When she was younger, Southern Connecticut State University junior Bahar Musa said she was teased for displaying her Islamic faith.
"More people would say like silly things here or there like towel head," she said.
For a while, Musa did not wear a hijab, the traditional head covering for women in Islam, but two years ago she committed to wearing this symbol of modesty every day.
"It’s not just modesty on about how we dress it’s about how we act, how we treat others," she explained. "I always have girls asking me like why do you wear hijab, what is the point? And they’re really intrigued by it."
The Muslim Student Association at SCSU organized a hijab day as part of Social Justice Week Monday to teach students about this religious tradition by giving them the chance to spend a day wearing a hijab.
"I’ve heard about things that like acts of discrimination, so I wanted to support them," SCSU junior Kelsey Kuziak said.
Students from different faiths, like junior Richelle Villabona who comes from a catholic family, tried on the hijab.
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"I always love being immersed in different cultures and learning about different kinds of traditions and I just wanted to support the Muslim community by doing this," she told NBC Connecticut.
For Musa, a successful hijab day is a sign of a campus that values diversity and inclusion.
"I had to send out someone to buy more hijabs so that we can supply the demand," Musa said. "So, it’s really good."
More than 50 female students participated in wearing a hijab, Musa said. A discussion was held in the afternoon for students to discuss their experiences.
