Politics major Ruwa Romman ’15 had the opportunity to deliver a public lecture within her field of study, as part of the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art’s 2015 spring exhibition Azadi va Edalat: Stories Retold by Contemporary Iranian Women Artists. Ruwa was selected by Elizabeth Peterson, OUMA’s director, to speak about the exhibit and share her academic and personal expertise.

In her lecture, “Liberated, not oppressed: A different perspective on Muslim women,” Ruwa spoke of women’s liberation on a global scale.

“Women being oppressed is not exclusive to the Muslim faith,” she said. “In fact, Islam liberated women by giving them the right to inherit, choose who they marry, work, etc. The issue is that people misuse ideologies for what they want. It’s not the faith, it’s the people. I view my faith as a liberating thing, including my head scarf.”

Ruwa’s perspectives are grounded in her Muslim faith, multiple leadership roles on campus, including president of the Student Government Association and founding member of COEXIST, and her internship at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.