#ReligiousPeaceWeekly Series (week 4)

Another one of our #ReligiousPeaceWeekly series!

“Being a Muslim is a weird paradox for me. It is a combination of culture and religion that are so intertwined that is impossible to tell them apart. But there is a big difference. Religion is about faith, whereas culture is about society. It took me years to understand that. Growing up in a practicing Muslim household, faith was and is a large part of my life. In my faith, I found peace, love and empathy. But, this is not the mainstream view of Islam. When most individuals think of Muslims, they think of suicide bombers, terrorists and religious zealots. This is not my Islam. The attacks that occur are not in my name as a Muslim. However, the recent wave of Islamophobia that is spreading throughout North America has made so many treat me as though I am a terrorist. When I wear the hijab, I can see the stares from across the room. The jokes about terrorism can be heard beneath the cloth that covers my head. Joking about it became a defense mechanism for all the comments and stereotypical assumptions. So, to the woman who stared at me until I felt obliged to walk away, to the young man who joked about my having a bomb underneath my jacket, and to the mother who shushed her children as they asked why my hair was covered; I hope that you learn that we are the same. I go to university in the hopes of earning a degree. I come home and hug my parents. I denounce the very same terrorists that you do. I hope you learn that the exclusion of individuals from society creates radicalization. That your actions are creating another generation of youth who feel excluded from society, who seek refuge and understanding with organizations such as Al- Qaeda because they could not find it in their community. I hope that you find the very same peace, love and empathy that I found in my faith in your lives.” Batul Gulamhusein