Voices of Muslim Women from the U.S. South

Rachel Raimist directed this short documentary spearheaded by Dr. Maha Marouan, a professor of gender and race studies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The film grew out of Marouan's feelings of frustration as a Muslim woman in the South, so she interviews students to get their take on the experience. Sehar, a freshman, is of Pakistani descent. People sometimes tell her to "go back to where she came from," which she finds amusing, since she grew up in New Jersey. Although she wears a head scarf, many of her female relatives do not. Lubna, who hails from Saudi Arabia, is a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering. She's following in her father's footsteps because he encouraged her to attend his alma mater. When people find out where she's from, they express surprise, because she doesn't wear a hijab. She also recalls the time a customer called the police when she and her family were speaking Arabic in a restaurant. Haila, a senior, was born in Yemen, and is majoring in criminal justice. Before moving to the South, her family lived in Michigan. She has to make the first move in social situations, because non-Muslims feel uncomfortable approaching her. Jessica, an English major, and Alexandria, a psychology major, both grew up in southern Christian homes, and converted to Islam in college. Jessica says that the "only real backlash I get is that my grandfather gets really upset when I don't eat his barbecue ribs." As a whole, the women here aren't constrained by their faith. High school and college students, especially, will likely be interested in the interviewees' experiences. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Fennessy)