Arabic Club at Medford High School told it can't do 'Hijab Day' after Flood of Complaints #HummusHaters

posted on: Jun 1, 2016

With all the anti-Arab bashing we see in the news every week, Arab America is determined to expose those who discriminate against our community. We will recognize those who vilify the positive influence and contributions Arabs have made to the fabric of American society. And we will use hummus as our weapon. By naming those who vilify the Arab American community as #HummusHaters, we can express our culture positively while showing intolerance to bigotry.

BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer

Students in the Arabic Club at Medford High School in Massachusetts were disappointed when they heard that their planned Hijab Day had been canceled. The Arabic Club consists of: Arab, Muslim, and non-Arab or Muslim students. They were told the event had been canceled after a flood of mostly anonymous complaints toward the school’s decision to allow Hijab Day. A few months later, this story is gaining attention because the City of Medford has positively responded to such complaints, and welcomed public meetings about religion to teach the city more about Islam.

Naiara Zerlotini (left) and Sophia Chalabi were disappointed when Hijab Day at Medford High School was called off. Credit: Matthew Bell

The Arabic Club wanted to recognize World Hijab Day, which was started three years ago and takes place annually on February 1. World Hijab Day is a movement to promote religious tolerance and understanding of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab. Participants are invited to try on the hijab for a day to understand the experience of Muslim women for a day. The founder, Nazma Khan, “hopes to counteract some of the controversies surrounding why Muslim women choose to wear the hijab” by fostering a shared experience of wearing it together.

Students in the Arabic Club went through the proper channels to get permission to host the event on February 1. Anyone interested in participating, either students or teachers, could wear a hijab that day. Women could wear a scarf in the hijab style, and men could put on a male headdress, worn often by Muslims and non-Muslims in the Arab world.

Medford High School Principal, John Perella, approved the event, and was shocked by the amount of backlash after it was announced. He said the students were well organized and he wanted to help them make this day happen.

After it was announced, Parella said, “there was a whole spectrum of responses, you know, from mildly concerned to, you know, people that completely got it wrong. They missed the whole boat, to what we were trying to do.” Parella added, “the whole idea of it was really [to] develop empathy and to give voice to a minority group in our building that does not typically have voice.”

According to Parella and Medford School District Superintendent, Roy Belson, who also liked the idea of Hijab Day, the complaints were accusing the event of being a proselytizing mission and a “latent religious exhibition.” Some went so far to say that this was part of a plan to destroy America.

“People are fearful of things they don’t know about. I don’t want to dismiss people having fears. But I want to educate them to have a better understanding,” says Medford Superintendent Roy Belson. Credit: Matthew Bell

A Syrian American ninth-grader, Sophia Chalabi, said the Arabic Club just wanted to help people learn about her culture and how she feels walking through her school’s halls wearing a hijab.

While the hijab is a religious statement, wearing one for a day is in no way a method of conversion, despite the concerns of many parents and Medford residents. To think that ninth-graders are out to proselytize the large Protestant and Catholic communities in Medford seems silly.

The Arabic Club was not trying to attack America or its values. The students were not forcing any fellow children to convert to Islam, nor were they trying to make the event a school sanctioned religious celebration. Much like how the Medford City Hall will host an Iftar dinner during the upcoming Ramadan, the students were simply welcoming a dialogue about an often misunderstood part of American society.

It is clear that some Medford residents are still guided by false or extremist understandings of the hijab. Perhaps some of the Arabic Club’s hummus, and a day in the hijab, could bring peace of mind to the fearful residents.

Although Hijab Day was canceled, the controversy surrounding the event has brought public meetings about religious diversity across Medford. For the past few months, the community has been sitting down with religious leaders to open a dialogue of understanding. Thankfully, there are opportunities for the concerned residents of Medford to gain insight on Islam, instead of jumping to false conclusions.