Evawani Efliza
Aceh
| Age | : | 23 |
| Occupation | : | Student |
| Alquran Read | : | Good |
| Language | : | English,Indonesia |
| Height | : | 165 cm cm |
| Weight | : | 50 kg kg |
| : | @eflizae | |
| : | Evawani Efliza |
FORMAL EDUCATION
Mount Royal University
Bachelor Degree
Psychology
Insha ALLAH 2015
MY HIJAB EXPERIENCE
I started wearing the hijab when I was in grade 6 while I still lived in Aceh, Indonesia. Students were required to wear hijabs. However, I did not understand the purpose of wearing a piece of cloth that covered my hair. I wore it because everyone wore it. Nobody had bothered to explain the reason why. I did not mind wearing the hijab at school because I thought I was being a good student by wearing it. I also wore it outside of school because Aceh is very strict with the hijab rule. My family and I moved to Canada in 2007 where I went to a public high school, and there were only a few Muslim girls who wore hijabs. The hijab was no longer required in school; as a result, I started to question why I was continuing to wear my hijab. At the time, it was also difficult to make friends. I felt different and I was not confident in myself either because of my hijab. I hated the idea of being different and I just wanted to fit in. As a result, I was a “part-time” hijabi for a while. I wore my hijab at school, but took it off when I was outside of school. However, when I was in grade 11 I saw a Muslim girl wearing the hijab who was so confident in herself and was also very involved in school activities. I admired her confidence and wanted to become like her. Soon, I realized the problem was not the hijab; it was me who was not proud of my identity as a muslim. In addition, I found a verse from the Quran which requires Muslim women to cover up as a way to value their beauty and show their devotion to ALLAH. Therefore, I was convinced and started to wear hijab permanently ever since. Now that I become a “full-time” hijabi, I feel closer to ALLAH. I also want to keep improving myself and my relationship with ALLAH. I also feel a sense of belonging, especially living in the West where Muslims are the minority. Whenever I meet other muslims, they would greet me with assalamualaikum (may peace be with you). I have never felt peaceful and respected. I thank ALLAH for giving me such blessing.
MY ELIGIBLE TO BECOME WORLD MUSLIMAH 2013
I admit that it is challenging to be a Muslim woman nowadays, especially for those who live in the West where they encounter discrimination. With nothing but hands and faces showing, we must rely on our inner beauty to define our self-worth. Although physical appearance is important and we should thank ALLAH for giving us such blessing, I do believe that beauty should not be based only on physical traits. True beauty comes from within, which is defined by our relationship with God and our characters. Furthermore, I do believe that Muslim women should be highly educated because Islam encourages everyone to be a lifelong learner. As a result, there are some achievements that I have acquired, and I thank ALLAH for showering me with such blessings. In elementary school, I was chosen to represent my school as one of the participants for the Tilawatil Qur’an competition where we were required to memorize and recite some short surahs. Unfortunately, I did not win; however, that did not stop me from learning . I continued learning and memorizing some short surahs ever since. As well, when I was in Junior High, I was a member of the school paduan suara. We often won second place and sometimes first place. I was also one of the dancers of Aceh traditional dance, Likok Pulo, and we represented our school whenever there were competitions. Furthermore, I participated in poetry competitions, and I was chosen to recite a poem at our school graduation. In Senior High, I mastered Science 14 and was placed on the Grade 11 Honor Roll. In addition, I was one of the writers for the school magazine. Currently, my writings have been published in the Rumba Bulletin (the first English magazine in Banda Aceh). As well, I received a Qur’an proficiency; I got an A in my online Qur’an course. In conclusion, by taking part in World Muslimah, I hope I can represent not only Indonesian muslimah but also other muslimah as a whole that Islam is a peaceful religion. Furthermore, I want to send the message that hijabs are not barriers for Muslim women to accomplish great things.
MY SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
When I was in high school, I was part of the school newspaper. That was when I realized writing is my passion. Since that time, I have created a blog where I write about a variety of topics, e.g., my university life, fashion, cooking and psychology. Because of my strong interest in psychology, I also plan to create a vlog on that topic where I would combine Islam and psychology. Additionally, I am one of the writers for the first English bulletin in Aceh, the Rumba Bulletin of the Rumoeh Bahasa Organization. During the week, other than going to school, I work part-time as a cashier at a retail store. On the weekends, I teach Qur’an to my younger cousins, and I continue to improve my understanding of Qur’an using an online program which is supported by my Indonesian mentor. In addition, I am part of the student association on my campus; specifically, I am involved with the Peer Support Centre which supports peers, both emotionally and financially. For example, we provide free breakfast every morning where everyone gets to come in and socialize. I am also part of the Sustainability Centre, which includes maintaining our campus vegetable garden and running a recycling program. As well, I participated in the Create a Better Now program in the winter semester where we taught students about the importance of taking care of the environment. Furthermore, I am part of the Muslim Student Association on campus. We had Islamic Awareness Week in the winter semester as well where we educated other students (muslims and non-muslims) about Islam. Not only that, we had Hijab challenge, where non-muslim women were asked to wear the hijabs and discuss their experiences later in the day. The main aim is to encourage the understanding of how it feels like to be muslim women in the west society. Similarly, we want to erase stereotypes and misconceptions that are attached to Hijab. Hijab is not a sign of oppression but rather a liberation to women.
You can also click on this link to find out more about World Muslimah 2013
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