m u s l i m v o i c e s - The University of Texas at Austin

y heather lefkof by heather lefkof
15
A Day as a Muslim
While visiting the Mosque for my ritual analysis paper, I became
increasingly curious about the actual daily experiences a
Muslim endures. During my second time at the Mosque, I
found myself being watched by another observer as though I
was a genuine Muslim. This unexpected incident caused me to
wonder what it would be like to have the entire world view me
with the same curious manner as this onlooker. An idea
sparked in me to experience a day dressed as a Muslim and to
withstand reactions from people around me just as Muslims do
on a daily basis.
I began my day as usual, hitting the snooze button too many
times to count and rolling out of bed into a hot shower. I had
looked up the technical times (waqt) for the five daily prayers
and intended to partake in them. I found it more difficult than I
thought it would be to pray at the appropriate times. When I
finally did get a chance to stop everything I was doing and completely
devote that time to God, I appreciated the feelings that
the Muslim I interviewed had been expressing. One of the Muslim
girls I met told me that her prayers throughout the day
helped her to reconnect with Allah (God) and energized her for
life’s demands. We lead incredibly busy and confusing lives and
in those few moments, I was able to appreciate life instead of
rushing through it. This quiet, introspective moment was very
refreshing and I realized that with practice, it would become
easier to devote the time to these practices. I even believe that
the prayers would become something I look forward to in order
to break up stressful days and contemplate life.
In addition to the five daily prayers, I further transformed
myself into a Muslim by donning the hijab, or a headscarf that
covered my hair. My first experience with people’s reactions
came from my own suitemate. I stepped out of my bedroom to
be faced with her stare and gaping mouth. After explaining my
project to her and my roommate and the reason behind the
veil, I bravely stepped out to the world with my new appearance.
The first reactions I observed were mostly from my
friends around the dorm. Strange expressions of confusion
stretched across their faces as they saw my new “style.” I
waved to some people like normal and most of them returned
the wave after recovering from their bewilderment. To others
I took the time to explain the project, if they seemed especially
puzzled. One of my friends jokingly asked why I was dressed
like a “babushka.” I responded by saying the Russian veil is not
quite the same as a Muslim hijab. This may have confused him
further since he knows that I’m Jewish.
As I walked to class, I noticed a few people look in my direction
and then quickly advert their eyes seemingly to not offend
or give me the wrong look. I walked into Mezes Hall and took
my normal route over to the computer lab. Once inside, I immediately
recognized one of my extremely devout Jewish
friends working vigorously on the corner computer. After walking
directly in front of his computer and waiting a few seconds, I
finally caught his attention since he obviously did not recognize
me. The look of complete bewilderment that overtook his face
was the most extreme reaction I received all day...
Through all of the day’s events and people’s reactions, I realized
one of the biggest factors influencing my experience was
my own mind set. I found myself wondering how people were
going to react or what they were thinking when they saw me.
Maybe their glances were completely normal, but since I
donned the hijab, I couldn’t help but think their looks were
strange. In one way, it was nice not to have to worry about
fixing my hair or making sure it looked good, but I also felt selfconscious
that I did not look very good with just my face peeking
through the veil. I overcame most of that insecurity, and
found the best benefit of all to wearing the hijab: all of my conversations
and interactions were based completely on my personality
and not on my physical attractiveness.
Obviously my experience differed greatly from that of a true
Muslim, but it did help me appreciate much of what they endure
on a daily basis. Never knowing if someone is staring at you
out of question or out of hate; in fact, purely just staring is
tough to undergo. With all of the negative stereotypes placed
on Muslims, especially in America, it’s difficult to discern who is
going to be friendly and who has preconceived animosity towards
Muslims. This experience not only allowed me to better
understand the hurdles in a Muslim’s life, but it made me want
to free all American’s from judgment based on ridiculous generalizations.
Note: This article is a condensed version of an essay that was written
for Dr. Lester Kurtz’s Intro to the Study of Religions course in fall 2005.
The piece was submitted by the author for publication in the Muslim
Voices Magazine.
about the author
Heather is a Freshman in the College of Liberal Arts at UT, and plans to pursue a
degree in Psychology. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Heather enjoys traveling,
snowboarding, and watching the Food Network. She is still figuring out what to do with
her future and hopes to help others do the same one day.
muslim voices
a literary magazine