American Muslim

Stereotypes

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They Call Us

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There are just so much the world can do to you, to destroy you, to harm you. As a Muslim fighting her own Jihad (my inner struggle) in a country where the freedom of religion is a right, its impossible - a lie - to say that the life here in the United States is a dream come true.

I see the countries trying to achieve what the United States has as if the US is some sort of model country to be. It isn't. I fear the day when countries who have despised the United States' culture become like us. Why? Because, as much as you want to believe, my fellow Muslims, the US is a much darker place than it looks.

There is much they call us. Not just the government, but the people (like news reporters, celebrities, and even other citizens). They all have something to say about us with no justification for such harsh words.

"Muslims are terrorists."

A much over-used stereotype that is over-used beyond your belief. I've been stopped at museums, my brother has been detained at airports, my birth certificate's been questioned at offices, all because I dress differently. And statistically speaking, there are way more non-Muslim terrorists in the USA than there are "Muslim" ones. FYI, mass shooters are terrorists. Under the Patriot Act that racists wholeheartedly approved in 2001, it adds a definition to the word "terrorist" so that a political agenda is no longer needed. You simply have to arouse fear. And with mass shootings going around, the FIRST thing it does is cause fear, lockdowns, added safety drills, etc (rightfully so). So who is a terrorist to the average American? An acclaimed Muslim who sends "death to America" (which, by the way, is an incorrect reference as 'America' is BOTH the southern and the northern continents) and U.S. flag burning videos? Oh, no, wait. I got it! A tanned skin man with a beard! No, even better— a man WHOSE FACE IS COVERED during his "I am a Muslim and I will destroy the West" proclamations and random shooting into the desert clips. **Please note the sarcasm if you haven't already guessed it in the lines above.** Where do these groups even get such high-tech equipment for this stuff? Like, have you seen the new Ford pickup trucks they've got? All the cameras? Who are they paying electricity and wifi bills to? Back to a serious note: Terrorism does not exist in Islam nor in any religion (of peace). Terrorism exists in only in politics. Terrorism only exists in tribalism (which the United States is starting to look like, a bunch of tribal leaders and tribesmen worshipping a single chief).

"Women are inferior in Islam."

Allah made everyone -man or woman- equal in Islam. A woman who commits sin has the same punishment as a man who commits that sin. Whether human or cultural laws express that is not on Islam. The only true justice, only true equity, comes from Allah- after death. Women who observe hijab are regarded with the highest esteem because they are following the rules, just as men who observe hijab are. It is the society, the culture of the human peoples, that belittles women. Not Islam. We cover up as an act of obedience to Allah and to protect our modesty because that is what Allah has asked a female believer looks like, just as there are rules for what a male believer looks like. Just because the rules differ doesn't make either less worthy. Western culture tries to force when it comes to the way women -in particular- dress, thus making modest Muslim women "inferior" in countries where "freedom" is supposedly granted because to people in the west, the more naked/sexualized you are = the more powerful you are. My once best friend is more willing to accept homosexuals than to acknowledge or even just support my right to believing in Islam. So who really is making women inferior? Because it sure isn't Islam.

"Islam is wrong because it allows polygyny (where a man can have one wife vs. polygamy = more than one spouse)."

Please excuse me if I sound rude, but, SERIOUSLY. Western culture already enforces "polygamy" as something normal in young adults. If you ask for the average male high school senior how many girlfriends they've had in their life, the answer is more than one and vice versa. And nowadays, people don't even limit themselves to one person. So somehow y'all are for "open relationships" or "sugar daddies" because of consent, but the moment consent is given for something Islamic, it's "oppression"? Give me a break, you hypocrites. Let's not even start with dating, which is just a process that strips people of self-esteem and happiness. Y'all do realize dating makes you nothing more than a towel to be used, right? Yall get used, set aside when you break up, then rinsed when you get over them, and then you start the whole process over again. Islam allows polygyny as a method for women without husbands to find financial and emotional stability, especially if she has children. Allah allows women to marry a man to gain stability in their lives/their children's lives, and for men to marry women to bring peace into what otherwise would have been a tumultuous life of a single mother/divorcee/widow. This is why "love" is not a prerequisite in Islamic marriages.

In terms of what constitutes as Islamic polygyny, it is that a Muslim man can have up to four wives. If he can provide EACH with a house (should they want to live separately because they weren't in favor of him marrying again) and money to raise children, then and only then can he have more than one wife. If he cannot provide for them, or love them equally, or if they do not consent/create disharmony or sin because of his proposal, then he cannot have another wife according to Islamic law.

This is not a matter I take lightly as my uncle has two wives. My uncle's first wife is physically ill, and because her parents could not afford all the medication she would need, my uncle, offered to marry her so he would be the one to pay for it (they knew each other before marriage). My aunt knew that his marriage proposal -which she accepted- hadn't come from 'love' but to care for her and allowed him to marry another woman when he asked. Both women live in separate homes. If Islam had not allowed for men to have more than one wife, I would hate to think what would have become of my aunt.

So please, don't judge from what you hear from social media. Someone else's misdeeds/ misuse of something Allah allowed does not make the whole practice bad. Allah gave us these methods for a reason, and He tells us that the methods He gave are best for us, even if someone offers a different one. Plenty of teachers abuse their students- have we called for a nationwide ban on teachers? No, the process just becomes more selective and those who do it are punished. So why then is that not applied to when we see people abuse Islam? (And also watch the video at the top. As a Muslim, I find strength in it. And for non-Muslims, it is a great educator.)