News

Actions

Fox Valley neighbors don hijabs, celebrate different cultures

Neenah event part of World Hijab Dayactivities
Posted at 11:01 PM, Feb 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-02 00:01:36-05
NEENAH, WI -- On Wednesday across the country, and here, in Wisconsin, men and women from different backgrounds are called to stand in solidarity with Muslim women worldwide.
 
It's part of world hijab day, now in its fifth year, inviting women of all faiths to don the modest head scarf, and bring an open mind. 
 
At the First United Methodist Church, in Neenah, an interfaith gathering exploring culture and custom is taking place Wednesday night. 
 
"It's one way we can say, 'yes, we are all in this together," says interfaith social justice organization  ESTHER's past president, and current board member, Penny Robinson, wearing a bright blue hijab.
 
"We have so much more in common than we have that separates us, really," says guest speaker Jo Phillip, a Calument County native and member of the Fox Valley Islamic Society.
 
For the men and women here tonight, the differences between them are varied. But it's curiosity over those differences that's bringing them together.
 
And through that curiosity, they're beginning to understand one another.
 
"We don't just tolerate them. We accept them," says Robinson. "They are our neighbors, and our friends, and a part of our community." 
 
Phillip says understanding one another can start with the hijab.
 
"There's nothing mysterious about it," says Phillip, wearing a hijab over her beanie cap to stay warm in the winter. "Most people who cover their heads do so out of a desire to present themselves in a light of humility, and modesty, and that's really what it is about."
 
But she says it shouldn't stop when tensions over differences arise nationally, and within our own backyard.
 
"How can we build community out of this experience," says Phillip, "rather than how can we divide community."