On a recent Sunday morning, a group of about ten women gathered in front of the entrance to Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. The women, dressed in hijabs and flowing athletic gear, laughed, chatted and prepared to take on the occasionally challenging terrain.
It’s a monthly event connecting women from Birmingham’s greater Muslim community.
Organized by the Birmingham Islamic Center, Maymunah Hicks initiated the hiking group during the summer of 2023 to inspire youth involvement in the community. Hicks herself had been interested in hiking, but was worried about the dangers of hiking alone. She figured other members of the community could feel the same way, and so she organized the monthly meetups at various parks in the region for Muslim women to come together, be active, and interact with the natural landscapes of the Birmingham area.
The group has hiked Red Mountain Park, Ruffner Mountain, Moss Rock Preserve as well as Lakeshore and Vulcan trails.
“ I feel like I’m with my sisters,” hiker Hajera Anees said. ”I don’t know if you hear me say certain phrases like As-salamu alaykum, inshallah and stuff. I don’t have to think about that. I know all of us know what we’re talking about.”
Ilma Uddin, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, also enjoyed the sisterhood the group offers.
“ At school a lot of it is focused on studying and I feel like here it gives me a break to talk about and be around sisters that also value religion and faith,” Uddin said.
Doaa Shehada joined the group with her two daughters when they had nothing to do one Sunday.
“I saw the group, I said, ‘You know what? Let’s go hiking with them,’” Shehada said. The trio got dressed and joined the hike, racing and laughing all the while.
“We build memories together. That was [when] the sparkle in our life started, to be honest.”
After a two-mile hike this morning, and some time getting lost, the group goes out for breakfast – to refuel and catch their breaths, until they meet again at the mosque or on the trail.