In an attempt to normalize a tradition tied to female oppression in some corners of Middle Eastern culture, Muslim students at the University of Miami recently hosted a “hijab-a-thon” as part of Islam Awareness Week. Organizers of the event encouraged fellow students to try on and wear hijabs around campus.

The Muslim Student group displayed headscarves on a table set up outside of the university center and passed out literature pushing back on the reality that many Islamic cultures are among the most oppressive in the world for women.

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“The hijab does not symbolize suppression, oppression, or silence. Rather, it is a guard against degrading remarks, unwanted advances, and unfair discrimination,” one pamphlet, titled “misconceptions about Islam,” reads.

The pamphlets also took issue with the portrayal of Muslims engaged in violence as terrorists in Western media.

The media “generally portrays any Muslim who fights as a terrorist, regardless whether they fight justly or unjustly, or whether they are oppressing others or being oppressed.”

When another University of Miami student announced she was holding a counter-protest to the hijab-a-thon, the administration stepped into the campus debate about Islam, putting out a statement in support for Islam Awareness Week.

“The Standing Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion supports the upcoming Islam Awareness Week,” read a prepared statement from campus administrators, “As an institution of higher education, that values diversity and inclusion, respectful and open dialogue about our differences is critical and members of SCDEI are disappointed to learn that discriminatory language on social media has been used to characterize next week’s events.”

Lauren Cooley is a graduate student at the University of Miami and the founder of Campus Red PAC, a millennial organization that worked to organize conservative youth in Florida during the 2016 election.