I have always been brought up in a Muslim household, and at the beginning of this year, my mom went to Mecca. For those of you who don't know what Mecca or Makkah is, it is a city in Saudi Arabia. Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and considered to be the holiest and most sacred place in Islam. Thousands upon thousands of Muslims and others travel to visit Mecca each year. My mother was lucky enough to get to go on the trip there and get more in tune with the religion.
When my mom came back from her trip, she really started to take Islam more seriously. This meant going to the mosque much more often and praying five times a day. Instead of listening to the radio in her car on her way to work, she would opt to listen to teachings in the Quran. One of the biggest changes, in my eyes, was the way my mom began to dress. She started wearing abayas (basically a long dress) and hijabs (head wrap).
Some of my mother's co-workers noticed the change but were to afraid to ask. Any questions that somebody had were always welcome and my mother would answer There were those who were less afraid to speak up, especially since they were in shock, out of all things, that my mom was covering her head. My mother was the queen of box braids and would get her hair done every three weeks. So it was different to see that my mother's hair wasn't out and about anymore.
Fast forward to October, my mom and dad wanted to come down to my college for my birthday. They had to make a quick stop at my older sister's college first though. When they arrived to my school I was shocked at what my mother was wearing; blue jeans, a green long sleeve shirt, sandals and most shocking she wasn't wearing her hijab.
I was stunned and I quietly asked her why she wasn't wearing her hijab. Her answer brought tears to my eyes. She told me that before going to my older sister's school, my sister had told her that it wouldn't be a safe idea for her to wear her religious garbs because of the stigma that it has in the area around her school.
My tears turned into angry ones. My beautiful mother can't wear the things that she wants to wear out of fear that she may be attacked, verbally and/or physically. Reminder that this is all taking place in a country where we preach about it being the land of the free.
With the devastating and senseless shooting that happened in Orlando, people are scared, mad, confused and vulnerable.
Ted Cruz insisted that all "Muslim neighborhoods" should be watched and surveillanced. Donald Trump has openly stated that he wants a ban on all Muslims from coming into this country. In one of his speeches he stated, “The bottom line is that the only reason the killer was in America in the first place was because we allowed his family to come here.” Trump wants to monitor mosques and religious gatherings that Muslim Americans may go to. He wants the government to have screenings based on religious beliefs before entering the country. A Muslim American who does not cooperate with this will be punished.
People are talking about a faith that teaches people to have empathy and have peace to one another. Ramadan, a month where Muslims fast, meaning no eating or drinking, reminds them of those less fortunate who do so on a daily basis. It is a month when Muslims should not fight with others, curse or gossip, but instead donate to charity and pray. This holy month has been overcasted by twisted terrorists and extremists.
We need to stop grouping terrorists and all Muslims together into the same category. The religion is not violent; it is some sick people that incorrectly interpret it that way for their own disturbing gain.
Terrorists do not represent my religion.
