Friday, April 14, 2006
Passage to America
This is how Muslims are treated in America, the land of the free and the
home of the brave? The woman in this interview was singled out because of her Higab (head cover). There is a Federal Investigation being brought forth into this matter, which is quite obviously one of racial profiling. What an awful thing to have happen to a devout woman who has probably never stripped in front of anyone except her husband. Disallowing her from wearing her higab, or doing her prayers is a violation of her religious freedom in this country that was founded on religious freedom.
America has become so obsessed with it's Islamophobia that Karim and I have to answer stupid questions every day..."are you afraid of pig blood?"; "Don't you think it's blasphemous not to believe in Jesus as the son of God?"; "Isn't that the same religion as Saddam Hussein?"; and my favorite of all favorites (for those who are frightened of my religion, this proves their ignorance!) "What God do you worship?" To the first question, the answer is "no!" No, no, duh! (I might get mad if you dump pig blood on me and then go take a shower, but I'm not scared of pigs or their blood. It's a matter of cleanliness. Ask the Jews and several other Christian sects because they don't eat pork, either.) How can I believe that I am a heretic for not worshiping Jesus as the son of God if I don't believe that he was the son of God? (ummmmmm....) As far as Mr. Saddam, the name of the religion is the same, the actions are quite different. Yes, I do put my head on the floor when I pray, but I don't chain people to a wall and beat them. I don't order the killing of other people, and I don't want to bomb America or any other country. Neither does my husband. And the God I worship? Same as their's, unless they only worship themselves. We call him Allah, (which means, literally, the God). He is the same God as the Christians and the Jews; the God of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic), Isaac, and Jacob (yakoub), YES, and even Jesus (Isa, the prophet, who was born of the virgin mary, or Maryam). We believe in the judgement day, and we believe that Sheitan (Satan) and his Jin (demons) are prowling about trying to undermine the word of God. We are admonished to respect other religions and their Holy Books (the Holy Bible and the Torah). The name Islam means peace.
I know that most of my readers do not fall into the category of ignoramus maximi, and I hope you understand that I am venting. Being a Muslim in America is not easy, and the future looks grim. We are singled out and persecuted for our beliefs, counteracting the aim of our Forefathers. We are the brunt of jokes and satire. We are stereotyped, and many believe that we are all terrorists.
I feel for this poor woman, because her plight is my plight. Her pain could at any moment be mine. Her humiliation is not only my humiliation for her because I, too, am Muslim, but also my shame at being an American. Unless you are in my shoes, you will never know.
home of the brave? The woman in this interview was singled out because of her Higab (head cover). There is a Federal Investigation being brought forth into this matter, which is quite obviously one of racial profiling. What an awful thing to have happen to a devout woman who has probably never stripped in front of anyone except her husband. Disallowing her from wearing her higab, or doing her prayers is a violation of her religious freedom in this country that was founded on religious freedom. America has become so obsessed with it's Islamophobia that Karim and I have to answer stupid questions every day..."are you afraid of pig blood?"; "Don't you think it's blasphemous not to believe in Jesus as the son of God?"; "Isn't that the same religion as Saddam Hussein?"; and my favorite of all favorites (for those who are frightened of my religion, this proves their ignorance!) "What God do you worship?" To the first question, the answer is "no!" No, no, duh! (I might get mad if you dump pig blood on me and then go take a shower, but I'm not scared of pigs or their blood. It's a matter of cleanliness. Ask the Jews and several other Christian sects because they don't eat pork, either.) How can I believe that I am a heretic for not worshiping Jesus as the son of God if I don't believe that he was the son of God? (ummmmmm....) As far as Mr. Saddam, the name of the religion is the same, the actions are quite different. Yes, I do put my head on the floor when I pray, but I don't chain people to a wall and beat them. I don't order the killing of other people, and I don't want to bomb America or any other country. Neither does my husband. And the God I worship? Same as their's, unless they only worship themselves. We call him Allah, (which means, literally, the God). He is the same God as the Christians and the Jews; the God of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic), Isaac, and Jacob (yakoub), YES, and even Jesus (Isa, the prophet, who was born of the virgin mary, or Maryam). We believe in the judgement day, and we believe that Sheitan (Satan) and his Jin (demons) are prowling about trying to undermine the word of God. We are admonished to respect other religions and their Holy Books (the Holy Bible and the Torah). The name Islam means peace.
I know that most of my readers do not fall into the category of ignoramus maximi, and I hope you understand that I am venting. Being a Muslim in America is not easy, and the future looks grim. We are singled out and persecuted for our beliefs, counteracting the aim of our Forefathers. We are the brunt of jokes and satire. We are stereotyped, and many believe that we are all terrorists.
I feel for this poor woman, because her plight is my plight. Her pain could at any moment be mine. Her humiliation is not only my humiliation for her because I, too, am Muslim, but also my shame at being an American. Unless you are in my shoes, you will never know.
