Islam in the Yard: A Day in the Life

1:20 PM- During Jum’ah—or Friday prayers at Lowell Lecture Hall—the men occupy the first four rows of prayer mats, while Rauda Tewalli ’08 and the rest of the women kneel on the two rows placed a few feet behind. “If the girls were in front of the guys, they would be more likely to think about things other than prayer,” says Tellawi, FM’s guide for the day.

1:30- Barefoot worshipers kneel with their heads on the floor, sit on their knees, then bow, stand, and repeat. A speaker discusses Koran teachings, and the group chants in Arabic.

2:00- After a moment of silence, prayers are over. FM asks Tellawi why some women removed their hijabs after the service. “The hijab is a huge responsibility,” she says. When she first wore hers at age 13, “people threw stuff at me, people I had known all of my life.” Though the hijab is “mandatory” according to the rules of Islam, Tellawi explains that many wait until they perfectly comfortable with their faith before proclaiming it so openly.

2:20- The hijab comes up again. “It is an equalizer,” says Ola Aljawhary ’09, Tellawi’s friend, in the Islamic Society prayer room in Canaday. “Liberated western women, in their tank tops and mini-skirts, complain about being seen as ‘sexual machines.’ I’m not into idle flirtation, I’m looking for civil discussion—men are forced to look at my mind and my heart, to see how I think, how I feel.”

2:36- Prejudice has increased since September 11, Tellawi says. “Osama” and “terrorist” are words she hears when walking down the street; fellow drivers flick her off for no reason. “They have no idea what we believe,” she says. “Islam is a religion of mercy, based on peace.”

2:50- Does Harvard interfere with God? “Even when you are dealing with classes, your intentions should be for God’s sake,” Tellawi says. She says she aspires to become a neurosurgeon and start a hospital in Palestine, where her family is originally from.

3:50-After some members leave, the girls—now alone—start to dance Bhangra a la Bollywood. Sarah Arshad ’09 tries to belly dance. “You’re using your hands too much,” Tellawi tells Sarah. “It’s in the hips!”

5:20- Dinner in Adams. Tellawi tells FM she chose to study neuroscience because of a heart condition she has had since she was an adolescent and her brother’s diagnosis of diabetes at age six.

5:50- Back to Canaday basement. Tellawi hurries to wash up before prayers.

6:10- Muslim women from MIT arrive to participate in a joint halaqua, where the women read the Qur’an and discuss current issues in Islam. Tellawi and a few others read in Arabic from the Qur’an, and others read it in translation.

7:45- Halaqua ends. The girls make plans to go out to dinner and watch a classic Bollywood movie together at 9:30.