I decided to go to a random barbershop near my house which sadly ended up being a horrible experience. Before walking into the barbershop, I overheard Arabic being spoken by the next door liquor store owner. I tried conversing with him, but he was speaking in an iraqi dialect, resulting in an amusing and abrupt conversation.
When I walked into the barbershop, I sensed an environment of hostility by the immediate glares given by the patrons.
"You an iraqi?", the barber said in a deep southern drawl.
"No." - Me
"Well you look like one."
"My name is Sammy." I said with an emphasis on my name.
"Oh.. Here sit down.."
I realized a few hours later that my first name defused a potentially belligerent incident. Sadly, I took the cowards way out. A lot of my friends wouldn't be able to bail out of this situation because they have first names like Muhammad, Abdallah, Ali, Ahmed, or Omar. Lucky for me that the name Samir can be called "Sammy".
The Ft. Hood shootings has brought out the worst in people. I've seen my friend Fatima viciously attacked at school for wearing her hijab. I can't walk my sisters down the street without people staring at us like we're terrorists.
Can someone please tell me when being a Muslim became scandalous? Since when did being an arab make you a terrorist?
I don't think people know how bad it's gotten for the average Muslim. A lot of my friends who bear the name Muhammad are calling themselves 'Moe'. I've met a lot of young Muslims who hide their faith like it's a fatal disease that is contagious. I confess that I belonged to the latter group for several years. (When you're in the greek system, it's ill advised to be known as a Fratboy whose a Muslim.)
I just don't understand when America decided that being a Muslim was slanderous. Let me tell you what my faith means to me. My faith consists of the following principles:
- Believing that one should give charity to the less fortunate.
- Believing that one should respect and cherish their parents.
- Believing that trust is central to all relationships and that honesty is the only option.
- Believing mercy is internal, universal, and unlimited.
- Believing that peace is truly the best state of nature.
I wish I had told the redneck barber the following: "Yeah I'm a Muslim. I meet my local community once a week and stick my face to the ground, shoulder to shoulder with people from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, to show that all humans are EQUAL. The man from Africa or as far as the shores of India is my brother. I believe that I am obligated to serve people rather than be served. What do you believe?"
I've experienced a lot of things in the world. The sad thing is the redneck barber doesn't realize a very important reality of life. The true christian, buddhist, muslim, jew, secular humanist, hindu, and sikh, are all living identical lives of righteousness.
In college, I had the opportunity to befriend a very religious Muslim, a very religious christian, and a very religious buddhist. (Side note: I grew up in an extremely secular environment so religiosity was new for me.)
I tell you the truth, all of them were IDENTICAL in behavior. If you didn't know their names or what house of worship they went to, you wouldn't be able to distinguish them from one another. All of them were simply humble human beings trying to live life in the accord of righteousness.
Sadly, I don't think many Americans get this.
Peace be with you.
~Samir