A University of Washington student wants the school to consider establishing a Somali studies program in order to create a more welcoming environment for Somali students, and which will ensure her presence on campus doesn’t feel like “a full-time public-relations job.”
Writing in The Seattle Times, Ahlaam Ibraahim says that during her first year at UW, unlike at her high school, she had to “defend her religion” because of peer comments and questions such as “Are you a pirate?”
Even the university’s so-called diversity courses can be wanting when it comes to combating ignorance, Ibraahim says. For example, in a gender studies class, she says a student asked her why she wore a burqa — immediately after she had already explained that she donned it “for God.”
“Why do you wear that? You wear it for a man. He forces you to wear it,” the student said.
Due to this “and a handful of other microaggressions,” Ibraahim says she reluctantly took on the role of public relations officer for the Somali community.
Following an incident where a friend had a bottle thrown at her, Ibraahim suggested that a Somali studies curriculum “could take the burden off Somali students and provide an educational opportunity for the student body.”
I came to this conclusion after I was given the opportunity to attend the first ever Somali Student Association national conference in Columbus, Ohio. There, I was able to learn so much about how Somali communities in North America deal with microaggressions, and the ways their schools helped combat them. …
At Ohio State University, students can minor in Somali culture and language. Students at the conference told me how their school environments changed after these programs were offered. In a Somali language course Anisa Liban took at Ohio State, students received extra credit for interacting with Somali culture, like going to a restaurant. …
As I was learning about all these amazing initiatives, I started researching what my school offered. I discovered that UW offered no courses highlighting Black Muslims.
Brukab Sisay, my African American studies professor, told me no classes in his department had a focus on Black Muslims. The Near East department adviser said the same. I was shocked. If the UW started a Somali studies program and started incorporating my community into their curriculum, I wondered whether the unpleasant environment would change dramatically because students would be able to learn about my community and what it truly stands for.
Ohio State student Abdul Artan must have felt differently about that school’s program.
Ibraahim has started up a group called Educating the Horn which assists East African students with college-related matters, including “how to cope with attending a predominantly white institution.”
MORE: Police ID Ohio State attacker as 18-year-old student from Somalia
MORE: Somali high school student punches teacher in the face over perceived gay overture
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
IMAGE: Shutterstock
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.