RNA - For the past three Wednesdays, student Sondra Sasser and 11 fellow students started wearing traditional hijabs to show support for Utah's Muslim community. Most of the students are majoring in Middle Eastern studies, so they are very familiar with the culture.
While often understood as a symbol of modesty and privacy, the hijab is much more for those Muslim women who choose to wear it, according to Yonat Shimron with the Religion News Service. She said, “It says they view it alternately as a sign of religious devotion, discipline, freedom from Western expectations, or simply a way to be in a continuous state of prayer.”
The students said they wanted to be respectful in showing their support. They have been in contact with Muslim community leaders in Salt Lake City.
The group says in this time of uncertainty and chaos, this is a way to show support for those of the Muslim faith.
"A lot of Muslims are feeling uncomfortable about things and they are feeling scared about things or just misunderstood, and so any show of solidarity, I think, can be touching," Sasser said.
She said it is no doubt raising a lot of eyebrows around the Provo campus.
"I think a lot of people get excited to see diversity on campus a little bit," Sasser said with a laugh.
Hanif Sulaeman, with the BYU Muslim Association, supports the group's efforts. "It's like they are saying, 'This is how we can support you' and 'You are not alone,’” he said.
He said he appreciates the steps the group is taking to try to understand his beliefs by wearing the symbolic garment the entire day and by putting worldly fashions aside.
"If you wear hijab, you don't have to worry about that. It's just be simple, be you, and I think that is the message," Sulaeman said.
It may be a small gesture, but it's one that Sasser believes can make a big difference in the fight to end discrimination.
"We have a lot in common with our Muslim brothers and sisters, and I have a lot of respect for the faith," Sasser said. "The best way to understand it is to talk to Muslims, and I know that the people who will will be very impressed by it."
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