On a Saturday afternoon three teenagers walked into our store with headscarves that covered their hair. As they were shopping they asked me if they could pray in our fitting room. Surprised at this request, I said yes. Although it made my coworker a bit uncomfortable and made her question their actions, I began to explain that in the Muslim religion they pray at least five times a day. I had learned this from my theology class so I respected and understood their request to pray. I then realized that when one is unaware of religious traditions and beliefs other than their own, they begin to express fear and hatred. It is crucial that public places create spaces in which religions can freely express their religion without being discriminated or mocked. If I hadn’t taught my coworker about the young girl’s tradition, she would have assumed their intentions were bad. It is important that as a society we “build a community that celebrates differences” rather than fear the
On a Saturday afternoon three teenagers walked into our store with headscarves that covered their hair. As they were shopping they asked me if they could pray in our fitting room. Surprised at this request, I said yes. Although it made my coworker a bit uncomfortable and made her question their actions, I began to explain that in the Muslim religion they pray at least five times a day. I had learned this from my theology class so I respected and understood their request to pray. I then realized that when one is unaware of religious traditions and beliefs other than their own, they begin to express fear and hatred. It is crucial that public places create spaces in which religions can freely express their religion without being discriminated or mocked. If I hadn’t taught my coworker about the young girl’s tradition, she would have assumed their intentions were bad. It is important that as a society we “build a community that celebrates differences” rather than fear the