The trappings of a typical high school prom were all there: the strobe lights, the garlands, the crepe pineapple centerpieces and even a tiara for the prom queen. In fact, Fatima Haque's prom had practically everything one might expect on one of the most important nights of a teenage girl's year. Except boys.
Fatima and her friends may have invented a new American ritual: the all-girl Muslim prom. It is a spirited response to Muslim religious and cultural beliefs in which dating, dancing with or touching boys or appearing without wearing a hijab, the Islamic head-covering, is not permitted. While Fatima and her Muslim friends do most of the things other teenagers do -- shoe-shopping at Macy's, watching The Matrix Reloaded at the mall or ordering Jumbo Jet burgers and curly fries at Jack in the Box -- the main ingredient of the American prom, boys, is off limits.
So they decided to do something about it.
"A lot of Muslim girls don't go to the prom," said Fatima, 18, whose parents come from Pakistan and who removed her hijab and shawl at the prom to reveal an ethereal, silvery gown. "So while the other girls are getting ready for their prom, the Muslim girls are getting ready for our prom, so we won't feel left out."
The room was filled with the sound of the rapper 50 Cent, Arabic pop music, Britney Spears and about two dozen girls, including some non-Muslim friends. But when the sun went down, the music stopped temporarily, the silken gowns disappeared beneath full-length robes, and all the Muslims in the room faced toward Mecca to pray. Then it was time for spaghetti and lasagna.
It is perhaps a new version of having it all: embracing the American prom culture of high heels, mascara and adrenaline while being true to their identity as Muslims.
"These young women are being very creative, finding a way to continue being Muslim in the American context," said Jane I. Smith, a professor of Islamic studies at the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. "Before, young Muslims may have stuck with the traditions of their parents or rejected them totally to become completely Americanized. Now, they're blending them."
Non-Muslim students at San Jose High Academy, where Fatima is student body president, went to the "regular" prom last month -- renting cars and limousines, dining at the Sheraton, going to breakfast at Dennys and, for some, drinking.
Fatima, meanwhile, was on her turquoise cell phone with the smiley faces organizing the prom. She posted an announcement on Bay Area Muslim Youth, a Yahoo site avidly scanned by young people throughout the sprawling Bay area, home to one of the country's largest and most active Muslim communities.
"We got so close we wanted to hang," her friend Fatin Alhadi, 17, said, explaining the farewell-to-high-school celebration, which involved cooking, shopping and hanging decorations at a suburban community center rented with a loan from Fatima's parents. "It's an excuse to dress and put makeup on. Everyone has so much fun at the prom."
The sense of anticipation was palpable at Fatima's house this afternoon, including the occasional "Relax, mom!" For Fatima and her friends, Muslim prom -- like any prom -- means getting your eyebrows shaped at the last minute at Beauty Plus Salon, ransacking your mothers' jewelry box. It is a time to forget about the clock, to look in the mirror and see a glamorous woman instead of a teenager. To be radiant.
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