(FREEPRESS) — Eliza Faigin covered her head in a sparkly pink scarf, slipped off her boots and walked into the prayer room.
It was the 12-year-old's first time in a mosque. She sat on the carpeted floor scribbling notes about the five pillars of Islam, pausing periodically to adjust her headscarf.
"It feels interesting and kind of weird, but now I understand why they wear it," she said after the presentation. "Girls are a sacred gender. It's kind of cool."
Eliza's new appreciation for the hijab came courtesy of Religious Diversity Journeys, a program that exposes children to different religions through hands-on, half-day sessions at houses of worship.