Giving a room for Muslim women to raise their voices and clear stereotypes about hijab, a new drama would be staged in Dublin this month to help give a better image about Muslims in Ireland.

“[Muslims] are playing a positive role in our society and are active in every part of Irish life,” Denise Charlton of the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) told TheJournal.ie website on Monday, April 1.

“The aim of this production is to reflect that reality and to breakdown misconceptions which people may have about the Muslim community.”
The drama, entitled the “Hijabi Monologues”, is planned to be staged on April 18 on the Axis Theatre in Ballymun, Dublin.

Muslim women were invited to submit storylines as part of preparations for the new theatre production.

The main theme of the play is hijab, an obligatory code of dress in Islam.

It also focuses on many thoughts that Muslim women have on Irish culture, society, life, education and other areas.

Women featured in the stories may not wear a headscarf and some may not be Muslim themselves.

The planned play, a licensed version of a US play, is hoped to help break down stereotypes about Muslims in Ireland.

Ireland is home to some 50,000 Muslims, making up about 1 percent of the total population.

Diverse Muslims

The play is seen as reflecting the diversity of the Muslim community in Ireland.

“There are happy stories, sad stories – it’s about women’s diverse experiences,” Jen Curtin of the ICI said.

“The Muslim population in Ireland is quite diverse.”

She said Muslim women can often be represented as a homogeneous group, while they are in fact a very diverse population.

The show also focuses on the stereotypes that surround hijab, showing the real-life experiences of women who actually choose to wear a headscarf.

Hijab has been in the spotlight since France banned the Muslim outfit in public places in 2004.

Since then, several countries have followed the French suit.

The show won plaudits for helping Irish to hear Muslim voices.

“People were very interested in having their voice heard,” Curtin said.

“There are a lot of stories written about the Muslim communities, but not by the Muslim communities’ voices are often absent from these conversations.”
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462054-hijab-monologues-break-irish-barriers.html

https://islamstory.com/en/artical/11251/hijab-monologues-break-irish-barriers