Non-Muslim University of Saskatchewan students wear hijabs

CBC News Canada 28-01-2015

University of Saskatchewan students were given the chance to walk in the shoes, or rather, the headcovering of their Muslim classmates. 

The U of S Muslim Students' Association hosted the Hijab Day Challenge. Organizers of the event, which was part of Islam Awareness Week, gave non-Muslim students the chance to learn about the hijab and wear one for the day. 

"There are women out there who have people come up to them and they might say something to them offensive, like 'go back to your country' or 'you're oppressed' or 'you're forced to wear this,'" said Amna Khizer, one of the organizers. 

"Those misunderstandings, they develop just as a result of people not knowing. When they come and they learn about it, why we practice our faith, why we do all of this, why we wear hijab and all this stuff, it just generally increases that understanding."

Third-year sociology student Michelle MacDonald was one of the students who donned a hijab for the day. 

"As a white woman in Canada, if I want to talk about another culture, I have to learn about the other culture," she said.

"In a setting that's as culturally diverse as the university, I think it's something really nice to see and I think it's nice that women feel they can express themselves however we want, not just the ways Canadians would always like them to." 

She wore her hijab for the rest of the day, even outside of school while she ran her errands. She said it was a strange experience because people stared at her.