There is only so much which can be experienced from without. that's true of anything. I could tell that you drew these conclusions from what you observed. You tried to be fair. they only saw what they wanted to see. they fixated on the "negative" and ignored the fact that you said the same could be true of Christians. Offense is a choice we all too often make.
Well, Joni, I applaud your courage. Many of the women surely thought that by the end of your experiment you would become Muslim and so they were "pimping" Islam to you, but when you didn't they showed their true intentions by insulting and summarily dismissed you. I had the same issues the others did, but I realize that you cannot report anything other than what you observe. I love my brothers and sisters in Islam, but many time I have been completely pissed at some of the unpatriotic things I've heard from them. I hope you continue to meet Muslims and learn from them. We come in all shape and sizes and we are all things at different times."
--J
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"Joni.. I honestly, do not feel that you have captured the essence of Islam the way that it is practiced by the majority. I am not certain where you have gotten much of your "numbers" from but I can assure you that a lot of Muslims I know *are* patriotic. A lot of Sisters I know have jobs out side of the home that their husbands support 100%.
I will be the first to stand here and say that my husband supports my decision in being a Doula and Insha'Allah (If Allah Wills), a Midwife. He knows the bumpy road that Midwives and their families endure and he is ready to travel along with me. Alhamdulilah for the man that I married who is not only culturally rich but also Islamically pure AND patriotic to the country in which he IS a citizen of (USA). If it was not FOR HIM, I would not be who I am today. I would not be able to give my time to every cause that I possibly want to. I would not be able to even aspire to what I want to be in life.
In addition, we as Muslim women SHOULD be mindful of our families. It IS a duty to our Creator to manage all of what Allah has given us and if we can do that, juggle school AND a career then there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that. I am sure other sisters would agree. And I assure you, there are plenty of us who have the same "family system".
Many of the Muslims I know left their countries to come HERE... they ARE patriotic, more patriotic than a lot of Americans that I know. Goodness, my husband knows more about government and politics than I do as he takes a keen interest in learning about it. He knows more than what we have been taught in school and I think it is great that he does.
There is only thing that Muslims do not forget. It is where they came from and WHO they are returning TO... That is the way we must live our lives. We shouldn't spend our life to adhere to every desire that we have but we should adhere our lives in pleasing the Creator.
I wanted to add one more thing... well, maybe.. My husband is not only supportive of me being a Midwife but he has encouraged me (and paid every cent and watched the kiddos for me) to get my Associates in Early Childhood Teaching. I am complete in my studies except for the work portion in which he is TAKING OFF from work for me to complete so that the children are well taken care of. I cannot give him enough credit for where I am in life.
Thank you for the clarification for the numbers. I know some women in both scenarios but I guess I Just know more women in the same scenario as myself. Allah Knows Best.
It's not about defending *myself* but it is about defending ...the religion of which I belong to. Islam itself allows women to work and make her OWN money. not a single CENT of that money belongs to the husband or family and IF the woman decides to use the money for her family, it is CHARITY! This is the beauty of us working. Suban'Allah! Islam covers all aspects of our lives and men who are truly adhering to Allah's Law.. they are the ones whose wives would be utmost pleased.
May Allah Guide in all that you do and I pray you understand that whatever good I have said is from Allah and whatever wrong I have said is from myself."
--A
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--S
Feel free to add additional comments below... :-)
I am hardly ever offended, but I felt a pang in my heart when I read this statement " "pimping" Islam to you" I feel that I need to adress this particular comment.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think whoever wrote it was going for shock value, the statement is generally untrue, I don't believe at the end of the day, the goal was to convert Joni, although we would have been estatic if it happened, it is not for us to guide anybody, we can only show examples, and be US, pimping Islam would indicate that we have some sort of return on when people become Muslim, and while I am certian Allah gives us rewards for that, there is a plethera of things we could be equally as rewarded doing.
I like many other Muslims do not need our religion to be validated, it is obviously a part of our lives which we have chosen, and has became a value system for us, so it is unnecessary for anybody to agree or disagree with that.
I would like you to consider for a moment, that we (I am speaking of the beautiful sisters that I know were part of this project) really value Joni as a person, and wanted to participate in her journey, simply for the sake of getting the message across that we are NOT the enemy to anybody, and perhaps if one person reads an unbiast view on our religion,maybe it will take some of the hate, ignorance, intolerance or fear from their hearts when dealing with Muslims.
I wanted to also say to the last comment, I didn't get what you got from any of Joni's posts, simply put, she showed what she seen in Islam. I am certian she will show the same scrutiny towards the other religions that she will explore, I can't wait to read them :-)
Without jumping into any issues that have arisen, I have to make a couple of points:
ReplyDelete-sometimes Muslims to take a curiosity and question as a door opening for someone to convert. And a lot of times people do have some kind of expectation that you will see the truth that they have seen, and get sorely disappointed when you don't take the action they have taken. It's like a kid getting upset when they think they will get a bike for Christmas but only ends up with a deck of playing cards. I don't know why people get expectations like this, because Allah has told us that he guides whom he wills and leads astray whom he wills, and we cannot do anything about it. Sometimes we are just stubborn people.
- I also agree that even though it is YOUR observation (which you are of course entitled to), there is certainly no lack (according to MY observation) of motivation with any Muslims here. Allah has told us in the Qur'an that he has put us in levels in life. This is why we cannot live as successful communists... we will always have rich, poor, scholarly, and illiterate. Then you have all the people in between. So while you will certainly have women (and men) who seem to only be focused on one thing in life and have no wish to further themselves, you also have people who work hard to achieve many things in life.
-This concept of 'levels' of people also applies to patriotism. Not only with Muslims, but all Americans alike you will find people who are not very patriotic and you will find people who are fervent in their beliefs in their country. I must say that nationalism is not a big thing taught in Islam, and the first one we are responsible to is God, or Allah, and not a country. The Prophet (pbuh) only flew a flag of white, or black, or green.. no writing or symbols on them at all.
- I like your comment about taking off the hijab and feeling naked. I have imagined doing my hair and dressing up and walking outside without a hijab, and would feel that everyone is looking at me (like driving for the first time without tinted windows!). This is pretty accurate. I also felt when I first started wearing hijab that everyone was looking at me. I guess this proves to just be a natural feeling - once you are used to one thing and you change, you feel awkward and that everyone can see your awkwardness.
All in all, Joni, even though I believe your perceptions of Islam are a bit skewed (idk what kind of people you got in touch with that want to turn American into an Islamic nation and such), you are as you said, entitled to them as I am entitled to my own perceptions of anything. I appreciate the work you are doing, and will continue to follow your blog as you journey through other religions as well. I only hope you are met with the same love and compassion we have tried to show you over your 30 days as a Muslim. I also hope that we all stay your friends and that you will come to our next get-together - Muslim or not. <3