignore them, they jumped on the car and started shaking it.
"She was so scared, and she couldn't believe that something like that could happen," Rehman said. Dunningiah
Rehman said the stares caused by her Islamic garb had decreased during the years, but had crept back into her life after Sept. 11. She said that occasionally when she was sitting in a class or shopping at a store, fixed stares became difficult for her not to notice from behind the cover of her linen.
Muslim women traditionally wear the linen, called a hijab in Islam, as a symbol of both faith and tradition.
Rehman wears her hijab with a sense of humility and pride, and said she was not worried about sticking out in a crowd:
"Wearing the hijab is done for modesty." Rehman said. "The hijab is everything. It's all about how you present yourself as a Muslim."
In the Quran, the Muslim holy book, women are advised to wear the hijab, but not all Muslim women do. A Muslim woman must be spiritually ready to take on the burden of wearing the hijab.
"You have to do it for the right reasons," Rehman said. "Islam is based on intentions. You have to understand the reasons for the hijab before you actually wear it."
Syeda is a devout Muslim who felt she was not ready for the hijab. Syeda, who moved to Lawrence four months ago after spending her entire life in Pakistan, considers Islam the foundation holding her life together and said her faith had become more intense every day. Syeda does not wear the hijab now, but said she would one day.
"I think you need a lot of courage to wear it, especially now," Syeda said. "I don't wear it, but I'm hoping that I will have the courage to wear it soon. You need to truly believe in hijab to wear it." Worldwide wardrobes
Tangled in the political issues involved in the battle against terrorism is the status of women who wear the traditional garb in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries.
When the Taliban dominated Afghanistan, they forbade women from working and attending schools, and required them to be covered from head to toe in public. Now, with the Taliban losing power, women are slowly regaining their simple freedoms.
However, even with the fall of the Taliban, some women have been reluctant to give up wearing their burkas — full length shawls that have only an eye-slit allowing women to see.
Mack, who taught the Women in Islam class, has spent time in various Muslim societies and said she saw vast differences between them.
"When you have a religion like Islam that's in so many different cultures, you're going to see big differences," Mack said. "Over time, each country develops their own ways and believes that their way is the right way to live according to Islam."
For example, Muslim women in Egypt wear anything from Islamic hijabs to westernized jeans and t-shirts.
Yet even U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia don't allow women
to drive cars and require them to be veiled in public.
Malaysian Muslim women make up half of the country's college students and are quickly entering the work force, yet are required to wear head coverings in some parts of the country.
Women in Turkey, who are the most liberated in the Muslim world, can enter all professions, hold government offices and wear whatever type of clothing they like.
Rehman said Muslim women should not be judged by how they dressed regardless of the country in which they live.
"The people that don't wear hijab are not looked down on," Rehman said. "Some people that don't wear it turn out to be better Muslims than those that do." The five pillars
Although Islam is observed differently throughout the world, its foundation is the same the Five Pillars of Islam, which are faith, prayer, charity, fasting and a pilgrimage.
The pillar of faith, or Shahada in Islam, is the worship of Allah as the One God and the recognition of Muhammad as his last messenger. The worship is of basic ideals and of complex, deep feelings.
Prayer, or Salat, is the pillar instructing Muslims to pray five times a day. These prayer sessions are the direct link between the Muslim worshipper and God. Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and allow Muslims to enjoy a personal, intimate relationship with God.
"I can honestly say that my day revolves around prayer." Rehman said. "I wake up to prayer, and I finish my day with prayer. It's a very serious time that allows me to escape away from my day."
Charity, or Zakat, is based on the belief in Islam that all things belong to God, and that wealth should be divided among all human beings. Each year, Muslims calculate the amount of money they have made, then give 2.5 percent of it to charity.
"It's so a part of society in Pakistan that the government will take the 2.5 percent right out of your paycheck if you want them to." Syeda said. "That's what my family does."
The fast during the holy month of Ramadan, which is now underway, signifies a time of inner reflection, devotion to Allah and self-control. Muslims fast from food, drink and sex every day of Ramadan from dawn till dusk.
The pilgrimage, or hajj, is the trip to Mecca, the religious center of Islam located in Saudi Arabia. Muslims are required to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime for an intense worshipping experience if financially and physically possible.
Finding friends
Gasim Bukhari, a 40-year-old Saudi Arabia native and KU doctoral student, has lived in Lawrence for five years and is president of the executive board at the Islamic Center of Lawrence. The center, located at 1917 Naismith Drive, serves as the central social and religious meeting place for the Muslim community.
"The center is very important and plays a crucial role." Bukhari said. "It's a place where all Muslims can get together. It's especially important because Muslims who are newcomers to the area can come here. They can come to a place where they will be comfortable. A lot of new students come from societies that are all Muslim, and it can be kind of overwhelming at first."
When Bukhari arrived in Lawrence, the center was located in a small house on 13th and Ohio streets, but the Muslim community has grown since then. Bukhari said 250-300 Muslim students now attend KU and more than 100 Muslim families live in Lawrence. The center plays host to daily dinners and prayers, weekly social gatherings and a weekly prayer on Fridays.
Syeda said she spent many days at the center during her first few weeks at KU, mostly with people she had never met before but felt close to culturally and religiously.
"I great because I can go there, not know anyone, and be totally comfortable there." Syeda said. "You meet so many people that you have a lot in common with."
Two times a year, the center sponsors large celebrations, or Eids — one that commemorates the trip to Mecca, and the other celebrating the end of Ramadan. The center also helps Muslim families with difficulties and celebrates Muslim weddings and births. Bukhari said the center played an important role in the lives of Lawrence Muslims.
"The Muslim community needs to support one another, especially now." Bukhari said. "More than anything, I want the Islamic Center to present Islam to the community in Lawrence
and inform people about Islam."
Rehman said she looked forward to the Eid celebrating the end of Ramadan this year, because it would give her family and her a chance to gather for a festive religious celebration.
Muslims end the last fast of Ramadan by eating large amounts of food, dancing and socializing. Ramadan
Now, however, even though the winter days are getting shorter, they can feel much longer for KU's Muslim students. Ramadan, the holy month of fasting in Islam, began Nov. 16 and will continue through Dec. 15.
The fast symbolizes a time of inner reflection, devotion to Allah, and self-control.
Rehman said that the sacrifices Muslims made during Ramadan — abstaining from food, drink and sex from sunrise to sunset — were difficult, but that her sense of holiness overwhelmed the sacrifices.
"In the beginning, it gets tough after a while to keep the fast," Rehman said. "But it's such a holy time. Ramadan is a time to worship Allah and really search within yourself."
Ramadan is meant to be a humbling experience for Muslims. Fasting puts Muslims in the position of the poor and hungry, thus making them feel sympathy for those people and giving them an appreciation for the gifts provided by Allah.
Area Muslims gather for prayer at the Islamic Center of Lawrence, 1917 Naismith Drive for Friday afternoon worship services. Because only men are allowed in the large prayer room, the women worship in separate, smaller rooms upstairs from where the service can be heard but not seen.
"Ramadan teaches me humility," Rehman said. "God makes you see that there are people who are less fortunate in the world by putting you in that position."
On the third weekend of Ramadan, Rehman went home to Kansas City to be with her family and friends for the nightly iftar. Iftar is the name for the daily breaking of the fast during Ramadan.
Rehman said the dinner began, as every *iftar* traditionally does, with the eating of dates.
"The prophet Muhammad began his meals with dates so that's why we do," Rehman said about the ritual of eating the sweet and chewy dried fruit.
Then Rehman and her family
ate samosas, a triangular piece of
bread filled with either potatoes
or meat and served hot. Accompanying the samosas were pakoras, vegetables dipped in batter and then fried.
Then came Rehman's favorite, biryani, rice mixed with chicken, beef, or shrimp and topped with curry. Rehman said the spiciness of all of the food made it unique.
Ramadan brings Muslims a sense of togetherness because of the mass fasting observed worldwide by all of the religion's members.
When Ramadan began, Syeda was among 150 Muslims, both students and Lawrence residents, gathered at the Islamic Center to eat the first dinner of the holy month.
With Ramadan winding toward its conclusion. Rehman continues to go through the daily routine that's gotten her through the month of fasting.
As everyone sat down to begin eating, Syeda said she glanced around the room and noticed that she didn't recognize a single face. But that's what Syeda said she loved about Ramadan. The month puts every Muslim on the same level, and every person can relate with each other.
already makes you feel close." Nearing the end
"That night was great because I didn't know anyone there, but I met so many new people." Syeda said. "Even if you don't know somebody, it's very easy to talk to them because being Muslim
"It ites tough, but then I remember why I do all of this," Rehman said. "This is all about self-restraint and submission to God."
Rehman awakens early each morning before sunrise to eat a light breakfast and ready herself for yet another long, grueling day without food or water.
"I wouldn't change anything about my life," Rehman said. "Life is difficult and challenging as a Muslim, but it's rewarding. Everything in my life is meaningful."
—Edited by Meghan Bainum
— Photos by Aaron Showalter
Contact Malashock at 864-4810
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