Muslim??

[FloridaLpn2015, ASN, LPN, RN]

Hello everyone. I am a new nurse working in Florida. I have tons of experience in mental health as a tech. I am also Muslim and wear a head scarf. My question is ...Should I not wear it to work??? I currently work in mental health and I get questioned all the time by my patients, which I don't mind. I am also going to be interviewing for a position at a correctional facility. So I dont want to single myself outo if I work there. My head scarf identifies me as muslim so I can't exactly say "no" when I'm questioned. In my religion, it says that we "should" wear it but not if it makes life more difficult than it has to be. I am thinking I should remove it because I don't want to get questioned, inmates will see this as an opportunity to get to know me, which is not appropriate in this setting. I also must say that I don't have the best boundaries when it comes to things like this and I anticipate myself having a hard time not discussing it. Advice please!!!

[Daisy_08, BSN, RN]

I don't know if I can offer any advice other then do what makes you comfortable. If you will feel guilty about not, then stick it out. Or if you will resent it then maybe take it off.

I do have a question though, I have many Muslim friends and I had always thought you either believed in wearing it and wore it or not. I have friends who do both. Just curious, I thought if you believe you should than you did regardless of others. Hope you don't find this confrontational. I am truly just wanting to understand more about Islam.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Could it be a safety hazard? I would think it would be a choking risk in mental health.

[FloridaLpn2015, ASN, LPN, RN]

Lots of muslim women struggle with wearing hijab and not wearing it. The reason for this is that some believe it is not required, it is something that if we do we are rewarded for it because it's not easy to wear. It's not easy to wear because #1 it's hot at times, #2 if your not in a muslim country you are like the "black sheep" in the room all the time, #3 again your the black sheep in the room-in a world surrounded and focusedo on beauty, tight clithing and make-up (wearing hijab is about modesty- no make-up, loose clothing not showing your figure). What I believe is that God is forgiving, Islam is not suppose to be difficult, therefore if wearing hijab is difficult or restricts your life then you may take it off. I've heard many muslim scholars say this.

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

You cannot legally be asked about your religion during a job interview. If the interviewer were to ask you, and then did not hire you, you would have grounds for a discrimination law suit. So if you choose to wear it, I can nearly guarantee that you will not be asked if you are a muslim or not. If you feel you may be silently discriminated against by wearing your head scarf, then that would have to be a personal decision you make based on your convictions.

In terms of people asking you about it outside of an interview, this can happen to anyone regardless of outward signs of affiliation. I routinely get asked about my religion or political beliefs when working with patients. It will behoove you to learn the response, "That's not something I'm allowed to discuss while at work." Politely refusing to answer the engage in that line of discussion is your best response, not matter what unprofessional question you're asked.

I work with many people who wear head scarves while at work, including physicians who work in the OR. They still have to wear the required scrubs and head coverings, but otherwise these staff have no infection control related restrictions.