Rant: Confessions of a Canadian Muslim

I should be doing so many other things right now. However, as soon as I try to focus, I find my mind distracted by what’s going on around us. The recent events in the world are no longer just a matter of headlines, they have become personal. Just to put it into perspective for you, here are a few of the articles I have come across since the start of November…  

“Woman’s face smashed with beer mug for not speaking English”
http://tribune.com.pk/story/988594/muslim-womans-face-smashed-with-beer-mug-for-not-speaking-english-in-us/

“Muslim woman pushed by man into oncoming train”
http://tribune.com.pk/story/991322/man-pushes-muslim-woman-into-oncoming-underground-train-in-london/

“Muslim woman attacked outside her children’s school in Flemingdon Park”
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/11/16/muslim-woman-attacked-outside-childrens-school-flemingdon-park/

“People are angry after a Zara Employee in Paris Banned A Woman In A Hijab From a Store”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/video-shows-a-zara-store-in-paris-stopping-a-woman-in-a-hija#.sgBLPZRxey
“ Peterborough Mosque fire deliberately set, say police”
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/11/15/peterborough-mosque-fire-under-investigation

If that doesn’t send chills down your back, I don’t know what would. Disgust, fear, shock – are just some of the many overwhelming emotions swirling around my head. Less than a month ago, we as Canadians were on an all-time high. We were full of hope when Trudeau was elected as the Prime Minister. All my sport fanatic friends and family members were extremely proud as the Blue Jays fought hard through the season and the music lovers were raving about Justin Bieber and Drake’s newest releases. But now – negativity and concern creeps into every conversation that I have.  I cannot wrap my mind around the incidents happening both within my local community and in the global community.

This morning, my very close non- Muslim friend frantically sent me a text because she had not heard from me or seen me for just a few days. Typically, we go days without communication but in light of the recent events, she had become worried for my safety. My close friends and I are beginning to make arrangements to ensure that we do not walk home or take buses alone because we are scared for our safety. Muslim girls which I personally know that have been wearing hijabs for years are starting to consider taking it off. This is not because they do not agree with what the hijab stands for, but it is because they feel unsafe. This is definitely not the Canada which I proudly stand for, this is an embarrassment.

My inner educator immediately began to think about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a theory which I am constantly exposed to throughout my education. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it suggests that people are motivated to achieve certain needs, and explains that you need to satisfy your lower level basic needs before progressing to the highest level of self- actualization. So how can we move forward to the highest level of self actualization when our basic needs like safety, are not being met?

As a result, I realized that I need to give myself a wakeup call and take on a proactive approach. Sitting here and pondering about the state of society will only leave me bitter. I genuinely believe that each and every one of us is capable of doing so much more. We all need to play on our strengths and find out what we can do to improve the current conditions. To be completely honest, although I am angry at the individuals committing the hate crimes, I’m more curious about what the root of their ignorance is. Is it the lack of education that they received at a young age? Is it the way which media is portraying the situation?

I do not support Muslim leaders condemning the incident, because Islam obviously has absolutely nothing to do with these attacks against humanity. However, that does not mean that I think we need to silence ourselves.  If you managed to read through my rant, I leave you with one last point which I hope will resonate with you. Rather than just rolling our eyes and getting angry that people think the actions of a few people represent Islam as whole, equip yourself about what Islam really stands for and correct their misconceptions. I kid you not, a two minute conversation is enough to educate someone on what Islam is really about. If we start small by speaking up to our friends, acquaintances, we can create a rippling effect of positivity and enlightenment. 

I conclude with one of my favourite quotes - "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."