“The Hijabi Monologues,” the first event for the 2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding, will give Muslim-American women a chance to share their true stories on stage, whether they be comedic, heartfelt or even heartbreaking.

“Every woman has a story,” said Diane Russick, a GVSU graduate student who helps abused and impoverished women in Grand Rapids. “And with each story there should be someone to listen.”

The performance will take place tonight at 7 p.m. in the Loosemore Auditorium on the GVSU Pew Campus.

All of the Year of Interfaith Understanding events are designed to cultivate peace through the community’s interests and understanding of all faith traditions. Jennifer Jameslyn, a GVSU professor of women and gender studies, has attended previous performances.

“I was amazed at how thought-provoking it was,” Jameslyn said. “Being a Midwestern white woman, I didn’t expect to be able to relate to it but it did a great job at making me feel connected.”

“The Hijabi Monologues” has been performed around the world since 2006.

The performance is set up in conjunction with the Migrations of Islam project by the Muslim Studies Program and Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University. Co-sponsors also include the Michigan State University College of Arts and Letters, the GVSU Women’s Center and University of Michigan-Dearborn.

While the performance is free to the public, it does have a use of strong language and mature content, and parental discretion is advised.

There will be more arts events as the 2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding gets going, including the screening of the feature film “The Taqwacores,” with a lecture by the director of the film Eyad Zahra on Nov. 2. There will also be a performance from a national traveling group part of the Poetic Visions Tour on Nov. 11.

For more information, including the list of participants and upcoming events, visit www.2012gr.org.

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