Working in partnership with Sri Lanka Think Tank-UK
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Tuesday 14 August 2012
A Convert To Islam Finds Discrimination On Both Sides Of The Veil
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Let me introduce myself: My name is Kim Joseph, and I am a convert to Islam. I attended church camp, I sold Girl Scout cookies door to door, I went to homecoming and prom and I sang in the school choir. You may now know me as your friendly hijabbi-wearing barista who works at Starbucks. I cannot imagine being without America or Islam, without one or the other I would be incomplete. I simply cannot be the Other.
A woman wearing hijab enters the 7 train. She glances around and
smiles, searching for a friendly face. Heads turn and eyes stare back.
A strange silence envelopes the subway car. The woman walks towards
an empty seat and sits down, selects a new song on her IPod, sips from
her coffee and closes her blue eyes. She pretends she doesn't notice
the stares, the tension and the energy in the air. She asks God to
surround her with healing energy, love and light. She asks to be able
to stand up and speak up for herself when necessary and to respond
appropriately from the right place. She asks for patience, guidance and
wisdom. She asks for it to all be made easy for her.
That woman used to be me. It ain't easy being green, especially in this time of heightened
Islamophobia. Ignorance begets fear, and fear introduces the concept of
the "Other." The anti Islam rhetoric consumes our newspapers and news
channels. It fills the heads, homes and hearts of citizens, immigrants
and children all over the United States, and it invades the daily lives
of many Muslims with harassment and discrimination. It has filled me
with a need to speak out through writing.
Let me introduce myself: My name is Kim Joseph, and I am a convert to Islam. I attended church camp, I sold Girl Scout cookies door to door, I went to homecoming and prom and I sang in the school choir. You may now know me as your friendly hijabbi-wearing barista who works at Starbucks. I cannot imagine being without America or Islam, without one or the other I would be incomplete. I simply cannot be the Other.
My past experience wearing a hijab in New York City was full of
harassment and discrimination. I've had raw eggs thrown at me. I've
been called a traitor and a fucking terrorist bitch. I have been
verbally abused publicly on the streets, subway, restaurants and at
work. No one assisted me at any time when I was mistreated. Not one
single person said anything on the train when a man yelled and screamed
at me for being me. For being Muslim. I asked that man if he got some
sick sort of pleasure from harassing women on the train. He said he was
harassing my religion, not me.
My faith in God flows through and from my very essence. I cannot be separated from it.Many people told me they didn't like me or my country of origin. I
would respond, "Well, you don't like America then because I am from
Ohio." That is spelled O-H-I-O, and it is west of Pennsylvania. It's
the buckeye state, y'all. Where am I really from? Where are my parents
from? If you must know I am German, Croatian, Slovak and Welsh. I am a
"typical" American, a zesty and tangy Heinz 57, if you please.
Six years and seven Ramadan's ago, I began my walk with God by way of
the religion of Islam. I am finally reaching a place of fluidity and
individuality within that path. I have stripped myself of all the
societal pressures from the Muslim community to conform, and I am now
finding my Islam, my Surrender. I have learned that it is much more
important to me to perform my acts of worship from an internal place.
Wearing a hijab made me extremely aware of what kind of Muslim I was
"supposed" to be, thus making my practice very external. Much of my
worship was done from a place of obligation and not from a place of
sincerity. Because I had been looking inward in hope of discovering what
was truly sincere and from me, about three months ago, while shopping
at IKEA, I took off my hijab. I could no longer deny myself the right to
be me.
Since that day I have experienced a profound difference in the way
people treat me. I am safe. I am white. I am no longer the Other. I am
now "passing." Historically within the US, "passing" refers to when a
person is not of heterosexual orientation or is of more that one racial
heritage. A person might choose to identify with the heritage or sexual
orientation that does not give birth to prejudice and discrimination,
thus passing from one heritage or sexual orientation to the next.
Although I have chosen only to be my truest self, the result is that my
choice to unveil has liberated me from prejudice. I now exchange smiles
and conversations with neighbors and strangers, but I know now who my
real friends are.
Speaking of real friends, some of my Muslim friends avoid me like the
Plague. They must think unveiling is contagious. When I'm running
around the city it's very common to see Muslims. We're everywhere. I
may greet them with the traditional greeting of "Assalam alaykum," but
most times the greeting is not returned because I do not wear a hijab.
They assume I am not Muslim. They look me up and down or avoid my eyes
at all costs. Surely wishing someone, anyone, the peace and blessings
of God is a beautiful thing. I now understand that if I am going to
find community, I must search for and create that community. My
exploration for community has propelled me into the most active career
path of my life. For the first time I will be doing work that utilizes
my creative talent in writing. I will be teaching a creative writing
workshop called "Muslim Like Me" beginning in December at ICCNY. I have
joined "Khadijah's Caravan", a community-based organization that
connects people, places and communities through spiritually-based
activism. I have connected with a progressive Muslim meet-up group. I
am also entering the interfaith dialogue in the city.
So, when a woman with chin-length blonde highlighted hair enters the 7
train, know that she is much more than what appears on the surface. She
has a past, present and future self. She is constantly growing,
learning and trying to become tall and wide in her understanding and
compassion of herself and others. She never wanted to be treated
differently because of her racial heritage, and she despises this
unnecessary human limitation. She wishes the concept of the "Other"
wasn't a reality for so many people. She hates that she lives in a
world where gender equality will never be a reality. She deeply desires
that hypocrisy, racism, sexism, ageism, discrimination, prejudice and
superiority didn't run through the veins of society. She has promised
to begin with herself. (Huffington post)
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இஸ்லாத்தை ஏற்ற நடிகை பூஜா மாலாவை நோகடிக்கும் கும்பல்
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்லாம் மட்டுமே அனைத்து பிரச்சனைகளுக்கும் மனித நேயத்தின் அடிப்படையில் தீர்வு அளிக்கிறது.
இஸ்லாத்தை ஏற்ற நடிகை பூஜா மாலாவை நோகடிக்கும் கும்பல் !
நேபாளத்தின் புகழ்பெற்ற நடிகையும்,பாடகருமான "பூஜா லாமா" சில மாதங்களுக்கு முன்பு இஸ்லாத்தை தழுவினார் அல்ஹம்துலில்லாஹ்.இவருடைய வயது 28 என்பதும் இவர் புத்த குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்தவர் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.இவர் தனது துபாய் கத்தார் பயணத்தை முடித்து விட்டு திரும்பும்போது காத்மாண்டு என்ற இடத்தில இஸ்லாத்தை தழுவினார். பேட்டி ஒன்றில், இஸ்லாத்தை தழுவிய ப
நேபாளத்தின் புகழ்பெற்ற நடிகையும்,பாடகருமான "பூஜா லாமா" சில மாதங்களுக்கு முன்பு இஸ்லாத்தை தழுவினார் அல்ஹம்துலில்லாஹ்.இவருடைய வயது 28 என்பதும் இவர் புத்த குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்தவர் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.இவர் தனது துபாய் கத்தார் பயணத்தை முடித்து விட்டு திரும்பும்போது காத்மாண்டு என்ற இடத்தில இஸ்லாத்தை தழுவினார். பேட்டி ஒன்றில், இஸ்லாத்தை தழுவிய ப
ிறகு பூஜா லாமா என்ற தனது பெயரை "ஆம்னா ஃபாரூகி" என்று மாற்றிக் கொண்டதாககூறினார்.மேலும்"இஸ
இஸ்லாத்தின் அழகு தனக்கு நேர் வழி காண்பித்தது இல்லையெனில் நான் இருளிலேயே இருந்திருப்பேன்.இஸ்லாம் அமைதியான மதம் என்பதை நான் உலகுக்கு கூற விரும்புகிறேன்." என்பதாக கூறினார்.மேலும் அவர் கூறுகையில் "நான் காரிருளில் வாழ்ந்து வந்தேன் ,தற்கொலை செய்து கொள்ளவும் முயன்றேன்.இஸ்லாம் என் வாழ்வில் ஒளி ஏற்றியது நான் இப்பொழுது ஆபாசம்,மது ,புகை அகத்தமான உணவுகள் உண்பது அனைத்தையும் விட்டு விட்டேன்.இஸ்லாத்தை பற்றி உலகம் கூறும் அனைத்தும் அவதூறு என்பதை உணர்ந்து கொண்டேன்" என்றார் அவர்.
பூஜா லாமா என்ற தனது பழைய பெயரை கொண்டு தன் பழைய வாழ்கையை நினைவு படுத்த வேண்டாம் என்றும் அவர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டார்.இஸ்லாத்தை ஏற்ற பின் தனது நடிக்கும் தொழிலையும்,குடி,புகை போன்ற தீய பழக்கங்களை விட்டு விட்டார் ஆனால் இவர் ஆபாசமாக நடித்த படங்களைக்காட்டி இந்த பெண்ணின் மனதை நோகடித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் அவலமும் ஒரு புறம நடந்துக் கொண்டுதான் இருக்கிறது.அந்த பெண்ணிற்கு நேர் வழி காட்டிய அல்லாஹ்வுக்கே அனைத்து புகழும....
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