MSO students go pink for breast cancer awareness

A former MSO vice president founded Global Pink Hijab Day.

By Catherine Newhouse

Published Oct. 30, 2009

Muslim Student Organization members wore pink, fundraised for breast cancer research and held a panel discussion for Wednesday's Global Pink Hijab Day, founded by former MSO Vice President Hend El-Buri.

During her senior year at Rock Bridge High School, El-Buri started Pink Hijab Day to encourage people to ask questions about her hijab, the Islamic headscarf. El-Buri said the main question people ask is why she covers her hair.

"People always have the opportunity to ask, but sometimes people might feel intimidated or afraid of appearing rude or ignorant," El-Buri said. "This is opening up the door by saying 'ask me, I want to tell you.' "

Although Pink Hijab Day originally started as a way to encourage interfaith dialogue, El-Buri said Pink Hijab Day adopted the breast cancer awareness cause a couple of years ago.

After El-Buri posted a Facebook event, Pink Hijab Day went global.

Now, communities in 11 countries celebrate Global Pink Hijab Day by fundraising for breast cancer foundations and wearing pink hijabs, shirts, ribbons and caps. These communities have also contributed their own ideas to Pink Hijab Day. South Africa organized a human chain of 300 to 500 people wearing pink last year, according to an article on the Voice of the Cape Radio Web site.

MSO members fundraised for Susan G. Komen for the Cure outside Memorial Union from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday. They sold pieces of baklava and cookies shaped like breast cancer awareness ribbons, made henna tattoos and handed out breast cancer awareness fliers, pins and ribbons. El-Buri estimated MSO raised about $200.

MSO member Arwa Abdelhadi, who helped fundraise, said about eight or nine people asked her about the pink hijab she wore to her Moberly Area Community College classes this week.

"It's nice for me to answer their questions and give them insight, instead of them just wondering about it," Abdelhadi said.

El-Buri said Pink Hijab Day's breast cancer awareness cause shows how Muslims are involved in social activism.

"Muslim women want to help improve their own community and make a difference in an issue that affects Muslim women and other women," El-Buri said. "It creates a sisterhood among all women."

El-Buri spoke about Muslim women and social activism with former MSO spokeswoman Nabihah Maqbool and MSO education officer Arwa Mohammad at a panel in Mumford Hall at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

El-Buri said some people believe the stereotype that Muslim women are forced to cover their hair. Instead, women choose to wear a hijab because it gives them a sense of modesty and dignity, El-Buri said.

"There's a strong sense of liberation in the way Muslim women dress and behave," El-Buri said at the panel. "It's the freedom from being judged superficially and being able to stand in front of a group of people and know exactly what you're being judged by, your intelligence, your personality, rather than a superficial aspect of your body."

At the panel, Maqbool said social activism is an inherent part of living out the Islamic faith.

Maqbool said this example shows the value of good deeds in Islam.

"To be a Muslim, I just don't shut myself in and pray all day," Maqbool said. "There are ways I can be a great Muslim and a great person, and use that to make my environment as best as I can make it."