VERMONT – Becoming the prime victim of hate attacks due to the way they dress, American Muslim students at Burlington College are working to change stereotypes about their hijab, inviting Vermonters of all faiths to come and learn true Islam.

“There aren’t many opportunities for us to talk about this openly together,” Suzy Finnefrock, a Burlington resident, told WCAX.com on Tuesday, April 5.

“We always hear that the burqa or the veil is a very oppressive tool that’s essentially forced onto women and I suppose that I’ve learned that it’s not really that at all, actually,” said Misha Zhuykov, a Burlington College student.

Both women were invited by Fatuma Bulle, a student at Burlington College.

According to Bulle, such events were urged amid increasing anti-Muslim rhetoric in presidential primaries.

“Because of what Trump is saying, it changed the whole American society and it targets us,” she said.

At the event, Vermonters packed a room at Burlington College, eager to learn how they can be allies to Muslims in their communities.

“Going to the ladies’ room once and someone stopped me and said, ‘You are in America now, you can take that off your head.’ And I was really shocked,” Nicole Kennedy-Bchini, a Burlington resident, said.

Reverting to Islam in 2013, Kennedy-Bchini said she was forced to confront her white privilege in a way she hadn’t before.

“I could take this off and I could blend in and I would be considered white,” she said.

“Just being more aware of what it feels like to have people stare you, not trust you right away… it’s an eye-opening experience.”