As a Sikh, Rajdeep Wadhwa, junior in electrical engineering, is required to wear a turban to cover his head.

“It’s one of the five forms of identity for a Sikh,” he said.

Not cutting his hair and wearing his turban both define him as a Sikh, he said. Only in a few instances has anyone ever asked if his turban was a Sikh turban or a Muslim turban.

“No one really cares. It’s accepted because it’s Campustown and there are lots of international students,” he said. “Sometimes I feel like they stare at me. But it’s not bigotry, just curiosity.”

Wadhwa said he has never been treated differently because of his turban.

The passage of a new law in France that restricts students from wearing religious symbols to school has sparked some controversy in Ames.

“France has a small Sikh community of maybe 7,500,” Wadhwa said.

“If Sikh’s can’t wear their turbans, it’s totally unacceptable,” he said.

Despite the French law, students shouldn’t worry as they can’t be prevented from wearing religious symbols in schools in the United States, said Robert Baum, associate professor of religious studies. France has a different history of the relationship between church and state than the United States, he said.

In the past, France has been overwhelmingly Catholic, but the church often took the side of the king in revolutions, he said.

“The French government has tended to be very suspicious of religion,” he said.

“In 1905, France passed a law forbidding any religious practices in school, including significant religious insignia,” Baum said. “It’s come up as a new issue because of girls wearing hijab [head scarves worn by some Muslim women].”

He said the law highlights the prejudice in France against Islam.

“Islam is now the second largest religion in France,” Baum said. “The law is about forcing Muslims to assimilate into French culture.”

In the United States, questions have been raised about women who wear hijab to gym class, he said. The U.S. government cannot encourage religion in the classroom, but it cannot be actively against religion either, Baum said.

Turbans are not the only religious symbols worn that draw attention to the people who wear them. Erica Septer, senior in child and family services, said she wears a ring and a necklace bearing a cross.

“I’m proud to follow Christ, and Jesus is the biggest part of my life,” she said. “Wearing my cross ring and cross necklace is a way to show the importance of Him in my life.”

People do notice, she said. The question asked most often is if she goes to church.

“I’ve always had a positive reaction,” Septer said. “Once people find out I’m a Christian, they do treat me differently. They watch what they say and apologize for swearing.”

The crosses raise questions about Septer’s faith, and she said she loves talking about what she believes.

“I don’t wear them for attention, but I’d never stop wearing them,” she said.