A Christian librarian from Conway has drawn looks, praise and negativity for her decision to hear a hijab in support of Muslim women, and publicity around her has reached all the way to the Middle East, according to a profile in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette River Valley & Ozark edition.
Nancy Allen, a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Conway, began wearing a traditional Muslim headscarf late last year in response to attention surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis and anti-Muslim statements made by presidential candidate Donald Trump, Allen told writer Tammy Keith.
Allen also shared the story about how a friend returned from Turkey having met a vendor who had heard of Allen through a sermon at a local mosque.
Her decision to wear the hijab has not been without detractors, Allen said. Some have accused her in online comments of overstepping cultural boundaries, and others have given her dirty looks while wearing her covering, Allen said.