No ordinary grocery run...
We walked in through the automatic doors, pushing our shopping cart. My roommate and I were only doing our weekly grocery shopping, but something was different. We paused for a moment to look at our list. Before I knew it, the woman who had walked in behind us decided that weren’t moving fast enough for her and maneuvered her cart around us. As she circled us, she looked us up and down with a dreadful scowl on her face. I glanced up only momentarily to catch the sour look directed obviously toward us, and could only lower my eyes to the floor. My roommate avoided the glare altogether. We had never received such treatment from a perfect stranger before...
The difference?
Perhaps it was this.
Inspired by a class project that I was working on, about Muslims in America, we decided to do a small social experiment. It was nothing more than wearing hijabs, traditional Muslim headcoverings, in a public place for a short amount of time. We chose a small supermarket close to our school, in south-central Pennsylvania.
Our goal was not to mock Muslims for their customs of dress. We did not want to offend anyone, or to give inaccurate impressions of Muslims. We simply wanted to walk in the shoes of a Muslim woman for just an hour or two.
The story shared above, although very subtle, was the most dramatic thing that happened the entire time. For the rest of our experience, we received nothing more than awkward stares and strange looks. Many people seemed confused. A few people looked slightly unhappy about our presence.
I thought of the motherly saying, “Don’t stare, it’s rude.” Wise words. No one said anything unkind to us. In fact, few people said anything to us at all. But constantly being looked at, and being afraid to look back, is an alienating experience. And this was all simply the result of wearing pieces of fabric on our heads.
I can’t imagine doing that every day. I can’t imagine being alienated because of my convictions and beliefs. We value our freedom of religion, yet we are so quick to impose judgement and restrictions on anyone who believes differently than us.
I don’t wish to preach to you, or tell you what you should and shouldn’t do when encountering Muslims. I simply wish to share our experiences and provide you with some food for thought.
The difference?
Perhaps it was this.
Inspired by a class project that I was working on, about Muslims in America, we decided to do a small social experiment. It was nothing more than wearing hijabs, traditional Muslim headcoverings, in a public place for a short amount of time. We chose a small supermarket close to our school, in south-central Pennsylvania.
Our goal was not to mock Muslims for their customs of dress. We did not want to offend anyone, or to give inaccurate impressions of Muslims. We simply wanted to walk in the shoes of a Muslim woman for just an hour or two.
The story shared above, although very subtle, was the most dramatic thing that happened the entire time. For the rest of our experience, we received nothing more than awkward stares and strange looks. Many people seemed confused. A few people looked slightly unhappy about our presence.
I thought of the motherly saying, “Don’t stare, it’s rude.” Wise words. No one said anything unkind to us. In fact, few people said anything to us at all. But constantly being looked at, and being afraid to look back, is an alienating experience. And this was all simply the result of wearing pieces of fabric on our heads.
I can’t imagine doing that every day. I can’t imagine being alienated because of my convictions and beliefs. We value our freedom of religion, yet we are so quick to impose judgement and restrictions on anyone who believes differently than us.
I don’t wish to preach to you, or tell you what you should and shouldn’t do when encountering Muslims. I simply wish to share our experiences and provide you with some food for thought.
Wow! What a story...Thanks Jane. Food for thought.
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