I first met Cassie Herrington on a Thursday while I was getting ready for our Muslim Student Association meeting.

Cassie introduced herself as a student working for the Kernel. Her next statement shocked me, but in a good way. Cassie explained her next project, which was to wear the Hijab (Islamic head dress) for the month of October.

It took me about a minute to realize what she was saying. I was genuinely shocked to hear this coming from a white woman. Despite everything that had been happening with the Quran burnings and the new mosque being built in New York, Cassie had the confidence to come up with this project. She was confident enough to put herself in a situation that could potentially bring her some harm.

Anyone else would have run from an idea that had anything to do with Islam, especially a girl wearing a Hijab. I knew Cassie was going to be a special friend of mine. People like Cassie give me confidence that one day Islam will no longer be the sore subject of conversation. More and more people have been interested in learning the truth about Islam and through things like Cassie’s project we can eventually reach that goal. I applaud her and wish her the best.

Heba Suleiman

Muslim Student Association president