With the niqab presently experiencing heightened exposure as a contested point in Canadian federal politics, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association took the opportunity to address the University of Saskatchewan in an effort to clear up common misconceptions about Islamic women and the apparently controversial veil.

AMWA Canada is an extension of Ahmadiyya Muslim Canada, and educates its members, women aged 15 and up, to live according to Islamic teachings and to serve their fellow human beings with love. On Oct. 15, in partnership with the U of S Ahmadiyya Muslim Students’ Association, the group presented “Behind The Veil: Demystifying Misconceptions of Muslim Women,” which addressed several issues including feminism, women’s rights in Islam and the western world, misconceptions surrounding the veil and gender equality.

Naila Chaudhry, fourth-year biology student and moderator for the event, performed spoken word poetry sharing her perspective on what it means to be a Muslim woman who chooses to wear the veil.

“When I wear a scarf upon my head, I feel security and peace, yet I’m viewed to be oppressed … hear me out clearly, a hijab doesn’t represent any type of brutality, it is a sign of respect and modesty,” Chaudhry recited.

The entire presentation included female Muslim U of S students who each continually reminded the audience that they are just like any other female student making various personal decisions on a daily basis, including what to wear.

The women encouraged students to seek further education to better understand different cultures and religions, and to prevent making potentially inaccurate judgments, like those surrounding the misconceptions that Islamic women are lesser than their male counterparts.

In fact, the world’s first university was established by a Muslim woman named Fatima al-Fihri in the ninth century in Morocco — a testament to the long-standing influence of Muslim women.

Kiran Shah, a first-year student at the U of S pursuing social work, shared the stage with Almas Aasia, an aspiring teacher and second-year student in the College of Arts and Science.

Their portion of the program revealed a brief history of Islam and how women have always played a significant and equal role within Islam and its core values. Shah and Aasia made particular mention of notable Islamic women who are honoured and elevated through Islam to this day.

“Islam gives us these female role models to look up to because it recognizes that we are raising the next generation and what a great influence women have,” Aasia said.

Shah expressed her pride in being an Islamic woman, claiming that Islam secured women’s rights before most modern societies throughout the world.

“Both men and women, they should be kind and friendly, they should do good deeds, they should pay charity, pray and obey God. These are the principles of Islam. And despite its portrayal in the media, the rights and equality of women are integrated into the very core of Islam,” Shah said.

Sakina Wajahat, first-year pharmacy student and co-president of the U of S AMSA, focused her portion of the presentation specifically on misconceptions surrounding the veil, which every female speaker of the evening argued is their free choice to wear.

One stereotype Wajahat addressed was that the veil oppresses women. She argued that there are religious extremists who oppress women by forcing them to wear the veil and secular extremists who oppress women by not allowing them the choice to wear it.

“The fact is that the hijab is a symbol of modesty, strength and devotedness. In a world where the female body is objectified and hypersexualized — something we all deal with — Islam gives us a means to break free from society’s expectations of visible appearance,” Wajahat said.

According to Wajahat, there is no law in the Qur’an that involves punishing women who choose not to wear a veil and she insists that people are often vulnerable to misinformation in the media.

“If Muslim women are being mistreated in other parts of the world, then that is a cultural problem. We cannot blame religion for that and this is something we all truly struggle with,” Wajahat said.

Wajahat urges students and the general public to reach out and talk to Muslim women directly.

“Don’t think of it as being offensive. I respect the people who ask me questions about my faith or come to our events because they are taking an initiative to learn about a different religion and become more accepting. Canada is a diverse nation and in order to share it peacefully, we need to educate and understand each other. Education is the key to greater acceptance.”