Sister’s Gala brings UMD students together to celebrate sisterhood

“Sisterhood in Islam means an unconditional bond,” Diyanah Musabbir, senior and information science major, said. 

Musabbir serves as the Vice President of Sister’s Affairs in the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at the University of Maryland. She serves a pivotal role in organizing the Sisters’ Gala, a semesterly girls-only event hosted by the MSA. This semester’s theme, ‘Culture Couture’, invited participants to celebrate their heritage by wearing cultural clothing. Over 120 students attended this semester’s gala, which took place on Nov. 15, 2024.

Musabbir has spent weeks preparing for the Sisters’ Gala, choosing a theme, coordinating halal catering, and ordering decorations. “I hope, Insh’Allah, that the Sister’s Gala is a mode of expression for the sisters on campus to express themselves safely without anything that compromises our deen [religion],” Musabbir said “I also hope that a lot of sisters can bond and meet each other, get out of their comfort zones, and make some long lasting friendships.”

Some students attending the Sisters’ Gala felt that it provides an opportunity for Muslim girls to strengthen bonds over shared experiences. 

“Sisterhood in Islam means being able to connect with people that have the same struggles as you. You always have someone to look back to, someone who has been through your problems before,” Yaara Aboelmagd, sophomore and public health science major, said. 

Aboelmagd, who has previously attended a Sisters’ Gala, felt the event helped bring together the broader Muslim community. “[The Sister’s Gala] definitely brings so many people together…I don’t even know them or know their name, but we just vibed together. Even people outside of our UMD community come to the Sister’s Gala because they know it’s so much fun. It makes me feel so connected to them, like even though we don’t know each other, I feel like I’ve known them for years.”

The MSA hosts other programs and events to foster sisterhood in the UMD community, such as the Sister’s ج Team, where participants engage in a range of different exercise activities together, as well as the Sister’s Circle, a biweekly gathering that provides a safe space for Muslim women to discuss issues affecting them.

Musabbir believes that Islam creates a sense of unity among people.

“There are so many different boundaries and social connotations that [divide] people, but I feel like Islam break[s] that down,” she said. “[Islam] reminds us that no matter where we’re from, what nationality, what race, [or] class, none of that matters because we’re all sisters at the end of the day.”