Muslimah of the Month: Nabeeha Sivanesan
By Aamna Aamir
Nabeeha Sivanesan, Director of Events for the Muslim Network, works persistently behind a mask of humility. The Sisters Coordinator at Rutgers MSA as well as her Student Government's Diversity Affairs Chair, Nabeeha claims she wasn't sure why we were interviewing her for Muslim of the Month but her work and motivation speaks for itself!
To give a better picture of her dedication and hard-work, Thamivili conducted this interview with me over the phone, running between a class and a meeting, at one point casually mentioning two events she had to attend later in the day (Mash'allah)! For a strong dose of insight and inspiration, read her interview below:
Why did you decide to take a leadership role in MSA?
I took on a leadership role within the MSA because I wanted to take part in building a stronger community for other Muslims on campus. One of my goals was to remove the stigma that our MSA was inactive. I wanted to be able to contribute my ideas and dedicate my time to strengthen the MSA so that it would meet the needs of other students.
Why Sisters Coordinator?
I wanted to empower and benefit other sisters by connecting them with resources that would help them academically, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Also, there was a lack of representation within the MSA and sisters had voiced that they felt excluded, which were some of the issues that I wanted to tackle using this platform.
What are some events you have organized that you are particularly happy with? What about anticipated events?
Last semester, we had a "Secret Scarf Exchange" event, which was an idea brought up by another sister. Alhamdulillah the event turned out amazing. There were a good number of sisters in attendance and everything went smoothly. I felt like it was a great way to end the semester, especially because of the fact that there was so much love and diversity within the room. For this semester, I would like to continue to work with other sisters to create more structured sessions for Qur'an reading/memorization and learning Arabic that the sisters could benefit from. I'm also looking forward to holding several sisters' sessions on various topics around women empowerment lead by different speakers.
Why did you decide to be a part of your Student Government?
Although campaigning and the idea of politics did not appeal to me, I wanted to get involved and have a seat and plate at the table where I am able to address issues that were prevalent within the student body.
Why did you choose Diversity Affairs Senator?
I believe that it is important to be unbiased and not tolerate any form of hatred or disrespectful behavior. I chose to become a Diversity Affairs Senator because I wanted to uphold a safe and open environment for students to voice themselves. My position has helped me understand my role in advocating for students and making them feel included in the campus environment.
What is your ultimate goal, outside of school, for the Muslim community?
I want to be able to rid myself of ignorance, get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and be able to give back to my community. I would like to revive female scholarship and be able to inspire and empower other sisters as well.