You Are What You Believe: Part One

Before I begin this series, I'd like to clarify that I hold no prejudice against other religions and nor am I attempting to convert anyone. I do not know the depths of faith nor do I claim to fully understand it. But knowledge and understanding are the forces that open up a narrow mind. And so this series is simply meant to spread understanding and provide a new perspective to anyone willing to take it. I'm not an expert, but my intention is to enlighten people about a world they know, but haven't seen in a different light. With learning comes realization, but so it does with teaching as well. And it's my hope that after this series, both you and I will develop a new appreciation or tolerance for an ancient religion and its' modern people.

     I'm a born Muslim. I was raised to be kind, forgiving, and ultimately just a good person. I was taught by my parents that nothing, nothing, is ever going to be more important than being someone who is pure inside and out. What they meant was that I should do everything with good intentions and because of this I would be a good Muslim. I grew up participating in religious rituals (fasting etc.) and generally understanding the idea of God, of prophets, and of righteousness. 

     But I've been living in Canada all my life. Everything about my lifestyle complemented by parents' teachings and it's a blessing that throughout my childhood I never had to face a serious threat of racism. That aside, things have changed. I was in grade seven when the first real attack on who I was, was made. My friend (who was also Muslim) and I were waiting for soccer tryouts after school when a boy whom I'd never talked to before came up to us and called us terrorists. More than anything, I was confused. Me? The straight-A student, vice-president of the yearbook committee, lunch-time tutor, spelling-bee champion...a terrorist? It made no sense. I took it more lightly than my friend though. The next day she showed up to school wearing a hijab. 

     My point is this - we are all inherently humans. Beyond that fact, we are all from different races. Within those races, we are all from separate religions. And those religions are filled with diverse cultures. How each of us follows or resides within a culture is our own prerogative; our own choice. But we forget that we are all fundamentally humans.

     I have a habit of reading the news online everyday and I can't even tell you the amount of times I've read a racially charged story with worse comments than content in the story itself. It blows my mind that there is so much hatred and misunderstanding out there. I feel like I've lived in comfort for so long that my eyes are just opening to the harsh reality of today's society. I may be coloured, and I may be Muslim, but I assure you that I have never dreamed of blowing anything up. And I really don't believe that the faith I follow encourages such a thing.

     Which brings me to my next point. How can someone summarize the beliefs of an entire religion? I doubt even my parents and I reflect on Islam in the exact, identical way. So let me tell you what religion is. It's an acceptance. An acceptance of how existence came to be, what it is, and how to live your life in the most beneficial way possible. Yes, every religion has basic core facts that a follower must believe in. That's what makes them unique. But beyond that, your religion is what you make of it. Every single follower of Christianity, Sikhism, or Taoism will never be identical in their perception. Why? Because we are, above all, humans. And each human has their own exclusive personality. When you see a glass of water do you think it's half full, half empty....or do you wonder if the water is clean? Do you wonder where it came from, who it belongs to, who poured it out, or what it's doing here? We each have different questions and not everyone thinks the same. But we all see this glass of water and know for a fact that it's a glass and that it has water in it, just like we know the basis of our religions. But we all approach them differently.

     So just because I'm brown and Muslim and a girl, does not mean that I'm foreign, dangerous, and oppressed. I didn't grow up in a barren land and have never worn a black abaya (cloak). I don't slave away at household chores and my brothers do their fair share. My parents didn't arrange my marriage when I was a little girl, I'm allowed to have friends who are guys, I'm not illiterate or stupid, and I can argue for my freedom. 

     But if you're assuming that I am "the exception", please don't. There are millions of girls out there like me. In a world of seven billion people, a little over 1.5 billion are Muslim. A person can't seriously believe that all 1.5 billion people are the same, can they? Terrorists who justify their actions by Islam are a small fraction of the entity and they're the ones with the least understanding of what faith really is. It seems horribly wrong to judge every Muslim upon the actions of a few. Wait - let me make it more clear. It seems horribly wrong to judge 1.5 billion humans upon the actions of a few. When you think of the word "Muslim" do you envision violence, terror, or someone Arabic? Stop. The most populated Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia. Indonesia. The land of rice and coral reefs. 

     I am no more an extremist than the 27 other kids of different backgrounds that were in that grade seven class. So, if I defend a non-Muslim's opinion, help a non-Muslim old man open a door, or be a bridesmaid at my non-Muslim friend's wedding, it's not weird and I'm being neither a hypocrite nor "the exception". I'm being human, I'm being pure, and I'm being a Muslim.

Upcoming: You Are What You Believe: Part Two