Craft donned a turban for the first time during a demonstration at the MSU Sikh Student Association, or SSA, event Sikhism 101: Turban Night at Snyder and Phillips halls.

More than a dozen students attended the event.

Nutritional sciences and communication senior Manisha Singh, president of SSA, said the group’s goal was to bring cultural awareness of Sikhism to campus and dispel any misconceptions about the faith.

Sikhism is one of the top 10 largest religions in the world, with many followers in India, she said.

“A lot of people don’t know about it, forgot about or got it mixed in with other religions in the Indian culture,” Singh said. “It’s important to show the diversity on campus.”

Singh said because followers of the Sikh religion do not cut their hair, many wear turbans. With turbans holding symbolic importance in the religion, the group wanted to give students a chance to try one on themselves.

During the event, members of SSA taught the students how to tie and wear a turban, and students participated in a discussion about what it means to be Sikh lead by the “MSU Interfaith Council”: http://interfaithmsu.wordpress.com/ — a student group that promotes cultural diversity and different perspectives.

“Traditionally, (Turban Night) has been specifically about turbans, but we’re helping to really bring a stronger element of dialogue,” said interdisciplinary humanities senior Rebecca Farnum, co-chair of the council.

Through a question and answer session, the students discussed why Sikhs wear turbans, what customs and traditions come with the religion and the differences between Sikhism and Islam.

Farnum said she hopes the discussion gave students an outlet to ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking in other spaces.

“We’re interested about conversations and what’s on students’ minds,” she said.

Human biology junior Roshan Jain said he came to the event to show his support for the prominent religion in India, where his parents are from.

“The world is becoming more globalized, so it’s important for people to learn about other cultures,” he said. “We should learn to tolerate and work with each other.”

With several racially targeted incidents occurring on campus last semester, Singh said holding events such as Sikhism 101: Turban Night can help spread understanding.

“Those kinds of things occur because students are not culturally aware of the beliefs that other students have,” she said.

“I hope to encourage them to be more understanding of the diversity on campus.”