On behalf of the performers, organizers and sponsors, we would like to thank you for coming to our show! We would like to hear your thoughts and reflections about the performance!
We hope you enjoyed the show as much as we have enjoyed performing it for you!
With love,
Hijabi Monologues @ OSU crew
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Welcome:
Everyone taking part of The Hijabi Monologues performance at the Ohio State University this Spring 2010, Welcome! We will use this blog to communicate news about the event. Organizers, we urge you to invite others to join and follow the HM project at OSU. Also, please join the facebook group: http://hijabimonologues.com/.
Please follow the blog. Email all inquiries to hijabimonologues.OSU@gmail.com.
Al sallam wallaykum
Please follow the blog. Email all inquiries to hijabimonologues.OSU@gmail.com.
Al sallam wallaykum
Alsalamu Alaicom... the performance was great, i enjoyed it... giving a positive understanding about muslim women and Hijab mixed with humor and real stories, really a wonderful idea ...may Allah bless you all...
ReplyDeleteAmal
I was most impressed with how this was the second generation in high school and college addressing their cultural concerns. I thought it was great that much of the audience was in the same demographic, particularly the young Muslim men in the audience. What was missing was the parents. Too many of our parents are clueless about the problems their kids confront in school and society. Too many live in a dream world.
ReplyDeleteWe have too many events about Ideal Islam and not enough practical reality programs. I think that is the next step - how to create support groups for our young people.
(revert since 1975)
As an ignorant member of pretty much every demographic majority, my eyes were opened to the struggles, dreams, hopes, and fears of amazing women who, behind a previously foreign veil, are not all that different form the people I know in my life. Thanks to everyone who participated or had a hand in offering this production, I wish the best of luck, blessings, and prosperity to the Hijabi Monologues and all of those involved, so that others like me may be enlightened as I was.
ReplyDeleteThese monologues did a very good job of normalizing muslim people and showing that to the rest of the American public. Speaker 10, Aisha, shared an experience that any teenage girl could relate to: fretting over her self-image. She showed that she needed to be loved and feel wanted just like any other child of her age. Yet due to the unfortunate string of events that ensued, she showed so vividly that she could suffer like everyone else. She went through hell and asked God for forgiveness like everyone else; that she was just as human as anyone else, and a better one than those who jeered at her in her time of need.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that Speaker 5 (father tried and acquitted for terrorism) did a beautiful job with structuring her speech- she began with the seemingly mundane, though not commonplace, occurrence of a drunk hooker walking into her home uninvited and then leaving as oblivious as she had come in and ended with the FBI agents, harbingers of tragedy for her family, coming and leaving just as clueless as the drunk hooker had, seemingly intoxicated by their own ignorance.
Let me start off by saying that you ladies did a fabulous job! Hearing your stories made me realize the struggles and hardships that you go through everyday and i really admire all of you for staying true to yourselves and to your religion. Your stories were well told, they made me laugh, cry, and sit shocked in absolute silence. Id have to say that i found the story about the woman's first football game at Miami against Florida State hilarious, and the story about the woman whose father got arrested absolutely devistating. This show showed a whole range of emotions and i want to thank you all for sharing those with us. Awesome job!!
ReplyDeleteI think all the women involved in the Hajabi Monologues did a wonderful job. Although I am not a muslim, I took a lot away from the event and the stories which were shared. I would definitely attend this event again if the opportunity presented itself. I feel it was truely an eye opener to the culture and world we live in today, all the perceptions and stereotypes we put on people and it helped to reassure me that underneith it all we are all the same, we may have different beliefs or personalities or clothing but we are all the same and deserve to be treated equally. Thank you for sharing your talent with us and for all your hard work. Everyone did an amazing job! :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting blog post with a different perspective:
ReplyDeletehttp://centralohiomuslimnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/hijabi-monologues.html
As a woman and a Jewish American, I found the performance extremely enlightening, inspiring, and important. Orthodox Jewish women also cover their hair and their bodies out of piety and modesty, and I used to think that they were oppressed until I became friends with a woman who is both Orthodox and a feminist. After that, I realized how judgmental I was being towards women of my own faith. During the Hijabi Monologues I had a similar experience. I understand now that just because a woman chooses to veil her hair, it doesn’t mean she is choosing to veil her personality or her rights.
ReplyDeleteBefore the show, I thought about the many different ways that Jews perceive the hijab. The diversity of the skits reach out to many different kinds of people. A woman I know through Hillel thought the Hijabi Monologues was a beautiful idea and eagerly hung flyers for the event. She loved the idea of “de-mystifying” religious women and giving them a voice. A woman I know (who was raised in a small suburb and has likely never seen a woman wearing a hijab in her life) said that she can’t help but feel a little nervous about the idea of the hijab. I think the humorous, down-to-earth skits would have shown her that women who choose to wear the hijab aren’t crazy alien terrorists out to destroy America—they are real women with the hopes and fears similar to her own. And then there are Jews who definitely assume that anyone wearing a hijab is anti-Semitic. The skit about the neo-nazi on the bus really busted this stereotype. I definitely encourage any effort to perform the Hijabi Monologues in small towns and before interfaith audiences.
The performance was absolutely inspiring. I also thank Cristina for teaching me about the beauty of Muslim culture, bringing the Monologues to OSU, performing such a brave piece, and encouraging Muslims and non-Muslims alike to respect our differences and celebrate our similarities.
I really enjoyed this show! Actually I knew nothing about American Muslim women or even Muslim before I met Cristina and went to this show. Before, I thought Muslim people look kind of not nice, aggressive, mysterious and also scary because of the scarf. However, after the performance, I have a better understanding about my confusions of American Muslim women, such as why they were born in and grew up in America but still wear scarf, whether they are pushed to wear scarf, how the life is like to represent a whole religion, and how people misunderstand them, how they went through the difficulties brought by people’s misunderstandings.
ReplyDeleteThere are many moving stories in the performance. And my favorite are Cristina’s part and the other story called “Knock the door” which is about a father was caught in jail. Those stories are really powerful!
my feedback :)
ReplyDeletehttp://basbouseh.blogspot.com/2010/05/hijabi-monologues.html
This performance is awesome. I always regard Muslin girls mysterious. Actually, they r the same girls like us. Same love story, same family life, even more unfair in their life because of the misunderstandings to their religion. Great stories, great performance, I didn't realize those r the actresses until the end of the show, they explained that those stories were not their own stories. Really touching...
ReplyDeleteThis performance was fantastic! Everyone did an amazing job with their stories. They were all very inspiring and imformative. You all did such a good job of explaining that we go through the some of the same things and have some of the same challenges. The story about the football game was hilarious and the story about the girl who's father got arrested was really touching. It really put into perspective the way people treat others just because of their religion or race. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories and teaching the audience members what it's really like to be a Muslim woman in America, although there are misuderstandings about the religion that come with some challenges, we are all one in the same. Remarkable job!
ReplyDeleteGoing to a performance about Muslim women in American society I was somewhat unsure what to expect. I must say though, I was very impressed and the performance definitely had a lasting impact on me. It is nice to see, as a person without much interaction with Muslim people, that although stereotypes are different in varied groups of people, we all face many of the same problems. I was especially touched by the girl whose father left for an extended period of time because she had become pregnant. I think one of the hardest things parents have to face is when their children are in unfortunate positions. It was interesting to see how different cultural backgrounds lead people to react differently to similar problems. Great job to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed these monologues and learned a lot from them. There was a good range of stories from funny to sad to really portray a Muslim American Woman. This performance made it clear that everyone in America goes through many similar situations and that a religion does not make us different. I had never met a Muslim before this year but now that I have met Christina and watched these women in this show, I have a whole new outlook. I especially respect you for wearing the head scarfs. It is never easy to stand out from the crowd but it shows how strong and devoted you are! Great job with the performance.
ReplyDeleteThe show was fantastic, and I thought that each person did a great job showing that Muslim American women go through the same struggles as women in America that are not Muslim. It was also very good to see the additional struggles that were specific to Muslim women. I espically thought the stories about the father being taken away and the pregnant young girl were moving. Another observation I had not realized beforehand was how faithful the Muslim culture is. Considering that I heard stories about taking the time to pray and defending the faith to the people who mock them. So I thank you for teaching me.
ReplyDeleteMohammad : I like to thank everybody but I have some comments. At first : Sahar she was laughing loudly on the microphone at the end of the performance that's haram. Second : some of the performance girls were wore tight Jeans thats haram. Third : One of the performance girl she said : .... between my legs, where is the Shyness ? . Fourth : Sahar when she was laughing in the microphone she said: :" we didn't hang out with the muslim boys" I knew she was joking but American people they didn't know that. At last : Bowing to other than Allah is haram. If you wanna thank people for coming just stand up and raise your hands up. Please, accept that from me and good luck.
ReplyDeleteThe show was amazing. Every story was very touching. I specially liked the story of the mother who lost her son. I could feel tears in my eyes. The story about how guys hit on Muslim women was unique and really funny. It was a really nice experience. I look forward to attend all the other shows that take place in the future.
ReplyDeleteMohammad - He without sin cast the first stone. I think one should be careful about labeling everything as haram...
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this perfomance!! actually I had never met any Muslims before coming here in the states so I had just some of image about them through watching TV. so when I came to the states and met lots of Muslim friends, I asked alot about them such as hijabi, coran, any culture things.. that questions would be based on the stereotype about Muslim before I had. during the monologue, my frinend sarra, who is Muslim, told me " It's like u long time ago".
ReplyDeleteI have learned about Muslim from my friend ,Sarra but I still have asked alot about their culture. so after the monologue performance, I asked her again. but It was really good time to learn Muslim more and share my friend's culture !!
It was the first time ever that I saw monologues and I found the concept very interesting. I specially loved the detailed descriptions provided in the narratives. It was as if the whole thing happened in front of you right there. Though all the stories were fabulous, I enjoyed the football one the most. It conveyed its message yet at the same time was hilarious and captivating. I would also like to mention the story which the mother lost her son. It was a heart touching piece. It was tough to control one's emotions when she narrated how the mother told the little girl that it was her brother's wedding feast.
ReplyDeletethe only comment! the girl that was talking about the MACKtivists- SHE WAS HILLARIOUS.. so good mashallah.
ReplyDeleteI was really unsure of what to expect at the monologues. First of all, I was always a little bit of a victim of some of the stereotypes of Muslim women. I generalized and thought that a Muslim woman would always be a quiet and introverted person who would not be willing to talk to me as a normal person. My English 110 teacher (and Monologues performer) Cristina Martinez began to change my perception. She was the first Muslim woman I had been around on a consistent basis and hearing her talk and relate to us as students began to help me see that Muslim women are just normal people like everyone else. The performance really turned my views around. I realized from the situations and stories recounted in the show that there is no difference in the way Muslim women feel and act from all other people. I am really glad I got to have the experience of seeing the Monologues because although I had always respected Muslim women and men, I had never really been sure how to act around them or treat them, but now I know....like any other person I ever meet! Great job to all the performers, you are all very talented women and the world needs to hear your message!
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot after this performance!
ReplyDeletei am glad I attended. I thought all the performers did a brilliant job! I was also surprised that "hijabi's" could be so .. FUNNY!
The whole performance was fantastic but I have to give it up to the comedy part of the performance. i have also leaned to use the word "hijab" instead of "that".
ps: one of the comments above reminded me of the same girl that was in that part of the performance. I am not sure what her name was but she was GOOD. the turquoise Hijab.
~Marryann tanner.
I have to say that "the Hijiabi monologue" really has an effect on my opinion towards muslims. At first I thought a girl who is wearing "Hijiabi" is quite different from common person. At least she may be more conservative and has a strong sense of self-preservation. After attending the show, I realize that a girl who is wearing the "Hijiabi" is only a girl, just as you and me.
ReplyDeleteThe most impressive story is about the girl who is tricked by her boyfriend into having sex and betrayed by her best friend at school. I discuss this story with my colleague who is also a muslim and from Somalia. She tells me that it's forbidden for a muslim woman to marry a man who is not a muslim.I wonder whether the bad boy is a muslim or not.
I get the reason why the muslim girls are wearing hijiabis: They want people to respect them because of their intelligence rather than beauty. It's quite thought-provoking!!
What the girls did was great, but please sisters becareful we try to send a message to muslim and non muslim people about you and your hijab and your reaction too. The real hero is Mariam she was the best one for every things " Speech , and subjects and the way she was talking. good luck. all my support. Mohammad.
ReplyDeleteBefore I watched the performance I didntknow anything about muslin women's life. It is like that they were hidden everthing behind their hijabi and their life is very different from what I have.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this monologue completely change my opinion since it provides me with their life in so many aspects. Their religion is just part of their life and they are just like all of us in other aspects. Many kinds of discrimination in the society is just caused by the lack of knowlegdge of certain group rather than other factors. The hijabi of Muslin women is just as normal way of showing their belief and it should be totally understood by the society.
I am most impressed by the sad story in which the girl's father was taken away by the police as a terrorist but in fact he and their family did not do anything.It still much for people outside the Muslin group to know that they are just the same as us.
Thank to everyone for sharing your thoughts and perspectives on the show.
ReplyDeleteI read that some of you were directing your comments to Mohammed (I assume, the current president of the MSA). He does not run this blog and may not have read your comment at all. If you would like to contact him directly, you can contact one of the Sister organizers at hijabimonologuesOSU@gmail.com to personally direct you to him.
I hope to keep the comments flowing :)
Salaams!