Stetson professor using experiment to teach others about Islamophobia

Like many college campuses around the U.S., Stetson University is taking a closer look at the issue of anti-Islamic sentiment as we prepare to commemorate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Female students took a veil called a hijab and wore it for several days to see how other students would react.

This experiment was to get the reaction of other students.

Dr. Jamil Khader teaches English at Stetson.

Being Muslim, he is concerned about an increase in acts of prejudice against people of Islamic faith.

Khader wants people to talk about this as the end of one of Islam’s holiest holidays, Ramadan, approaches.

“It got me worried that all this level of violence and all this intense rhetoric against Muslims is going to end up harming someone,” Khader said.

As an educator, Khader also wants his students to see and feel for themselves what an Islamic woman is going through these days around campus.

So he conducted an experiment to lift the veil of discrimination by having students wear one.

Amy Neubauer wore it for several days and heard some interesting comments.

“Muslim girl go home,” Neubauer said. “There was a guy who did a double take and ran into a pole staring at me. I had a woman who sat me down for half an hour and explain to me how it was demeaning for women.”
 
Rachel Miracolo is about to begin the experiment.

"Tried it on yesterday and I immediately felt different," Miracolo said.

Khader believes the increase in Islamophobia is a symptom of tough economic and political times.

The professor started a seminar Thursday with what he called good news -- Gainesville Pastor Terry Jones had cancelled the event to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11.

However, the decision came with mixed emotion.

"My reaction was really mixed, knowing that he cancelled the event,” Khader said. “We knew something good was happening, but at the same time, I felt that there was a tradeoff between or a compromise where I sacrificed my freedom of expression as long as you cancel your right of worship."

Professors said it's interesting teaching about Sept. 11 to these college students as most of them were kids when it happened.

Now they're trying to educate to keep them on a path towards peace.