I'm 19, sitting with a group of interns in a conference room in Denver, CO, for our weekly lunch and learn. All eyes are on me.
我19岁，正与一群实习生坐在科罗拉多州丹佛公司的会议室里，开始每周例行的午餐和学习。所有人都看着我。
"No, but where are you really from?" the CEO asked, closing his eyes and nodding his head in that subtly irritated way people do when you're not giving them the answer they want. "You or your parents must've immigrated from somewhere, right?"
"不对吧，你到底是什么地方来的？"首席执行官闭着眼、摇着头略带恼怒地问道，当你没有给出他人想听到的答案时，人们就会有些羞恼。"你或者你的父母肯定是从其它地方移民过来的，对吧？"
I don't mind talking about where I'm from - my parents and I immigrated from Pakistan when I was two - but I hated being singled out like that. I already stuck out with my bright headscarf; my fellow interns were mostly white, mostly in suits. As a college sophomore, I was still getting used to navigating the workplace as a Muslim woman. I wasn't looking for unwanted attention.
我不介意谈论自己来自哪里--我和我的父母在我两岁的时候从巴基斯坦移民过来--但我不喜欢被人从一群人中挑出来。头上明亮的头巾已经让我十分突出了，和我一起进来的实习生同事大多是白人、穿着西装。作为大二学生，我还是习惯于以穆斯林女性的身份出现在工作场所。我并不希望别人注意到我。
In the six years since that experience, I've come to realize that wearing a headscarf is sometimes taken as an open invitation for a casual conversation about my background and religion. There are times when those conversations are welcomed, and times when it's just another example of the countless micro-aggressions I face regularly. I've experienced everything from a former friend telling me her mom doesn't want her to date Muslim guys because they're all "wife-beaters" to sitting through class discussions about whether Muslims should be placed in internment camps. During moments like these, I find myself having to decide whether to speak up or stay silent.
在6年这样的经历中，我意识到：有时候戴着头巾会被别人视作一种邀请，被视作邀请他们和我们聊聊我们的背景和宗教。有时候，我们欢迎这种对话，但有时候，这种对话只是我经常面临的无数微攻击的一个例子。我经历过很多事情，比如：我之前的一位朋友告诉我，她的母亲不希望她和穆斯林男生约会，因为他们会打老婆；我曾坐在课堂上讨论穆斯林是不是应该被放到拘留营中。在这些时候，我发现自己总在犹豫：究竟是该发声，还是保持沉默？
Considering the amount of time I spend with my colleagues, it's natural that we should talk about our personal lives, and I want to help educate my peers about my faith. These discussions are crucial, especially considering the omnipresent machine of fear-mongering that controls the narratives about Muslims. It's nice to be able to speak for myself and educate people in my life. But it's not appropriate to single people out because of their background, especially in a professional setting.
鉴于我和同事呆在一起的时间，聊聊我们各自的生活也是很自然的，我希望让我的同事知道我的信仰。这些讨论至关重要，尤其是考虑到无所不在地控制穆斯林叙述的恐怖制造机制。能够为自己发声，让身边的人了解我，我真的为此而感到高兴。但只是由于背景不同而把人们单挑出来就十分不妥了，职场中更是如此。
Despite that awkward interaction all those years ago, I'm lucky that I've never experienced blatant workplace discrimination because I'm a Muslim woman.
尽管这些尴尬的互动都是几年前发生的，但我很幸运，我从未因为我是一名穆斯林女性而在公共场所中被公然歧视过。
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