Kay is the word. Write is what I do.

Beware.







Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A manual for living life.


Dishes to clean
groceries to be bought.
Homework to be done
Teachers to bedazzle.
Mothers to please
Marinade the steak,
frost the cake
Don't forget to take a bath!
Lie in bed,
and read a book
only to keel over
and sleep.

Unknown Love




I have dreamed of you
but who you are, I don't know.
Let the mist seep away
Let the light keep your shadows at bay.

One day we'll meet
On a busy street
And we'll feel,
Our hearts reel.

But until then, my dear friend
I'll wait, lying in a glen
Watching swirls of golden dust,
Dance 'til they leave with a gust.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Feeling hated.

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a Muslim. And no, I don't' have any plans to take over America and "Raise the flag of Islam" over capitol hill as many extreme right wing bloggers obstinately repeat to themselves. Believe me, I have more important things to worry about...like whether my shoes and purse match. This seems like a random post, right? It's just that I'm tired of living in the shadow and not wanting to bring attention to myself. You think it's hard going through adolescent year? Imagine having the added emotional baggage in a post 9/11 world.
Any ways, back to my point, I met a girl named Sarina at my mosque on Friday, and she stressed on the point that she never hears from Muslims in the media. She mentioned that she hasn't heard Muslims condemning honor killings or terrorists. I told her that not many people are interested in hearing what Muslims have to say. I'll give you an example: Promoptly after the collapse of the twin towers, a national Muslim organization released a statement to media outlets saying that they don't condone the attacks. The news didn't publish this statement. But just for the record I ,and Islam, don't condone terrorist attacks, honor killings, abusive husbands, and every other calamity on the face of this planet.
This moves me along to another topic. I would say that not too many people in America have any idea how it's like being a muslim teenager in a post 9/11 world. Not only did I have to deal with my body going through an awkward transitional phase and wearing a headscarf in Florida, but I also had to endure rude comments and pitiying glances. That's not the worst of it. What truly proves to be the hardest part about growing up is the fact that you are held accountable for all the Muslims in the world. This may sound like an exxageration, but it's the truth. Think about it, if a Saudi man beats his wife up you bet your retirement savings that the newspapers are going to headline "MUSLIM MAN BEATS WIFE". But let's say an Italian man beats HIS wife up, you won't see The New York Times headlining THAT story with "ROMAN CATHOLIC BRUTALLY BEATS WIFE". There's a definite double standard going. Think that's just a fluke? Let me give you another example. When extreme right wing Christians bomb abortion centers is it expected of all denominations of Christianity to issue public statements denouncing that? If a drug dealer who gets thrown into jail is a jew, is it expected from National Jewish organizations to issue statements? Do newspapers even bother to mention that drug dealer's religous beliefs if he's not Muslim? As if this apparent double standard isn't enough, but young Muslim teenagers have to live with the fact that that they're expected to "denounce" all negative practices that One billion people all over the world may engage in. Do you think that's fair?
There is no political sensitivity shown towards Muslims whether it's on the news, television shows, or books. You're surrounded by it at all times. When I was sixteen, I spent religions class going through all fo the misinformation printed about Islam. When I got home to watch TV, it was Msulims this and Muslims that. When I googled Topics about Islam I came across websites promoting "Muslim proofing America" and "It's the damn liberal's fault that we have so many Muslims in the world". Even "Muslims are like a bad case of infestation, they need to be extreminated." Reading teen books wasn't a safe place either. As i'd settle myself in for some comic relief from The Princess Diarires" series, I had to endure jibes about the weak and mistreated Muslim women. Basically, I grew up in an atmosphere that made it very clear that I wasn't a welcome presence and with the knowledge that people would have an already cemented opinion of me without even talking to me. Can you imagine living a life like that?