My sister was on the train yesterday with the girls

[conuly]

and seated next to this really awful woman who was saying awful things about her and generally everybody.

When a Muslim woman got on, the awful woman continued being awful, adding blatant bigotry and "well, I sure won't give her a seat!" when the woman hadn't even asked for one. So Jenn offered her a seat. And when they got off the train they were talking and chatting and Jenn helped her get her bags up the stairs, and when Ana complimented her headscarf she opened her bag and gave one to each of the girls.

Which is freaking adorable, by the way, if a little awkward because, of course, they aren't Muslim.

My mother took them to get Chinese food today, and of course they were wearing these awesome new hijab because you simply can't convince those two NOT to put things on their heads (though it might get fewer comments than the pink wig), and found that when you have two children in headscarves it is actually very difficult to convince the cashier to ring up an order of pork dumplings. He kept saying "I don't think that's good for them" and my mother wasn't sure how to convey "no, they're just dressed up...." in a way other people would believe!

So no pork dumplings for Ana and Eva, poor dears.

Comments

[houseboatonstyx.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's sweet! I suppose the cashier was Chinese, therefore unlikely to be Muslim?

Reminds me of something in the Screwtape Letters, about a hotbed of people all trying to suopport each other's beliefs.

[conuly]

I think so. Actually, it's a bit strange because that particular place has a habit of hiring college students to handle the registers, and thus usually doesn't have a huge language issue. So I don't know why my mother had trouble communicating the idea to them. But maybe all the college students were off today or something, leaving the front manned by the immigrants (whose English is worlds better than my Chinese!)