MAINE, USA — As Maine welcomes Afghan immigrants recently brought to the U.S., there's an ongoing effort in the state to understand the culture better and make immigrants feel more comfortable away from home.
On Thursday afternoon, Northern Light Health and Maine Multicultural Center held a forum to answer questions about Afghan traditions. It was an opportunity for members of the community to learn more about the culture of some of their newest neighbors.
More than 200 people from across the state, particularly from the health care field, participated in this virtual forum.
Marwa Hassanien is on the board of the Maine Multicultural Center and works in Northern Light Health's diversity department. She organized this forum.
She said the goal is to "help facilitate understanding that just because some people do things differently, that's okay. We should respect that."
Three Afghan panelists explained cultural and religious traditions and answered questions from those participating. Some of those traditions include fasting during holidays, how men and women interact, and how women choose to cover themselves with a hajib.
"The more that you teach them and the more that you kind of share services with them, they'll definitely be more trusting of you if you understand them and their culture," Hawa Shir, one of the panelists, said.
The panelists said they are happy to answer questions about their culture and religion and said others would be happy to do so because it's better to ask than to assume.