In recent days, and maybe since forever, I've heard and read things about my religion. I had just turned four when 9/11 happened so I've been living with the aftermath pretty much my entire life. That doesn't necessarily mean that people come up to me and yank my hair and tell me to "go home to my own land" or "stop bombing everyone" but I will say plenty of jokes have been made. And, for me, that's okay. It's just a joke and I'm strong enough to take it; I don't let it bother me.
What does bother me, though, is the fact that people think they can say whatever they want and I will be cool with it. I am not one to sit down and take it. Not anymore.
First and for most, I love my religion. I am a proud Muslim and I don't care who knows it. Especially in this time of tension in the world (regarding Islam), I'm even prouder to be Muslim. I want people to know why I'm Muslim...not just because I was born into it.
Fellow Muslims, this may sound controversial, and I don't want it to. But I have questioned my faith and I have wondered what my life would be like if perhaps I was not Muslim. If perhaps, I was Christian or Jewish or Buddhist. I've studied all of these religions multiple times in my life and of course, Islam as well.
To be completely honest, I've come to a very straightforward conclusion: I WANT to be Muslim. Moreover, I NEED to be Muslim. I'm pretty sure the little organization and order in my life would be immediately lost if I were not Muslim. Basically, I LIKE being Muslim.
And this next comment is directed to all the people who believe my religion oppresses women: I am a woman...ASK ME. Ask others like me. Who are you to ask "experts" and who are they to tell you? I've seen SO MANY interviews where the "expert" says something along the lines of "of course, women might be oppressed, but Islam is made up of other components as well." Even to the people who say that women are not oppressed...it doesn't matter. You haven't lived it. You don't know. ASK ME.
And if you're wondering what my answer is: I love it. I love wearing my hijab. It was hard and annoying at first, but it's become part of me now. I may look uglier to people on the outside, but now they're forced to look at my inside and love me for who I really am. Physical beauty will fade with time anyway, Islam teaches, and modesty's basis is "it's the inside that really counts."
I love praying five times a day. And believe me, it's not easy sometimes. It's hard to find places to pray and even harder to ask people where I can pray; it can be a little weird. But it feels good to me. I feel lighter and a little cleaner and whole lot calmer. It helps me focus and it's usually the last thing I do before I go to bed, that or reading the Qur'an. They're just forms of prayer, of letting go of this world for a few moments so I can focus on what's set ahead for me, so I can think back and remember my mistakes, so I can stabilize my present.
I will say this: Islam is different from other religions. Most religions don't have a prayer to go into a restroom, and another one for when you come out if it. Most religions don't tell you you should eat with your right hand and not your left. Most religions don't require you to shave your head and wear a white sheet when you go to their most sacred temples. So yeah, Islam is different...it's not only a religion, it's a way of life. And it's my way of life.
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