| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Home Front: Culture Wars | ||
| Sorority alike, yet different | ||
| 2006-05-21 | ||
| In Islam-based Gamma Gamma Chi, sisterhood is in, but alcohol, clubbing out Greek letters gleamed from a satin banner, sequins flashed on little purses, and a woman holding a brochure blushed crimson, trying to explain why she liked the idea of this new group. Another widened dark eyes lined with kohl, watching everyone closely. Tasmim Anwar smiled and said, with a little gush, "I am such a sorority type of girl." And — long before the first Gamma Gamma Chi rush in Maryland was over — a student had politely interrupted to ask if they could break for maghrib, a sunset prayer. The students, draped in dark scarves, knelt to praise Allah in a hallway at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. These women came curious about a new kind of sorority, one that could change stereotypes of Muslim women, one based on Islamic beliefs: no drinking, no socializing with men. Like Anwar, a freshman at Johns Hopkins University, most had never seriously considered going Greek. They've heard the stereotypes, such as keg parties with fraternity guys, and, well, that's plenty right there. So they came to this new kind of rush, some covered head to toe in dark abayas, some with scarves pinned carefully around their heads and strappy 4-inch heels, some with hair loose and jeans tight. Few of them fit into any easy cultural niche; they've been blending and balancing all their lives. And some wondered whether this most American of college traditions might be too tricky to pull off. "I'm curious to see how that will be, that balance," Anwar said.
There isn't, apparently, any other Islamic sorority or fraternity in the United States. The idea for Gamma Gamma Chi started with Althia F. Collins, an educational consultant in suburban Washington, and her daughter Imani Abdul-Haqq, who wanted to pledge a sorority in North Carolina. When Abdul-Haqq walked in wearing her hijab, Collins said, "everyone looked at her like she had three heads." Collins and her daughter, who became Muslims several years ago, thought sororities' emphasis on volunteering and leadership would make Muslim women more visible and help dispel stereotypes. And Collins, who was in a sorority in college, said she thinks the bonds are stronger and more long-lasting than those formed in a club or dorm. So they dreamed up Gamma Gamma Chi, choosing letters, colors and such symbols as a waterlily, for its ability to flourish in difficult surroundings. The first chapter recently started in Atlanta. Applications are coming in from Rutgers in New Jersey. The next chapter could soon be in Maryland, likely beginning as a regional group with members from several schools. Not everyone likes the idea. Collins has visited some places where she hung the banner, set out plates of grapes and cookies, explained the sorority — and no one asked to join. The national Muslim Students' Association welcomes the effort, but some members of campus chapters disapprove. "Sororities are played out to be very exclusive," said Haleema Yahya, a senior at UMBC, explaining why she thinks Gamma Gamma Chi would be controversial. Some people are skeptical just because the idea is new, said Misu Tasnim, a junior at Johns Hopkins. Some worry that the sorority sisters would splinter off the main Muslim student group. "And also because 'sorority' denotes drinking and dating and stuff," Tasnim said, "people are not sure how it will play into the Muslim ideals." Or traditions. In the Muslim Students' Association, "the guys have more say than the girls do, just because that's how it is," said Narmin Anwar, Tasmim's sister, who introduced the sorority idea. "This would be more for the girls, to have more of a leadership role."
She had heard stories of sororities at Johns Hopkins. "My friends would go to rush events, stay up all night talking to each other, wear high heels," she said, half wistful, half laughing at herself. "That sounds like so much fun." Collins told the students that they wouldn't preach but would support one another in a society that often misunderstands them. And like most Greek organizations, Gamma Gamma Chi wouldn't turn people away just because they're different — it would be open to non-Muslims as well — and it would have social events for women. But no drinking, clubbing or hooking up. | ||
| Posted by:Sheling Unomons1998 |
| #2 IGottaBoom |
| Posted by: 6 2006-05-21 06:09 |
| #1 one that could change stereotypes of Muslim women, one based on Islamic beliefs: no drinking, no socializing with men hmmm. Not very promising in terms of changing stereotypes and boring to boot. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-05-21 04:54 |