Photo Courtesy of Visvajit Sriramrajan
Sophomore political science and psychology major Afsah Shareef is one of the only Muslim women elected to the 85th Senate of Hofstra’s Student Government Association (SGA).
“I always had a deep interest in policy change and working toward molding and bettering any type of environment,” Shareef said. “Furthermore, representation is everything to me and making sure all voices are heard.” Shareef hopes to use her platform to advocate for better health precautions at Hofstra, which she believes are more important than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Growing up as a Muslim Indian American in a predominantly white neighborhood, Shareef used to shy away from voicing her concerns surrounding the community. However, she soon realized the importance of speaking up for fellow Muslims, people of color and other minorities.
“I understood that I needed to take a stand instead of passively accepting things the way they are,” she said. She hopes her senatorial election will inspire other marginalized people to get involved with governance and politics and strive to make a genuine change in their communities.
Although U.S. Representatives like Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) inspire youth across the country, Muslim Americans continue to be discriminated against and lack proper representation in politics, both locally and nationally.
Over the past few years, Zain Farooqui, a senior biomedical engineering major, has been one of the very few Muslim students to join SGA. Although Farooqui is set to graduate this year, he expressed gratitude that Muslim students will continue to be represented in campus leadership over the following years.
“These last few years, myself and the Muslim Students Association have worked with Compass Dining to provide Halal options on campus and with continued Muslim representation I’m sure we’ll be able to advocate for other things Muslim students need,” he said. “Right now, Muslim students that are observing Ramadan are also taking exams, completing projects, working on senior design proposals and submitting finals on top of all of the challenges this month brings us.” Farooqui noted that appropriate accommodations from the university while students are fasting would be crucial to Muslim students’ success at Hofstra.
Muslim students and students of color are hopeful that Shareef’s election will allow traditionally marginalized voices to be heard.
“I believe Afsah will be a good representative of the Muslim community at Hofstra,” said Sondus Elgamssy, a junior biomedical engineering major. “She’s also been politically inclined in general and is always ready to learn and listening to students’ concerns.”
In an era in which Islamophobia has deeply permeated not just American society, but also India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and other Asian nations, it has become more important than ever to fight against bigotry, whether it presents itself in the form of violence, stereotypes or other injustices.
“Positive Muslim representation is extremely important since our community is so large yet so misunderstood,” said Sabrina Ali, a freshman neuroscience major. Ali also noted that Muslim experiences differ from community to community and are not monolithic. Yet, she is hopeful that Shareef’s election will allow minorities – and especially minority women – to feel more included.
“My main goal is to build a more diverse and inclusive atmosphere here at Hofstra,” Shareef said. “I want to help different groups of people be represented, whether that be through clubs, organizations or even in the classroom.”
