RamziD wrote:

Are you from the Phoenix/Tempe area? I was unable to make it to Dawkins' lecture at ASU, but I heard it was very well received.

Tucson, actually, meaning that it was kind of a long haul. I saw the announcement and thought, "Wow, he's coming to THIS dump! I'd better go; the opportunity to see somebody like that speak might not ever come again, even if I disagree with a lot of what he says. And wouldn't it be hugely ironic to go there veiled, to let people know that there's at least one open-minded Muslim girl who's not afraid to listen to other points of view?" (Yes, I actually thought that; Muslim girls with their hijabs often see themselves as walking examples of the faith and feel the need to make a positive impression of themselves and Islam on others.)

So I went, wearing my hijab (black; if you were there you might have seen me). I still can't believe I had the nerve to do that, despite my thoughts! I didn't "really" think a bunch of hardcore atheist types would lynch me or curse me out or anything like that--they left me alone, but I felt I stood out like a sore thumb, to put it mildly!

You may know the rest of the story...the reason I went was because I was losing my faith but didn't want to admit it to myself, once I did it went very, very quickly, and now I haven't worn hijab in what feels like aeons, even if it was only a couple of months ago.