In collaboration with the Center for Faith and Public Life, the Library is pleased to announce The Body of Belief exhibit is now on display in the main lobby of the Library. This exhibit is on loan from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Beckett Fund offers us an inter-religious exhibit on banned religious clothing or other distinctive symbols featuring museum-like holdings of actual artifacts and photographs of individuals wearing those artifacts.

The exhibit includes neckties, headscarves, Catholic religious attire, and other banned religious items as symbols of the wide range of limitations placed on religious expression throughout the world. For example, neckties are banned in Iran because they are considered to be “a sign of the cross,” as well as in Saudi Arabia because it is a Zoroastrian symbol. Many schools throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa forbid the wearing of headscarves by students, and have restrictions placed on government workers and reporters as well. Beards are banned in Tunisia, and Catholic religious attire is not permitted in Vietnamese universities.

On Tuesday Jan 29, a Memorial March will be held on campus, to recognize various spaces where acts of injustice or demonstrations for justice have taken place throughout Fairfield’s history. The march will being at 4:30pm (Egan Chapel) and end at ~5:45pm at the library at which point participants will be invited to participate in the opening reception of the Body of Belief (library lobby).

All are invited to join us for hot chocolate and cookies to celebrate the opening of the exhibit.