all girls prom

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

I am totally ok with this but I have been fighting with some american friends about it

I am pro all girls prom if there are alot of muslims in a school

Here is the NY times video

all girls prom... muslim

[Mithra 1,185]

Aww I love Hamtramck! My old stomping grounds. . I lived there for a year when I first married my ex. Anyways, I see nothing wrong with an all girl prom. I don't get why it bothers ppl. It's not hurting anyone and the girls seem to be enjoying themselves.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I thought it was a wonderful piece; however the title affixed to it on Youtube (and most of the comments) were quite hateful. Alternative proms have nothing to do with shari'a "creeping" into the U.S. or extremism or any of the rest of the claims.

They are nothing new - Mormons, Baptists and many more have been organizing so-called "modest proms" for years. Of course no outrage about that...

[Cathi 5,609]

I don't understand why people have a problem with an all girl prom. I'm all for it, the prom gives those girls the"total" high school experience. I saw the hateful comments on youtube as well. Just shows ignorance on the part of the haters.

[sandinista! 1,816]

Every time I think I've seen it all, of most ridiculous things for people to be offended by that have nothing to do with them, people quickly shatter that notion for me.

[Mithra 1,185]

I try not to pay attention to such hatefulness. It's unproductive. People are always going to hate. Like mimolicious said, it just shows ignorance. Paying attention to and getting upset over such nonsense is what these ppl want.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Tangental thought after reading more of the hate comments on Youtube...

Ever notice how it's usually white men who get bent about women in hijab ? As if those who wear it must by definition be oppressed (and probably want to impose it on others.)

These are usually the same guys who will vehemently defend a woman's right to display as much of her body as she wants to (and I mean the gamut from wearing scanty attire on the street all the way to stripping or appearing in porn if that's what she desires) - but if she wants to cover, then it's somehow threatening to them.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I don't really understand why you put this in the "MENA" section only... I think it's a good topic for discussion so I hope you don't mind me offering my opinion.

At Uni I was the Womyn's Director for a term. We had a special "women only" room that was organised long before I came into office and I recall a LOT of people being really upset by there being a "women only" room and no "men only" room. So my opinion is based largely on that --

I don't think there should be a women only prom, unless there is also a men only prom. But the whole point of prom is EVERYONE in the class right? (never been to one myself) so don't you think it's pushing the separation? I'm not saying that these girls aren't permitted a party for themselves, it just seems selfish. Soon there will be "homosexuals only" prom. "christian only" proms and so on and so forth.

I'm sorry but these girl need to realise they are not the only people in society and that they CAN choose who they want to be around by choosing to attend functions or not. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and separating like this just makes it more likely that the divide is going to get bigger.

All that said though - I wouldn't even consider that a prom. It's a party for girls only and they had fun and ultimately that's what matters and the school allowed it. The biggest issue with the article is making it all about being muslim when really any girl that's every been out dancing knows that no matter how pure your intentions there is always gunna be some creep "accidentally" bumping into you on a crowded dance floor and at that age with hormones raging who knows what else... yeah... boys suck except tony. He's alright

[Mithra 1,185]

I think you'd have to understand the community to understand this. This community is very diverse. I don't think anyone feels left out. No one is preventing an all boy prom. Its a tiny community, this type of thing will never be mainstream. If the community is ok with it and other students get it then what's the harm? And yeah it's a party for girls, what does it hurt for them to call it a prom?

Edited May 16, 2012 by Mithra

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

The NYT did a pretty good article on it, explaining why:

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — The prom countdown was nearly complete, the do-it-yourself Greek columns, pink and white tulle bows and plastic flutes with the “Once Upon a Dream” logo awaiting the evening of evenings.

But as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, her one-shoulder lavender gown matching the elaborate hijab that framed her face in a cascade of flowers — a style learned on YouTube — Tharima Ahmed knew that what lay ahead was more than simply a prom.

As organizer of Hamtramck High School’s first all-girl prom, which conforms to religious beliefs forbidding dating, dancing with boys or appearing without a head scarf in front of males, Tharima, 17, was forging a new rite of passage for every teenage Muslim girl who had ever spent prom night at home, wistfully watching the limousines roll by.

...

In this season of wobbly heels and cleavage, the bittersweet transformation of teenagers in jeans and T-shirts into elegant adults barely recognizable to their friends is an anticipated tradition.

But at the all-girl prom, there were double double-takes, as some of Tharima’s classmates, normally concealed in a chrysalis of hijab and abaya, the traditional Muslim cloak, literally let their hair down in public for the first time.

Eman Ashabi, a Yemeni-American who helped organize the event, arrived in a ruffled pink gown, her black hair falling in perfect waves, thanks to a curling iron. Like many here, she stunned her friends.

“It’s ‘Oh my god!’ ” said Simone Alhagri, a Yemeni-American junior who was wearing a tight shirred dress. “This is how you look underneath!”

The dance was the denouement of seven months of feverish planning in which a committee raised $2,500, mostly through bake sales. Ignoring the naysayers who could not imagine anyone coming to a prom without boys, Tharima and her friends approached their task systematically, taking a survey of all the girls at Hamtramck High. They found that 65 percent were not able to attend the coed prom because of cultural and religious beliefs. After discussion, the school supported the student-driven alternative.

In addition to Muslim girls (and alumnae who never got the opportunity), non-Muslim students wanted to go, too. “I want to support all my girls,” said Sylwia Stanko, who was born in Poland and whose friends are mostly Bengali-American or Arab-American. “I know how important it is to them.”

The prom promised “music all night, except during dinner and five minutes for prayer.” A former Knights of Columbus hall was transformed into princess-pink perfection.

.

..

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/us/hamtramck-high-holds-all-girl-prom.html?pagewanted=all

Edited May 16, 2012 by wife_of_mahmoud

[Cathi 5,609]

I don't really understand why you put this in the "MENA" section only... I think it's a good topic for discussion so I hope you don't mind me offering my opinion.

At Uni I was the Womyn's Director for a term. We had a special "women only" room that was organised long before I came into office and I recall a LOT of people being really upset by there being a "women only" room and no "men only" room. So my opinion is based largely on that --

I don't think there should be a women only prom, unless there is also a men only prom. But the whole point of prom is EVERYONE in the class right? (never been to one myself) so don't you think it's pushing the separation? I'm not saying that these girls aren't permitted a party for themselves, it just seems selfish. Soon there will be "homosexuals only" prom. "christian only" proms and so on and so forth.

I'm sorry but these girl need to realise they are not the only people in society and that they CAN choose who they want to be around by choosing to attend functions or not. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and separating like this just makes it more likely that the divide is going to get bigger.

All that said though - I wouldn't even consider that a prom. It's a party for girls only and they had fun and ultimately that's what matters and the school allowed it. The biggest issue with the article is making it all about being muslim when really any girl that's every been out dancing knows that no matter how pure your intentions there is always gunna be some creep "accidentally" bumping into you on a crowded dance floor and at that age with hormones raging who knows what else... yeah... boys suck except tony. He's alright

who said these girls think they are the only people in society? I think you need to educate yourself a bit on before you make a statement like this. It had nothing to do with"some creep" accidentally bumping into them. Once again ignorance abounds

[Cathi 5,609]

I think you'd have to understand the community to understand this. This community is very diverse. I don't think anyone feels left out. No one is preventing an all boy prom. Its a tiny community, this type of thing will never be mainstream. If the community is ok with it and other students get it then what's the harm? And yeah it's a party for girls, what does it hurt for them to call it a prom?

I agree. No one in the community has a problem with it, and I don't think anyone else should either. I am not Muslim but my husband and his family are. This year my son who is a junior in high school has his prom. I was talking to my sister inlaw(she lives in Jordan) about it a few days ago and she said that she wished they could have had a dance while she was in high school, even if it were girls only. These girls weren't harming anyone, and no one said the boys couldn't have their own prom had they wanted it.

[Mithra 1,185]

I could see more of a problem if a bigger city wanted to do something like this but Hamtramck is literally a city within a city. It's teeny. Most of the residents are either foreign born or first generation. It used to be Polish Catholic mostly but a lot moved to the suburbs years ago. Now there are Bengladeshi, Yemeni, Bosnian, Albanian and a few other ethnicities thrown in. In this tiny city there are two, possibly three mosques, countless halal markets...a very large part of the community is Muslim. These girls needed something to make them feel special and they made it happen. I think it's great.

Edited May 16, 2012 by Mithra

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Call it a prom or call it a party ... The girls had a great time I'm sure and I'm happy for them. Great time with friends & meeting other girls, getting hair, nails, make up done & henna on the hands! Sounds like a blast!

[100% Al Ahly Fan 53]

I don't really understand why you put this in the "MENA" section only... I think it's a good topic for discussion so I hope you don't mind me offering my opinion.

At Uni I was the Womyn's Director for a term. We had a special "women only" room that was organised long before I came into office and I recall a LOT of people being really upset by there being a "women only" room and no "men only" room. So my opinion is based largely on that --

I don't think there should be a women only prom, unless there is also a men only prom. But the whole point of prom is EVERYONE in the class right? (never been to one myself) so don't you think it's pushing the separation? I'm not saying that these girls aren't permitted a party for themselves, it just seems selfish. Soon there will be "homosexuals only" prom. "christian only" proms and so on and so forth.

I'm sorry but these girl need to realise they are not the only people in society and that they CAN choose who they want to be around by choosing to attend functions or not. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and separating like this just makes it more likely that the divide is going to get bigger.

All that said though - I wouldn't even consider that a prom. It's a party for girls only and they had fun and ultimately that's what matters and the school allowed it. The biggest issue with the article is making it all about being muslim when really any girl that's every been out dancing knows that no matter how pure your intentions there is always gunna be some creep "accidentally" bumping into you on a crowded dance floor and at that age with hormones raging who knows what else... yeah... boys suck except tony. He's alright

I would guess that the girls probably organized this themselves with the help of whatever staff. I'm guessing the boys would have been able to have a "boys only" event if they had put the effort in it. Unfortunately, with the American stigma (even with more modest folks who live here in the US), I'm guessing it wouldn't be as fun for them.

If this was held in a Middle Eastern country (for both Christian and Muslims, alike) they definitely may have had a boys only event.