And you always have an interesting opinion to offer up.

I think it took some bravery to come clean about this....and the difference between you and an islamaphobic asshole would be that the latter doesn't attempt to analyze or deconstruct his gut reaction. So I think it's commendable to cop to having these feelings....and also to have enough sense to question them.

How many muslims do you interact with? Is it somewhat uncommon to see women in a niqab or burka where you live? Like others have said....exposure is key. When I take my family up to northern ontario we get alot of double-takes and weird vibes. People up there probably only see black people in movies and rap videos for the most part.

Not sure if this suggestion sounds too corny....but it might be a worthwhile exercise to kinda force yourself to engage with a muslim if this same reaction happened again. Talk to them about the weather. Make small talk. This type of irrational fear is based on dehumanizing. By engaging in small talk....you force yourself to humanize them. It might work to force yourself into seeing them as individuals again instead of representatives or symbols. Cause really that's what it is right? That person became a symbol to you rather than a particular, specific person with their own set of interweaving characteristics and personality traits....of which religion is only one.