Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding of the Niqab at UIUC

Something that makes the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign more unique than some schools in the United States is that it consists of a very diverse student body. One example of this is that there are several niqab-wearing Muslim students on this campus. I have realized that when I do see them every now and then, they do not seem to communicate with anyone else besides other students who also wear the niqab. The aim of this study was to allow U of I students to open up and express their thoughts and opinions of the niqab-wearing Muslim students on this campus through the use of interviews and testimonials. I hoped to find out how UIUC students perceive their fellow niqab-wearing students and what aspects of the niqab make it such a contentious topic. The niqab is acceptable in Islam but it is still considered a controversial issue among the Muslim community itself so naturally, it attracted a debate among both Muslim students and non-Muslim students.unpublishednot peer reviewe