We all know how these Internet trolls and bullies work, (see my
post on Online Bullies and self-proclaimed shaykhs) sat behind the security of
their computer screen. They are not to be taken seriously or as
the voice of the mass public at all, but sometimes it is hard not to let their
disgusting comments gnaw deep into your core.
Today, I somehow managed to break that pact with myself and ventured onto the comment section of an article about Islam in the Guardian. I can easily say, I am still disgusted to the point that I feel physically
sick.
In my mind, sick people aren't just those
who commit horrendous crimes, sick people are found in many different
forms - Rape, the killing of innocent civilians, those who enforce religious customs on another who doesn’t believe, burning someone who burns a
Holy book alive, domestic violence, bullying, racism- they all stem from the
same sickness. Yes, some acts are far worse than others, but for me all of the
above truly are diseased in their heart.
This particular article gathered together a set of individuals who
saw fit to attack Islam through one of the most overused yet misunderstood
beliefs, the head covering of a Muslim woman.
Now if you want to debate your true and sincere understanding of a religion
where you don't agree with it's rulings, be my
guest- you're just trying to find out the truth. But it's obvious for all to see, the ones who truly ATTACK religions in all their shapes and
forms have no idea past the stereotypes they choose to believe, which leads to a bunch of ignorant people spewing out garbage as hatred for something they clearly don’t
understand yet see themselves to be above.
Yes, some may think Muslims, or anyone who believes in
some greater power, is silly, in the same way some believe killing animals
for food is madness. But all our beliefs will be different, for we are made
that way, which should lead to a mutual respect and healthy debate of another’s choice and not
harassment and abuse.
An argument I have heard of many times from people who disagree so
fundamentally with the hijab, Islam, or cultural practices in general, is
that being in England everyone should abide to “English norms and culture”.
They continue on to say that if a non-covering person was to go
a Muslim country, they would be obliged to cover as “is the culture”, so we
here should be obliged to not cover, (as apparently according to these people
nakedness is the culture of Britain). Now c'mon, any fool can see the
expectations in Islamic countries for other men and women to dress modestly is
down to respect, just as one might do in front of your grandparents, or at a
funeral etc. For someone in the UK to choose not to show their body to the
world is in what way disrespectful?! Anyone who can put the two ideas side by
side and compare is seriously lacking something mentally. (And if they're referring to Saudi or any of the other openly patriarchal countries then that's a completely different story altogether)
What I can’t get my head around is how in any way, shape or
form, choosing to not show skin or certain parts of your body is “offensive”
to other people’s eyes? If it was so offensive,
why aren't films set in Winter climates, where everyone is
covered up and wearing woolly hats, gloves and scarves rated R as
they contain such offensive material? Why is it that the films which contain
nudity are instead? Surely if this was the case, the tables should be turned.
And, since when is not covering a British custom anyway? I think
these people forget that Britain used to be (and still is) a Christian country,
yet due to the changing attitudes of people and the diversity of beliefs, the day to day mainstream culture
has changed – and may even be seen as an atheist or non-religious set of
values. In this same way, the mainstream culture in some areas of the UK has
also changed to reflect Islamic practices.
Some of the awful comments suggested that a covering woman would
not get a job due to the veil showcasing “how stupid she was in order to
believe in Islam”.
So if I was an employer, and I thought anybody who harmed their
body knowing the risks of smoking was “stupid”, therefore would not be mentally
capable of carrying out my work, that would be ok would it?
Is a believing person then entitled to not hire someone
who in their mind is blind to not see the existence of God?
In Britain, thousands upon thousands make their own decisions,
such as choosing to be vegetarian, to smoke, to abstain from alcohol, to have
an "open relationship" or even an affair. This diversity and ability
to choose your own path when it is not harmful to others is one of the beauties
of this country. These are decisions that are open for all to see which so many
disagree with, yet it is only the outward appearance of a headscarf or a beard
which provokes these people so greatly.
What people like this fail to understand is the turmoil of not being
allowed to follow your own beliefs. If you believe something so passionately,
which isn't harming anyone else, and if anything, allows you to carry out your
work in a more professional and trustworthy manner, why should you not be
allowed to?
Think about it. A true Muslim, is one who doesn't judge others,
who doesn't discriminate, who is trustworthy, calm and hard working. They don’t
back bite or gossip or swear or lie, and are the most dedicated of people. All
the traits of a dream employee.
To tell you the truth, a lot of the points these Islamophobic
individuals pick up on, and use to fight with, are to do with cultural practices
that even I shun. They choose to rant about the uneducated type of people who
call their culture “religion”, who choose to believe that their norms should be
adopted by the mass British public. And to be honest, these kinds of people
have the ability to drive me up the wall, let alone someone who despises Islam
and are the kinds of people who create a lasting impression. To
me, these people who enforce ideologies of their cultures on others are just as
bad as bigoted individuals who are anti-Islam. Neither group understand the
beautiful peaceful religion that is Islam.
Not allowing us to cover is forcing ideologies onto us, just as
forcing someone to cover is.
That all being said, this is just a minority of individuals. Just today I met a lovely elderly woman in the ladies at work
who told me I looked very elegant in my head scarf and I'm sure we all hear comments like this alhamdulillah on a day-to-day basis. But when media today only places the extremes of Islam as
“newsworthy”, it isn't hard to understand why the majority of these people have
so much hatred. This is where we all come in, it is our duty as Muslims to do
dawah and spread the true word of our beautiful deen through our actions. Just
by being and oozing true Islam, who could really hate us?
Any good in this post is from Allah swt, and any bad is from myself and shaitan.
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