Day 2

After my initial conversation with my boss (pre-day 1), we had a follow-up conversation. I asked the obvious questions:
"Are you telling me that we wouldn't hire a Muslim who wore a head covering?"
Well, I'm not saying that exactly, I'm saying that we would have a choice if they wore a headcovering to the interview, and we would know if we hired them what they would be wearing to work. Its the same with people who don't shave their beards for religious reasons. We have a choice when we interview them, and if we know they won't comply with our policy, it is our choice not to hire them.

"So, if I converted to Islam? I couldn't wear my head covering to work?"
Well, I guess if you converted, there's not much we could do about it. I just don't understand why you can't just change your project. Do it on aging and femininity or something.

Really. Not much you could do about it? I'd say so. This IS 2010, after all! And changing my project because you feel uncomfortable seeing me in a hijab after six months of planning? I don't think so.

Respectfully, however, there are obvious inconsistencies in your ruling:

• Every year, we have an office Thanksgiving and Christmas party. You say a prayer before the meal at both occassions. Most of the time you end that prayer with "in Jesus name, Amen."
• We line up an employee or employee's wife to pray before our Company-wide convention every year.
• We set up a Christmas tree in our office every year the day after Thanksgiving.
• You send out messages to employees every day, and many times those are religion-related.

What I see here is a duplicious attitude. I am not allowed to wear a head covering which does not distract from my job performance, and does not impede my productivity. However, celebrating Christian holidays, wasting company time praying and setting up a Christmas tree - these things do indeed distract the office and impede productivity. I am not opposed to these things myself, but I am opposed to the attitude of discrimination you are portraying  as our company policy. The thing is, Mr. Boss Man, I am part of the majority. I have spent my life calling myself a Christian. But that doesn't mean that I can prohibit the rights of others to practice their own beliefs!

On another note, I went to lunch today and noted an interesting phenomenon. People don't make eye-contact with me. Not that they are mean to me, or rude, or anything, but they won't look at me. In a party with my two co-workers, the waitress looked at them, but not at me. I was wondering why that is and the only thing I came up with is the fact that they are overcompensating for not staring by not looking at all.

My friends and family have had mixed reactions. I come from a military family, both my brothers are Marines who have served in the current War on Terror, and have been shipped overseas to Iraq three times each. I am myself former military, although I never served overseas. I come from a Patriotic family, and I am very Patriotic and supportive of our military. I expected the worst when I told my brothers, my mom and my dad about the experiment. Their first reaction was rather what I expected: disbelief, anger, incredulity, thinking I was crazy. However, when I explained the project, my family understood and came around to my perspective. They are very supportive of me.

My friends have had mixed reactions as well. I get alot of well-meaners telling me that Islam treats women poorly, Islam is responsible for 9/11, Islam is evil... and I understand their perspectives. I have some of the same questions, and have been asking my Muslim friends the same. However, I know, as an educated Christian, I have seen scriptures in the Bible that directly promote violence toward other religions. Taken out of context, they promote murdering homosexuals, killing people of other faiths, and enslaving women and children. This is in the Christian Bible. Is it surprising that the Qu'ran has a few of its own "violent" scriptures?

But these are all pre-conceptions I will be studying as I learn more about this religion and immerse myself into its culture.