I Am Muslim by Muhammad Qasim

I am Muslim. When Osama bin Laden died in 2011, I was in middle school. Everyone in school, including me, rejoiced because a madman had been eliminated. But people teased and bullied me just because of my race and religion. They said things like, “sorry to hear about your dad” as if Bin Laden was my father. They said other horrible things such as calling me a “Rag Head.” But those hurtful remarks were not enough for them: they had to go further and physically abuse me. I would walk to my classes and out of nowhere I would be pushed, shoved, and sometimes punched. Only thing going through my mind at that time was “why me?” I didn’t know what I did to deserve such viciousness from others. I always kept to myself and never spoke out. It was only because I was a Muslim that I deserved such hate. They didn’t understand what it was like to be me. They didn’t understand how difficult it was for me to be true to my faith and still fit in. I couldn’t tell my teachers what was going on otherwise the bullying would just get worse. All I could do was let them do what they wanted and hope that it would all end soon.

I knew that they were doing it out of fear; I could see it in their eyes. I couldn’t educate those that did not want to be educated. It just doesn’t make any sense to me why I’m being labeled a terrorist. People don’t think that the Ku Klux Klan is an accurate representation of all Christianity, so why do so many think that ISIS represents all of Islam?

My Father has told me to let others believe what they want of me but I have to stay true to myself and true to Allah. I can’t forget who I am and my way of life. I am sad that I have to witness the belief that Islam contributes to hate, war, terrorism, and havoc. My faith has given me purpose in life and I should not allow others to take it away from me.

My religion believes in one, unique, incomparable God who has no son or partner. As my mother has told me many times, “We only have one God and he is the almighty. There is no other god. He is the one and only.” My God has 99 beautiful names but the one my religion and I use is Allah. He manages all affairs and he need not rely on his creatures; rather his creatures rely on him for all they need. He is the All-Seeing, All-Hearing, and the All-Knowing. There is nothing that can be kept from Allah. His knowledge encompasses all things. He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. Nothing in the world happens except by his will. His will is above the will of all creatures. When I was eight years old, I got separated from my parents at a local fair near Seattle. Everyone came to the fair and it was way too crowded and in one moment I realized I couldn’t find my parents. I was anxiously looking for them, hoping they were looking for me. I felt so lonely and scared and remembered what my mother had told me. I took a deep breath and said God’s name and gave a quick prayer—I said “Allahu Akbar (God is Great)” —and right there and then I stopped crying and felt collected. I don’t know how else to say it but I saw things a little clearer. First I went to the highest place at the fair so I could look down and try to find my parents. Then I went back to where I last saw my parents. At last I went to a food stand and told the man running the stand that I got separated from my parents. He took me to a guy that was making announcements and that guy announced to everyone at the fair that I was looking for my parents. A little later my parents found me. My mornings would typically start with one or two kids yelling out “Allahu Akbar” and making an explosion noise. Despite my father telling me to be strong and stay true to myself and Allah, I struggled throughout my middle school days. I was pretty much an outcast and dreaded going to school. Of course, the teacher would tell the kids to knock it off but it continued to happen. Walking from class to class, I was occasionally pushed and shoved and told to go back to my country. Words can’t explain how much anger and resentment I had for everyone around me. I was angry at the other kids, and at the teachers for not doing anything, but what I was most angry about was being born into an Islamic family. If I didn’t practice Islam perhaps I could have led a better life. This type of thinking really sunk in with me and all I wished was to be someone else.

While I was still in the seventh grade, I had not gone to the Mosque in a while due to school and the work that came with it. Each Friday at the Mosque is a special prayer where the Imam, the person who leads the prayer, preaches about Islam. My father decided to take me to it. I’m in the Mosque sitting with my fellow Muslims and just waiting for the prayer to be over with. When the Imam spoke, he spoke about the recent events in the world and how much discrimination we were facing. The Imam’s message was clear and simple: “we will get through this.” Everything we are facing is a test and, if we are true Muslims, we will bear no hatred and change this world through patience and love. Hate is momentary and we can pass this by showing others what it means to live without fear. Be proud to be a Muslim. I had already given up what it meant to be a Muslim but everything he said made me want to hold on to my faith. My spirit felt rejuvenated and I was ready to take on the world and show others what it exactly meant to be a Muslim.

Today, everyone has an opinion about my religion. I want others to know that they have no need to be afraid. But I guess the saying is true that a few bad apples can ruin the entire batch. The actions of a few mark me and all Muslims as evil. I hope to enlighten others on how wonderful my religion is and how important it is to us. Allah is given a bad reputation when he is the exact opposite of what people perceive him to be.

Allah helps us feel at peace with ourselves and others around us. Calling upon Allah and giving a quick prayer calms us. I use God’s name whenever I feel I need him to empower me. He is the symbol that gives me the strength to do the things I am currently doing, such as walking on campus unashamed and confident. I have been in many situations where I have high tension and pressure which often happens when I have papers to write, when I am trying to fall asleep, or just when I need to feel calm. In my religion, whenever I’m in some bad situation, I usually take a deep breath and I say the name, Allah. His name holds power over everything and it makes me feel as though I am a whole person. He gives me the strength and courage to go and get the task done no matter how difficult it may seem.

There are many misconceptions about my religion and one of them is that because the Qur’an is written in Arabic that Islam is only for Arabs. But there are Muslims all over the globe.

Anyone can be a Muslim. I personally know many Muslims who are White, Black, and Asian. Nothing unusual. It’s a belief system. A white friend of mine is Atheist but his mother converted to Islam and prays to Allah. Not all Arabs are Muslims either. Arabs practice many religions. Some are Christian. Some are Jewish. It’s true that Islam originated from Arabs so it would make sense why the Qur’an is in Arabic. And it’s also true that since Islam first originated, Muslims have tried to spread Islam all over the world. But all religions make an effort to grow.

One of the worst misconceptions of Islam is that it does not tolerate other religions. Many people believe that Muslims have this ideology of violent jihad—to “kill the infidels” or all non-Muslims. This is a false portrayal of Islamic law. The Qur’an commands that respect be shown to all faiths and that God loves all those who are just. In the second Sura, or chapter, the Qur’an states “There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned.” But the biggest misconception of Islam is that Muslims are terrorists. When people hear the words Islam, Allah, Middle-East, or jihad all they can think about is terrorism. People do not understand that the root of Jihad has nothing to do with violence. Jihad is the Arabic word for struggle and jihad is about one’s own personal struggle to find God. But still, when people look at me and see my brown skin and dark hair they immediately jump to conclusions. They label me as a terrorist.

There are many political dictators and extremist groups like ISIS that use the name of Islam as a strategy to get followers and attention when everything they do goes against the true Islam. And the media does not help. Some media portrays Islam as a cult where if you join you automatically become a terrorist. That’s just insane. All over the world people practice Islam in the true form. The Qur’an is against terrorism and there is nowhere in Islam, in the Qur’an, or the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad that promotes terrorism.

I have said my piece. It is sad to know that others don’t see what I see in Islam. Islam is my life and I will continue to live by it. I pray that one day others will cease to see me and my people and faith as evil. They will see that we can all live without fear.