Bibliophile - a person who collects or has a great love of books.
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Nicholas loves to read. It is his passion, his source of air, his world. He'd lose himself among the pages of an alternate reality. It is his daily routine, so getting a job...
Anthony's cocky expression, for once, turned pale.
"Most of you think I'm evil. To some, I'm feared. To some, I'm worthless. To many, I'm a terrorist, ready to bomb the world. I'm just a toy for society to play with, for western ideology to chain. The West has labeled me in many ways. I've been labeled for years. My people have been persecuted against, my family has been harmed, my religion has been a political debate when it shouldn't be."
Her body shook as she gazed around the class with tear-filled eyes. His heart lurched in his chest, his arms tensing from the short intake of breath he heard. She didn't deserve the torment. Muslims didn't deserve the labels. No minority group deserved the hate.
"And I'm sick and tired of people trying to silence my freedom. I'm a Muslim, so what? I chose to wear my hijab. I chose to cover my body. I chose to be devout to God. Why? Because I have the right to do so. No one controls me or my actions. I choose for myself. I'm not oppressed!" she yelled, tears brimming her eyes. "These tears, this pain in my chest, this struggle isn't because of my religion. It's because of the damage that your ignorance caused. America is the land of the free, yet those who come searching for it are told to get out."
Professor Jerikson nodded encouragingly at her, pride filling his eyes as he leaned closer to hear more of her speech.
She shook her head. "Every religion has evil people. It's not just Muslims. Did you all forget our country's history? ISIS and anyone associated with them do not represent me. That bomber does not represent me or my beliefs. You act like ISIS only kills non-Muslims, not realizing that they kidnap young Muslim girls, sending them to brothels to be raped and tortured. They manipulate Muslim families, beheading children in front of their mothers, threatening fathers, who will do anything to save their family. We don't even let these refugees, who are searching for a safe haven, into our countries!"
Tell them, Dina. Show them how strong you are, he mentally encouraged. Let them know the real Muslims.
"Our government has made a pawn out of the Middle East, using innocent people as chess pieces. You all don't know that because you believe only what you want to believe. You hide away from reality because the truth spells out the innocence of Muslims, and if you let yourself believe that, it makes you feel cheated. You don't want to believe the truth so you take it out on the minority group that is easier to target whether it be Latinos, African-Americans, Muslims, Jewish people, or anyone else. The truth is hard to digest when you've been fed lies all your life, right?" she questioned in a clipped tone.
Some students sat straighter, scoffing at the incredulous response, but their demeanor fell as Dina continued.
"I'm not ashamed of who I am. I'm a proud Muslim. I know the truth and I don't hide behind lies. I won't sit around and let the West define who I am and who I should be. I will not stay silent while injustice screams from all over the world, including here. Yes, I am an American. Yes, I love my country, not the one with false promises, but the one with endless opportunities. You can keep trying to push me and my people down, but know that you will never succeed. That poison does not touch me. It infects your hearts with an incurable disease to those blinded to reality: ignorance."
As soon as the words left her lips, she was gone like a wilting rose, her petals falling one by one in a trail outside of class. She mumbled an excuse as she slipped away from Nicholas's grasp.
She was a fire that turned to smoke in his eyes, and he realized that she had broken her walls for the class to see her pain from societal pressures. Dina made a promise, and Nicholas was going to make one with her.
Rising from his seat, he followed her.
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Tis' the season for an update. Nicholas makes me so happy. I mean look at him.
I think I shaped Professor Jerikson into my teacher. The irony of his name. What did you guys think of Dina's speech? Parts of it used to be in a spoken word I wrote, but never shared.
Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!
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