American Muslim

An Interesting Conversation

Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),

Anyone who follows the news, knows that being a Muslim in the U.S. can be a tricky enterprise - particularly when it comes to dealing with public perceptions and stereotypes, which can lead to hostility. There have been no shortage of stories about people held at airports for innocuous things like Arabic flashcards in backpacks or speaking in Arabic on a plane. However, one of the things I have repeatedly told my students and my friends is that the only way to change people's perceptions is through education ... and by continuing to practice Islam, our faith. As American Muslims, we have to continue to pray when it is time to; fast when we have to; attend jumuah (Friday congregational prayer) when it is mandatory; wear hijab; etc.

So, it was a surprise to me to have the following text message debate with my friend Juvaid, in South Carolina.** (name and location have been changed to protect identity). J works as a substitute teacher and he had just told me about a job he got at a Jewish school:

Juvaid (J): I am teaching at the Jewish school again.
Shyam (S): Is that good or bad? Where do you pray when you’re there?
J: You don’t pray.
S: What? What about dhuhr? (early afternoon prayer)
J: Try not to stand out.
S: If you have to pray you pray. You’re Muslim, they’re Jewish.
J: But you cannot do that. It would be like reading the holy book on an airplane.
S: You’re my friend and my brother, but I disagree. What’s wrong with reading a Qur’an on a plane? Or praying in public?
J: The pilot making an emergency landing and you being detained for questioning.
S: How are Americans going to change if we’re afraid of being Muslim? Whether at a Jewish school or on a plane?
J: I am not afraid, but you have to choose your battles.
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I agree that we do have to choose our battles. But, why do we have to keep hiding our identity - Muslim, Arab, Indian, Black - to meet the guidelines by someone else? There are five pillars of Islam and one of the pillars is salat (prayer). We don't pray when it is convenient for us and we don't stop prayer when it is inconvenient for us. The Holy Qur'an is full of Allah (SWT)'s hikma about prayer - there is even a provision to pray on a camel if it is so required. My friends and I have shared salat stories and we have prayed everywhere - bus stops, airports, schools, colleges, planes, restaurants, parking lots, parks, rest areas, etc. My friend Azhar was just telling me today that he prayed at the Georgia Aquarium last week!

One of the things that drew me to Islam was how the deen (religion) of Muslims seemed to stand strong even after 9/11. In such a climate today, the only way for Muslims to truly create change is by not forgetting the most important part of our lives - practicing Islam.