Musulmane oblige
In response to this; A letter to Islam: we are women, not things I wrote the following to Times Live:
As a regular, non-violent, level-headed Muslim, it’s tiresome having to apologise all the time.
So, here follows my blanket apology. There will be none thereafter, ever again.
I apologise for terrorism, for violence against women and children, for halaal restaurants that don’t serve alcohol, for child-marriages, for women wearing black cloaks, for women covering their hair and faces, for women not being allowed to drive, for death by adultery, for not eating Christmas gammon, for closing our stores during Friday prayer, for carrying water bottles into public toilet stalls so we can wash ourselves after we’ve done our business, for halaal stamps on toothpick boxes, for bad breath during Ramadaan, for being boring at office parties, for praying so goddamn often, for crazy preachers obsessed with vegetables and vaginas.
If I’ve left anything out, I apologise for that too.
After hitting Send, I felt incredibly selfish. As one respondent wrote, it was, indeed, a rant.
This woman was speaking from a place of pain, anger and betrayal. She’d been brutalised by men who used Islam to grind her into nothing.
I was speaking from a place of anger and annoyance. My faith had been maligned and I was tired of feeling like I had to defend it whenever a Muslim commits an atrocity.
But a Muslim had committed an atrocity.
And I’m reminded of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his teachings to command good and forbid evil.
Growing up Muslim in a pluralistic country, it’s easier for us to see where culture and faith mesh or collide.
Had I been born in India, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, would the lines be clear?
Therefore there is one more apology in order.
I apologise to those women who’ve had their lives bludgeoned by men who use their religion as a club to subdue and dispirit them, who’ve been subjected to brutality and horror and who are in dire need of our compassion and voices.
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I wrote this poem after watching The Stoning of Soraya M.
See what I've pinned
I know someone who was born a muslim but hates islam because her father was a muslim and left her and her non-muslim mother when she was really little.
She can’t look past the kind of man he was to see islam for what it is.
These women don’t know islam and they don’t want to know it, because they hate everything that relates to it in any way
I doubt ur rant, ur apology, or anything else u say will make any difference to her unfortunately
But Kudos for trying.
I haven’t read all the responses and the full original, but to me, it simply boils down to human misinterpretations and adjustments of religion.
It’s not only Islam, but other religions too – that are subjected to this.
When people misunderstand the religion – through their own selfish intentions, misguided cultural traditions, or any other reason – it can lead to extremism, abuse, and criminal actions in the name of religion.
The acts of those people – who misunderstand and misuse religion for their own misguided intentions – tend to taint the popular perception of those religions. So a religion, in today’s times, is judged by the actions of its followers. And in many cases, the followers really aren’t fulfilling the spirit of their religion – which is the obvious answer as to why such negative ideas come into the minds of outside observers.
It is tiring to be subjected to Islam-bashing so frequently, and to do the reactive thing of defending Islam. But look at it as a blessing – these are da’wah opportunities. We are in the limelight – whether through the actions of anti-Islamic governments and individuals, or our own people that are twisting Islam to commit horrible acts. ANd in this limelight, it’s our duty to educate the larger public – especially those who have these misconceptions – about what true Islam really is and teaches.
The way to combat hate and ignorance is through education – and doing politely, respectfully, logically, and in the best possible manner, as laid down in Islamic teachings.
When I read your response I understood where you were coming from and why you perhaps ‘ranted’.
However, I did find the entire ‘letter’ a bit suspect and perhaps it was trying to get a reaction out of readers.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t hide the fact that people do commit all sorts of heinous deeds and the worst part is that they use Islam as a reason. But so do followers of other faiths. I don’t think we should be apologetic of our religion or fold to the demands of others to take off our headscarf as a symbol of ‘revolution’ or whatever.
That serves no purpose.
Educating, helping, supporting one another, etc, shows that a Muslim woman, and all women for that matter, as I’m sure all women go through this, is not a ‘thing’, because we’re so much more than that.
(Sidenote: The Stoning of Soraya M made me cry and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks on end. It haunted me.)