Interesting message i received

One of the things that I think is really important about this project was that it sparked dialogue. Although I no longer dress in hijab, the fact that I chronicled my experiences on the internet through YouTube and Facebook, the comments still continue to pour in, and I continue to receive comments on a daily basis.

One recent comment really struck me as interesting, and with this young woman's permission I have included the comment here. She had previously commented to me that, as a Muslim woman, she had not really had much experience with prejudice or discrimination... but my videos somehow helped open her eyes to what was going on around her a bit more.

On November 17, 2010, she wrote:

" I remember commenting the other day saying that I had never noticed the prejudice for wearing my hijab. I guess your videos kinda opened my eyes wider into it. Today (on November 17, 2010), I went to Walmart in Covington, GA for lunch at the Subway. I've been there before with my hijab on, but today I actually noticed the judgmental eyes of hate and prejudice........it actually scared me, especially while I was eating lunch and this one man stared with such hate in his eyes. I guess the simple smile I always show to people goes unnoticed with a hijab on. Only one person there was friendly to me, and I forever thank and cherish her kindness. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to my surroundings :)"

Thank you for sharing with me, and thank you for allowing me to share with my followers.

Presentation for Henniker Rotary Club

The other day, I was lucky enough to have presented this project to the Henniker Rotary Club in Henniker, NH. While I was excited to present, I found myself to be incredibly underprepared to talk to this population.

Perhaps it was that my mother has been a long term member of this Rotary Club, but for some reason, I was terrified with every word that came out of my mouth that I would offend someone, which would ultimately lead to impacting the relationship that my mother had been cultivating for years. I had never felt this way in front of a group before. It was like walking on eggshells.

For the first time since starting this project, I was legitimately worried about the implications of sharing this project with people, and for that reason I toned down my presentation a bit more than I normally would have. I was afraid of how people in this community would take to my bringing this project to them, and discussing some of the things I would normally pull into a discussion.

I dont have much more to say on this topic, other than the fact that the presentation was a bomb. Not all presentations can go well though. Next time I will have to think about the potential audience a bit more before hand. I didnt even think this would have happened before hand. I am such an opinionated and vocal person, I never thought an audience like this would stump me.

Now I know. And knowing is half the battle...

This Just In...

As received from a friend in Chicago- My interview with Naimah Latif made it to Chicago based cable news 19, and has been aired.

I am not sure yet if they will have archives of the interview available or if I will be able to get a copy of the video to be able to upload and share here, but I will be contacting them to see about this. Unfortunately I missed the program as I am out of town, BUT hopefully I can find a way to access it...

A friend sent me the following email earlier through facebook. This is SO exciting!

*******

Is the USA guilty of religious profiling? Discrimination against Muslims in America is the featured topic on The Media Connection TV Show, airing Monday, October 18 on Cable TV Channel 19 in Chicago, at 5pm Central Standard Time. It will be simultaneously broadcast on Radio Station 1570 AM in Chicago at 5:00 CST, during the program, The Word Is In You. Outside of Chicago, if you're near a computer, you can hear this discussion online at http://www.gospel1570.com at 5:00 p.m. CST, 6:00 p.m. EST.

The program, hosted by Naimah Latif, was taped at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's 62nd Annual Convention in Virginia in July, 2010. It features Florida researcher Amy Guimond and Kazistan immigrant Dina Berik discussing the changing attitudes toward Muslims in Post-911 America.

For more information, call The Media Connection, 312, 849-3456.

Presentation at Nova Southeastern University

On October 1, 2010 I was invited to participate and present at the first ever panel discussion led by the Asia Working Group at Nova Southeastern University, in Ft. Lauderdale FL.

I asked my friend Robert to record this presentation so that I could share it with those who were unable to attend. This two part video series, is the footage from that event, which, in my humble opinion, went swimmingly!



and part 2:

Burn a Qu'ran

Nationally, as we prepared to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Pastor Terry Jones out of Gainesville, FL took control of the National media spotlight announcing his plans for "International Burn a Qu'ran Day."

Like many, I was appalled. I created a video in response to Mr. Jones's call for Qu'ran burning and also spoke about the controversy over the proposal to burn a Muslim Community Center near ground zero.

On my need to be accepted:

One of the really great things that came out of this project was the fact that, because I was frequently updating my YouTube channel, I met people who I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to meet. And in doing so, I managed to forge relationships based on trust and equal understanding.

One of the people that met through my video blog was inspired to share her story in a video of her own, which led me to create this video as a direct response to her. Thought I would share.

Touching the lives of others

One of the really great things that came out of this project was the fact that, because I was frequently updating my YouTube channel, I met people who I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to meet. And in doing so, I managed to forge relationships based on trust and equal understanding.

One of the people that met through my video blog was inspired to share her story in a video of her own, which led me to create this video as a direct response to her. Thought I would share.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Building relationships and opening dialogue was one of the great things to come out of this project, and when a friend invited me to visit his Muslim Community, I jumped at the opportunity. After getting to know this group a bit more, they sent me on an all expense paid trip to visit at the United States Annual Ahmadiyya Muslim Convention in Dulles, VA.

The Ahmadi are a group of Muslims which are discriminated by mainstream Islam, and I talk about them a bit in this video:



While at their annual convention in Dulles, VA (called Jalsa Salana), I was invited by the head of the United States community to their press conference alongside reporters from local and international news affiliates. I think they hoped that I would take video and share it through YouTube in hopes that I could help help offset some of the discrimination that they face which comes from the Muslim community, as a whole.

And that I did. These videos are a bit choppy and shakey, but I did my best. I don't wish to enter into the debate of whether the Ahmadi are, or are not, actually Muslims... I just hope that the things that they shared in their videos can help dispel some of the ideas that we have about violence in the Muslim world, the reasoning for Heightened security, and the separation of men and women when worshipping in Islam.



a womans perspective on gender separation:



and increased security at the convention after the terrorist attacks against the Ahmadi at Lahore, Pakistan:



As always, thanks for looking!

Flying in hijab: take 2

In the middle of July, I was invited to attend a conference (post to follow) about a marginalized group within the Muslim community. I took this travel opportunity to wear hijab and navigate airport security as well as. I was traveling with a male companion from school, and I wore clothing similar to that which I frequently wore while doing my project.

I knew that the security would be difficult to navigate so I made certain to not wear any metal on my body and I was very careful with how I packed my carry on baggage. It was an early morning flight and before I was able to approach the walk-through metal detector, I knew that I was going to be pulled aside for further screening. This is not an issue with me because, having worked in airport security for a period of time after 9/11, I knew the drill.

What I wasnt expecting was how I would feel. When I tell this story I am always hesitant to go into graphic detail, but on this site, I think it is ok.

Let me state CLEARLY, I understand the reason for airport security. I would rather air on the side of caution, and I am thankful (for the most part) for the jobs that the security personnel do. HOWEVER, after patting me down repeatedly on my bustline, and then making my genitalia move beneath my pants AND my panties, I think that the whole process was a bit over the top.

Yes, you read that correctly. The woman was so forceful with my vaginal area, that I felt incredibly violated and it brought tears to my eyes. The only thing that she could have done worse to me would be to actually rape me in the middle of the screening area.

AND YES, when I was done, I felt that I had been raped.

I still get emotional about what happened to me at the airport. I am hurt and offended.

I dont wear a hijab on a daily basis as a symbol of my modesty, but even I felt violated. I can only imagine what it would feel like if hijab were a part of my daily ritual to show my modesty and I was put on display and violated like that at an airport.

So watch the video.

Tell me you agree. Tell me you disagree. Tell me anything.

I hope my discussion of this might lead to conversations down the line.

The homeless

This video is not directly related to my hijab project but it works really well to address prejudice and the way we prejudge others. What happens when you acknowledge the homeless in a way that they arent used to? I wanted to change the way that I reacted to the local homeless, and I had quite the experience.

This man actually tried to give me money!

Moments like these make for great teachable moments and hopefully you will find that this video is a lot of fun to watch.





what would happen if you started to acknowledge the homeless?

I am surrounded by ignorance!

I got a tattoo in early April to commemorate this project. It is written in Arabic and translated to English it means "to understand a man you must walk a distance of miles with his shoes whether they fit you or not." On this day, someone at a doctor's office recognized my tattoo and asked about it.

Then said it was written in the language of terrorists.

Here are my thoughts.





People are idiots sometimes.

A Step Back

Like I have said before, after this project, it was like my vision was suddenly restored, or like a permanent haze in my vision was corrected. I have always liked to think of myself as an open minded person, but I have always known that we tend to turn a blind eye on social norms that can be painful for us to encounter on a daily basis. For my, that means that up until this project, for the most part I overlooked prejudice and discrimination because it was easier than having to see just how hurtful and hateful that people have the capacity to be.

Would I want to put those blinders back on again? absolutely not.

However that doesn't mean that I have to become comfortable with the way that people treat others who don't fit into their subgroups. I shared videos of my friend Adrienne before. She was the girl who did this project with me for a week at the beginning of the experience. This story centers around her. While she appears to be very pale skinned Caucasian, she is the product of an interracial marriage. Her husband is a very dark complected Bahamian man, who (in his own words) says that he is "not black, he's midnight."

Now that you have the back-story, watch the video to see what happened while my husband and I were on a double date with this couple, and how they were treated.

Do I know you?

So I wore a scarf on my head for 28 days. Then school ended for the semester and I went on vacation for 2 weeks. After that, I took another 2 weeks to recover from the intensity of the semester before Summer Term began. So what happened when I returned to campus without my scarf and began to run into people who only knew me as a hijabi?

Watch this video for my recap.
 

Flying in hijab- Take 1: an epic fail

So knowing that I passed on a great opportunity to fly in hijab the week before, I took the opportunity to fly in hijab on my return flight from New Hampshire to Florida. And as this title of this post indicates, it was an epic failure. I was flying with my dog in a soft sided bag under the seat in front of me, my dog ate a hole through the bag on the plane and got loose in the cabin. The flight attendants recognized that there was a problem and asked me to move to the back of the plane where I could sit with him on my lap unbothered eventhough my dog is not a working guide dog. Having to move the way that I did somewhat limited my observations, having to take care of a dog in hyper panic mode took my attention away from where it should have been. watch the video for full explanation.

 

That being said, I had a couple of upcoming opportunities to fly in hijab without my dog distracting me, so this was an experience that I was able to take a second and third pass at. More to come.

Presenting to 7th and 8th Graders

At some point during this project, I linked up with my English/Social Studies teacher from gradeschool and she arranged for me to visit the 7th and 8th grade students to talk about this project with them. I was nervous, but it turns out that I was a natural! I brought bags of buttons with me and explained how prejudice isnt always a bad thing, and how it is what you do with that prejudice that can be the cause of evil. In this video I am about to leave the house to go to the school. I am jittery and nervous. I talk about the fears that I have.

 

and later that afternoon, though exhausted from a day of being on my feet doing dynamic presentations all day, I took a few moments to recap the days events. This was my post-teaching blog entry.

I was so proud of myself for having taken this project to a new level. I was shocked that I held the attention of these students the way that I did. Rumor had it, the students loved me and as news of my visit traveled around the school, the kids became more and more excited about having my presentations! Maybe I can be a teacher afterall?

Things Overheard on an Airplane

Once you have done a project like this, you are like a horse with blinders removed. It did not take long for me to learn that while I was no longer wearing a scarf on my head every day, I could never go back to being myself as I was before I began this journey. This was a video that I made after overhearing the most absurd discussion on an airplane (on what should have been my day 30, and my day of flying in hijab has I had the kind of courage that it required)

 

what do you think? was this conversation out of line? what would you have done in my shoes?

A conclusion of sorts.

After 28 days, I was ready to end this project. Four full weeks was enough for me. But why did I not extend to a full 30 days like Morgan Spurlock does on his TV program?* The honest truth is that on what would have been day 30, I was scheduled to fly from Ft. Lauderdale to Manchester, NH.

Looking back in retrospect, skipping the opportunity to fly in hijab was a major FAILURE moment on my part, but I did make up for it later when I did it TWICE (videos to come later). I chose to not fly out of my own personal fears and insecurities, but at least I recognize that about myself.





*When I was finishing this project, I saw an ad on TV for Morgan Spurlock's episode of "30 days" where he sent a born-again Christian into the home of a Muslim family to experience life in their shoes for 30 days. It was a good program and I recommend it to anyone! Doesn't beat my project, but it is worth the hour to watch it.

Project Successful!

This video was made on day 24 of the project, when I have come to a full realization that this project was successful and I have accomplished everything that I set out to accomplish. I was on cloud nine while creating this video!

 

Day 20- After Moscow attacks

The photo for this post comes from the Park Kultury metro station in Moscow where mourners laid flowers of those killed in the March 30 terrorist attack. 

I had every intent to stop my project the day before this terrorist attack, but in light of the information funneling out of Moscow that indicated that young militant fundamentalist Muslim girls had perpetrated this Moscow attacks, it almost seemed like a shame to hang up my scarf. 

I was greatly saddened by the attacks at the Moscow Metro, but I knew that while a terrorist attack such as this was fresh in the minds of people, it would be a great time to go out and further the purpose of this project. 

I was hesitant and nervous to don my hijab that morning, but in the end I am glad that I did. And what was more phenomenal that my early morning appointment that morning led me to a waiting room where I was sitting next to a young woman who recently immigrated from Moscow, and who had family effected by the terrorist attack. 

This was a great opportunity for continuing dialogue. I wished I had my video camera rolling when I met this woman... it was moving for both of us, I am sure. 

Watch my video for my account of what happened! 

Day 19- to extend or not?

19 days in, and I hit a crossroads. I knew that the ups and downs of the past week had me riding a serious emotional roller coaster but at the same time, I felt that it would be amazing to continue for a full four weeks, seeing as how I had almost made it to three full weeks and was still uncovering a bit about prejudice towards Muslims in post 9-11 America, as well as my own beliefs about the Muslim community.



Eventually I decided to continue, but that continuance was for another reason altogether. On what would have been day 21 of this project, and the day I was contemplating ending the experience, there was a terrorist attack in Moscow perpetrated by fundamentalist Muslim women who wore hijab. I took this as an opportunity to address prejudice head on when that seed of fear was sitting in the forefront of peoples minds.

But that is a story for another time.

day 18- where I am going

Another day, and sleeping off the frustration of the past few days seemed to help. This was my video blog from Day 18 where I talked a bit about the future of this project, and what is in store for me over the next
few weeks.

 

The ups and downs...

You can guess from the title of this post that I decided to extend this project from its original two weeks to three weeks, but in doing so, I was quickly overwhelmed. Those feelings of frustration that I had the week before were quickly returning to the forefront of my mind and I wasnt sure that I could handle the frustration of it all. In my videos, I tend to come across as the kind of girl that doesn't really care about what people think of her, but that's not entirely the case. Just like most people, I want to be liked. I want to fit in. And I was doing a project that was setting me aside and causing others to re-evaluate their friendship with me.




Hindsight is 20/20 though, as they say. Looking back, are the people who were so quick to cause me grief really worth the title of having in my social circle? probably not. Am I better in the long run without them dragging me down? I would venture to guess that the answer would be yes.

Hate speech by the tea partiers?

This was a video that I made after witnessing the hate speech that was slung in Washington DC by the Tea Party Group. Remember when they spewed their racial slurs in Washington DC last March.

 

Think Different

During a really low point during week 2, my gradeschool English teacher sent me an email with the words to the poem "Think Different" which was used as part of an Apple campaign in the early 80s. I wanted to share it with everyone who was following along here with my project.

Pretend to be Jewish?

This is a video that I created after someone told me that I should walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Particularly the shoes of someone who was Jewish. Earth to the world, it has nothing to do with religion and for what its worth, I am Jewish. Where is the disconnect here, people?

Hatred Fills my Vlog

With such a public display of emotion on my video blog recently, you would think I would have prepared myself to receive another influx of hate-filled responses. But getting these responses through a public video channel posed a problem for me. 1)I didn't want to delete them and forget that they ever happened because it really was an illustration of the behaviours that people in real life were exhibiting, 2) I hated the thought of censoring people. If the goal was to start dialogue, then leaving hate filled comments could help facilitate that dialogue. but 3) I didnt want anyone to stumble across my video channel and think that these hate filled comments were representative of the way that I felt. Further, I didnt want to run the risk of compounding the usage of hate speech. So what did I do? I made another video:



and then wouldn't you know, that same day, I got my first message where I was outright called a terrorist.



I still dont know why I was called a terrorist, what do you think?

Continuing with Purpose

After feeling completely overwhelmed by emotion and taking some time to think about the true purpose of this project, I created this video to basically tell people why it was so important that this project continue. The thought of giving up was not something that I took lightly but I guess it never really occurred to me that people who I had considered to be friends would sever ties with me over my participating in this little project of mine. But in the end, if the purpose was to experience what it was like to be discriminated against, then goal achieved.

Looking back, I just wish I hadnt let people get the better of me.

Ready to Quit

I knew at some point I might hit a rough patch, but I truly didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Just over a week in, the ups and downs of this project were getting to me, I was feeling like I was on an emotional rollercoaster ride, and I was ready to throw in the towel. While making this video, I tried to keep my emotions at bay, but sadly, no matter how many times I recorded the video, I couldn't detach myself from the emotions. I was invested in this project. I was invested in seeing it through. And it broke my heart that I was not emotionally strong enough to follow through with the commitment that I originally set out with.

Random Thoughts Post Week 1

These videos were just some thoughts that I had after a week in Hijab. You can see a little bit of a change in my comfort level as you watch these videos too. I think this was about the time that my professors at school and my friends began to notice that I was getting used to this new style of dress, and becoming much less fidgety (not only in front of a camera but in general).



and this one:

Life Lessons from a Bag of Jelly Beans

Have you ever eaten a jelly bean thinking it was one flavor only to realize it was another flavor entirely? I know I have. And until I realized that the jelly bean was the best popcorn flavored jelly bean I had ever tasted, I thought it was the WORST lemon flavored jelly bean on the fact of the planet. This video talks a little about this idea and relates it to prejudice and stereotypes.

The Mosque

This is a video that I made after my first visit to a Mosque. While this project had little to do with religious ideology, and I stand firm that my arguments can be made without the discussion of religious texts, I realized that I had a lot of misunderstandings of this religion. The only way to fully face my own prejudices for what they were was to visit a Mosque and learn for myself.

 

Experiencing Beauty

One thing that I noticed around this time was that my picture of how I actually felt vs how I predicted I would feel were not matching up. I created this video to express how I was feeling while dressed in Hijab.

 

Granted, people still called me names online after revelations like these, but how serious can you take someone who says "you look like a raw potato?"

Detained for Speaking Arabic

One of the really great things about this project was that I was able to foster relationships that I had never thought of before. Further, I was exposed to cultural differences first hand because suddenly an invite to a religious event wasn't that far-fetched. Who would have thought that you would be more likely to snag invitation when you are part of the in-group than just an outsider looking in? kind of common sense, right? well, I was invited to a mosque. and went to the Friday Jamaat prayers there. Afterwards I was introduced to some young men who had a story to share with me. apparently they were detained. I made a video:





then that video sparked a heated discussion, so I made another video. to see the heated discussions you would have to go through my actual youtube account, but that might be worth the visit. this is the follow up video that I made:

 

Owning your nationality

One thing I quickly learned was that (while wearing the hijab), I was expected to claim a national identity. Further, saying that I was American did not go far enough in the explanations of who I was or how people classified me as a Hijabi woman.

Also, my friend Adrienne Duenas made a guest video blog for me. Adrienne was a colleague of mine at school and she decided to dress in hijab alongside me for the first week of the experiment. I thought it was important to get some of her ideas on video to share, and I think she did an amazing job!





Thanks for watching!

Day 4

Day 4, I really began to feel like I was becoming more immersed in the experience. I had some men stop my progress and make rude gestures at me while crossing the street. Could this have been attributed to things other than my scarf, sure. But I was also beginning to have more and more experiences that did not fall into my normal experiences, and when you add them up, there are few explanations. you will better understand at a later point when I upload some of my later videos.

 

Life is like a box of buttons

(originally published 10/8/10)
 This is probably one of my all time favorite activities when I go speaking to groups about the hijab project. I use my infamous button box to explain how we make judgements as a means to classify things, and how these judgements are not always bad. We prejudge to understand, we prejudge to interpret. It is only when these prejudgements are used in negative ways that prejudice is bad. This video, while it seems to get the least traffic of all my videos on youtube, it probably one of my favorites. Hope my viewers here think so as well.

Should they be fired???

On day 3 of this project, I recounted my bad experiences at an on campus coffee shop and talked about how dangerous it could be to fire those people who treated me badly. Please take into account that at this time, this project was completely a personal project and had not taken on the independent life that it would later take on. Also, forgive the choppiness of my thinking. these videos were not pre-written and were just stream of consciousness, more or less.

Day 2 recap, and definitions of bravery

Hi everyone, I am still working hard at getting this new website up and running with videos. Thank you for being patient with me as I take on this new phase of my project! here is the video recap of day 2:

 

and one thing I have noticed is the sheer number of people who have used the words bravery and courage to describe me. I had to go to the dictionary for help. Here are my thoughts on bravery, as recorded on day 2:

 

Thanks for watching!

Thoughts throughout day 1

These are the first couple of video blogs that I made when I first started the hijab project. Please forgive the horrible fact that voice does not match up with the imagery and it looks like a poorly dubbed Kung-Fu film. if you can get past the horrible filming job, you will see that the contents of these videos really outline the purpose of this experiment. and this video is basically my recap of day 1: would love to hear what you think. more to come!

“Whoever does not love his work cannot hope that it will please others”

My name is Amy Guimond and I am a Masters student in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. For me, being a student means that I have the right... no... obligation to ask the difficult questions forcing people to think differently about the world around them. That is where this social experiment was born.

While in one of my classes last year, I noticed that the room was somewhat segregated. We had African Americans on one side of the room, Caucasian Americans on another, other blacks in the front and the internationals sitting together as well. In the far back of the room, there was a group of Saudi Arabian men. I began to think of how the students had managed to segregate themselves.

Another student said something about the Saudi Arabian men and (while it disgusts me to say this out loud) it made me think terrorism and bomb-making activities. I was disgusted with myself at the time, and looking back, I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about this.

So why would I admit this openly in my introduction on my new website? Well, in order to understand where I am going, you should probably know why I am going, as well as know where I am coming from. That being said, I began to think more and more about the Muslim students in my classes and started to think of what a great personal experience it would be for me to experience the treatment that Muslims face in this country, first hand.

My goal was basically to buck the system within my community that allowed for inequalities based on ethnic and religious differences. I wanted to challenge those who fed into hatred and persecution, and to do so, I chose to dress in hijab for two weeks. Two weeks quickly led to three weeks and then three weeks led into four weeks.

The goal was not to pass or pretend to be something that I wasnt, but to blend in. I was never deceptive and never lied when people asked me about my attire. If asked, I explained my project. Ultimately, I just wanted to experience prejudice from the side of the persecuted, in hopes that I could bring about some kind of change in thinking within the community around me.

I look back on the last six months and have to let out a huge triumphant sigh. I NEVER thought that a small personal project would grow to be quite as large as it has. We are now getting hits from around the world. I couldn't do this without all of you!

I am currently hard at work getting this site up and running, so please check back. Soon, I will be housing all of my YouTube videos here under the videos tab, so please make sure to check out that tab too.

Finally, If you came to this site to find out more about my book, there is still no news on that front. I was way-layed a little bit during the writing process, but I am aiming for the manuscript to be finished over the next few months. Please be patient with me as I want to make sure this story is a complete and accurate representation before I hand it off to the publisher. I think there is a lot to be learned from my experience beneath the veil, I have to get it all right before it goes to print.

About me

My name is Amy Guimond and I am currently a Doctoral Student in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. I have a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, and also have a  Masters of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. For me, being a student means that I have the obligation to ask the difficult questions, challenging my own worldviews and subsequently causing others to also think differently about the world around them. That is where this social experiment was born.

In early 2009, I was in a class and noticed that the room was somewhat segregated. We had African Americans on one side of the room, Caucasian Americans on another, other blacks in the front and the international students sitting together, and in the far back of the room, there was a group of Saudi Arabian Muslim men.  As we were talking about segregation in the course lecture that night, we were able to stop and discuss what we were seeing even in the classroom. And as this conversation progressed, I was alarmed by the way that people described this group of Saudi Arabian men.
Not only was I alarmed by the description of this group of Saudi Arabian Muslim Men, but my own response to this description was confusing to me. Instead of being disgusted by the fact that another student would describe these men in a way that would immediately make any rational person envision men in dark rooms, sticking detonation cord into blocks of semtex explosive, I was quick to conjure the mental images being commanded by the description, and quickly began to feel the signs of acute anxiety.
These young Arab-Muslims were not strangers, these young Arab-Muslims were people I had known for almost a year and who up until this point, I had trusted. Yet, there I was envisioning them participating in some great act of terror against the American people. I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about how quickly my thoughts could be influenced.
So why would I admit this openly in my introduction on my new website? Well, in order to understand where I am going, you should probably know why I am going, as well as know where I am coming from. That evening, thoroughly disgusted with myself, I left the classroom thinking more and more about the Arabic Muslim students in my classes and started to think of what a great personal experience it would be for me to experience the treatment that Muslims face in this country, first hand.
My goal  was to see what it felt like to be a perceived to be a member of a marginalized community, to experience prejudice and descrimination first hand, so that I could better understand the perspectives of marginalized people. Further, after challenging my own beliefs, i  wanted to challenge those who fed into prejudice and discrimination causing them to question their own beliefs.
Ultimately, when this project was conceived, the plan was to dress in hijab for two weeks, and observe what happened through a video diary on YouTube. Due to unforseen circumstances, two weeks quickly led to three weeks, and then the project was finally extended to a full four weeks.
The goal was not to pass or pretend to be something that I wasnt, but to blend in. I was never deceptive and never lied when people asked me about my attire. If asked, I explained my project.  Ultimately, I just wanted to experience prejudice from the side of the persecuted, in hopes that I could better understand my own feelings. as well as bring about some kind of change in thinking within the community around me.

All of my videos are now housed under the videos tab, so please make sure to check out them out! Updates on my book can be found under that tab as well.

Due to an overwhelming response to this website, I have temporarily removed the contacts page. I am not currently taking any outside requests for speaking engagements. This will be changing in early 2012.

I NEVER thought that a small personal project would grow to be quite as large as it has. My YouTube channel is now getting hits from around the world, and every day I am being bombarded by emails from viewers.

At the end of my project, I began writing and compiling information to turn this whole experience into a book titled “Exploring Prejudice: One woman’s journey beneath the veil,” which is now available on amazon (CLICK FOR LINK).

as well as at lulu.com by clicking on this button: