Maryam Abo Moslim - UBC Alumni

Q: How have you contributed to the UBC community? I know why I was asked this question so I’ll give the fans what they want. I contributed to the UBC community (very poorly) by being the Mascot, Thunder, for about a year. It was as unconventional and exciting as you can imagine. My favorite memory was when the Canucks were on campus playing with the UBC thunderbird team, and I trip on the ice and Henrik (or Daniel…?) Sedin and Ben Hutton very nonchalantly helped me and even skated with me for a second and a half. I also enjoyed over-enthusiastically hugging Muslim girls I recognized at events, and making them really uncomfortable – don’t worry ladies, it was just me. Q: In what ways do you try to spiritually improve yourself or aim to improve yourself this Ramadan? Not to be dramatic, but I think - spiritually - I want to find myself. I come from a big family and one thing people don’t realize is that you live your whole life in a sort of less extreme herd mentality. You find that you do things because everyone you love and respect around you is doing them. I made most of my important life decisions that way - to go to university, wearing hijab, fasting when I did etc. In the past few of years, my two older sisters moved out, and that’s when I realized how little I do things because I’ve processed them. It’s hard to explain it, but it feels like what I imagine culture shock to feel like. The big realization to me was that I did this most when it comes to my Islamic identity and my spirituality. Socially, academically, culturally, I knew I was different then a lot of people, and it didn’t bother me to follow my own path. But in religion, you don’t want to be too different - there are role models and set standards. So In the spirit of the first day of Ramadan, and the first day of being 22, my goal is to dissociate myself spiritually. Because even if I act the same, my religious individuality is definitely overdue. Q: How do you use your Muslim identity when facing issues in your larger community? Easy! I alternate between using the race, religion and gender card in the face of difficulty. When that fails, I fall back on the skill set developed from being a middle child – empathic, diplomatic and forever the peace-keeper.