Speaking with Muslims

I work VERY part time with Select Health, usually working at health fairs and performing biometric screenings. Some of the SH group working these fairs are employees, but quite a few are interns from various schools such as BYU/UofU/UVU.

At one of the last fairs, I decided to be brave and during the lulls, I got a bit personal with two of the interns. Both attend the U of U and both are Muslim. One is from Africa and one from Pakistan. One is married and the other is not. I was afraid of getting too personal, but I asked them if it was appropriate and ok with them if I asked, and they both said it would be fine. Now after reading this chapter I wonder if it was because they are such polite people:)

Mostly I asked questions regarding their hijab, their experiences living in Utah, the arranged marriage of Alia, etc. My main goal was to learn more about Muslims because my knowledge and experience with them has been so limited. But it was also what my daughter loved to remind me of, "exposure therapy". Not really therapy so much as exposure and broadening my comfort levels when speaking with someone who is different from me. I don't believe I have ever had a real conversation with someone wearing a hijab, I've often felt unsure of how to approach them or afraid of saying something offensive. But these two young ladies were very open with their answers. And just like we have different "levels" of practioners who follow Mormonism/Catholicism/Judaism, so I found out no two Muslims are exactly the same:)