Saturday was girls day out for Muslim women of the Washington Metropolitan area, who dressed up and stepped out of their homes in excitement, to attend the first annual ladies’ socialization event called Zoyasani, held at the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia in Fairfax.
Over 3,000 women attended the event, which featured a fashion show, talent show, nasheed presentation, and over 40 vendors selling cultural and Western clothing, jewelry, makeup, Islamic art, and educational games and toys for Muslim children.
Muslims of the DC area are no strangers to such all-day bazaar-style events, but the real attraction which set Zoyasani apart was its commitment to providing these services in an environment made up of strictly women. No boys or men over the age of 6 were allowed at the event- including vendors and restaurant staff in charge of the food stalls. This gave women, especially those who cover, an opportunity to dress up and relax in a halal setting.
“It is so wonderful and comfortable to be here,” said Farhana Khurram, a young mother who came to the event with a friend. “Sometimes these events attract a lot of young men and young women, and there is a lot of mingling. I think when my daughter gets older I would not allow her to go to those events, but here it is all women, and we should have a chance to enjoy ourselves amongst each other.”
Sisters Maryum and Fatima Ahmed also got in on the assignment, trying on various fancy outfits and participating in the entertainment part of the event.
“We finally get the chance to have fun and look pretty without worrying about our hijabs,” said Maryum. “We needed this.”
It was clear by the turnout at the event that Khurram was not the only attendee to feel this way. Event organizer Ayesha Assadullah said that she was expecting 1,000-1,500 people to attend. She was blown away at the crowd of over 3,000 people eager to enjoy the day’s festivities. The unexpected turnout did cause problems regarding overcrowding at the event, but Assadullah, who also serves as the CEO and founder of the Zoyasani company, specializing in ladies socialization events such as this one, says it made her more prepared for future events.
“We had vendors drive in from Delaware and people attend from California, New Jersey, and other states,” said Assadullah. “As a hijabi and niqabi, I have always attended similar events but never in a womens only setting. I think people really didn’t feel as comfortable doing things like getting their henna applied or shopping for outfits with other men around. Young girls were so excited about the fashion show. Women need events like these.”
It was a strong first start for the Zoyasani company, said Assadullah, who, after the success of this initial event, says she is excited to expand the brand to other Muslim-populated areas such as New Jersey, California, and Texas.
Assadullah said it was a little tricky in the months leading up to Zoyasani to communicate the idea of a women’s only event at such a scale. “When I spoke to vendors, some didn’t understand that ladies only really means ladies only. They would say, ‘that’s fine, but we will have to be in the bazaar section to sell our goods.’” But being polite and adamant about the goal of Zoyasani- no men, not a few men, got vendors to think outside the box. “They got their wives or daughters to take care of their tables and the buying and selling of their goods.”
If anything, the success of Zoyasani indicates that the day when women’s socialization events become the norm could not be far off.
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