Spotlight
U of G alumna Amreen Kadwa sees sports as a way for Muslim women to gain confidence in the broader community.
Field of diversity
PHOTO: ROB O’FLANAGAN
Empowering Muslim women by playing sports
Hijab is a state of being, says Amreen Kadwa, a University of Guelph alumna who founded the community organization Hijabi Ballers to help Muslim women and girls become empowered by sports. “It’s not necessarily a physical covering,” says Kadwa, 24. She explains that while the practice of hijab does include covering the head, it also encompasses the way one speaks and presents themselves. “It is you as a woman expressing your faith,” she says. porticomagazine.ca
Originally from Scarborough, Ont., Kadwa acquired a deep appreciation for non-profit organizations and community-building while studying economics and international development at U of G. Her degree program instilled in her a passion for helping others and making a difference in the world. “A lot of people think economics is about numbers and finance, but there is so much of the social sciences involved,” she says. “The program at Guelph really encompassed that and that’s why I chose to go there.” Fall 2020 PORTICO | 29
