By Autumn Coleman

Earlier this year, on Saturday, Feb. 17, Howard University’s Muslim Student Association hosted Hijabfest, inviting Muslim women from the area and beyond to have discussions about the hijab and Allah. 

The association planned the event with other Howard student organizations and local small businesses, including the African Student Association, Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association, Bodi by Samirah, HU Models of the Mecca and International Pals. 

The event involved a panel discussion, modesty workshop, prayer breaks, vendors and a fashion show. The nine-hour-long event centered around the hijab, a head covering worn in public by Muslim women. 

During the panel discussion, panelists discussed their personal journeys with the hijab and their walk with Allah. Women of different ages and backgrounds shared their reflections on how wearing the hijab has impacted their lives. 

“I lost a lot of friends. People acted like they didn’t know me,” Fajr Delane, a Howard alum serving on the panel, said. 

“But, I really developed the principles of Allah and really started to become myself. So, to me, it’s a personal journey. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s the most rewarding thing.”

Delane started wearing the hijab in middle school. She raised the issue of women wearing the hijab being underrepresented outside of her immediate family.

Featured speakers participating in the education panel portion of Hijabfest. (Autumn Coleman, HU News Service)

“When I left my country of mostly Muslim, hijab-wearing women, I went from being a majority to a minority,” Gambia native Khadijah Ceesay said.

The event brought together Muslim women from different regions around the world. Sophia, an event attendee who declined to give her last name, traveled from New York to Hijabfest.

“My friend is a part of a Muslim group on Facebook that posted about the event and that’s how we heard about it,” Sophia said. 

“It’s nice to see everyone wearing their hijabs and any excuse to get out of New York.”

A decorative mirror commemorating Hijabfest and the significance of appearance in wearing the hijab. (Autumn Coleman, HU News Service)

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Muslim women are one of the fastest-growing segments of the United States population. 

Hijab-wearing Muslim women, many of whom start wearing a hijab during adolescence, make up 60% of the population.