Okay, quick! What words come to your mind? Be honest.
The most common reactions I have faced are - strange, violent, terrorist, fanatic, weird, militant, etc. (You get the hint, right?)
Now try this sentence:
'I am a Muslim woman'.
A whole new bunch of terms comes to mind - shroud, veil, black, oppressed, dependent, imprisoned and so on and so forth.
If you did have one of the reactions above, or you know someone who has then this letter is for you to read and to share. (There are only so many people who will come to this site and actually read this.)
But first, a truer statement: I am a tired Muslim woman.
Tired of being misunderstood.
Tired of having to protest until I am blue in the face, against the stereotype the world insists on tagging me with.
Tired of having to re-explain the same thing again and again to people who refuse to believe me anyway.
Tired of having people stop me in the street and express sympathy at my observing my veil (and consequently my faith).
Tired of people telling me they (who have never worn a veil) know better when they say I should remove it.
Tired of people trying to liberate me.
Actually, I'm not tired. I'm exhausted.
What can I say to you in one letter that will encompass everything I feel? Not much. I'd end up confusing the both of us in the process.
The message I want to begin passing, though, is that I share some things with you and I don't others. I can relate to you at some level and not at others.
I am like you.
I worship One God and follow a prophet yet, my religion is barely accorded the status of a monotheistic faith except as a statistic.
I believe in Adam and in Eve, in Noah and the blessed ark, in Solomon and his mighty kingdom, in Jacob and his favourite Joseph, in Jonah in the belly of the whale, in Moses and the sea that parted for the Israelites, in Elijah and the patience of Job, in Lot and the wretched of Sodom, in David and his victory over Goliath, in Abraham and his noble sacrifice, in Ishmael and Isaac, in Jesus and his miraculous birth.
I know of the Bible and the Torah, of Psalms and the Holy Texts.
I believe in love and kindness, in prayer and spiritual healing, in friendship and in family. I give in charity and help those in need.
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