Thanks to Ellen for inspiration for this post

It seems like I can't come up with my own ideas for blog posts. So thanks Ellen for the inspiration!

Alhamdulillah, I am a Muslim. This is the most important part of my identity. I am also an American of Italian, Irish, and German background with a Christian father and a Jewish mother. And I will not ever deny these facts just because of who I am now, nor will I try to be something that I'm not.

Alhamdulillah, Islam is meant for everyone on earth. Arabs, Desis, blacks, whites, indigenous peoples, East Asians, Jews, mixed-race people, poor folks, rich folks, smart folks, not-so-smart folks, disabled folks, convicts, intellectuals, EVERYONE AND ANYONE can be Muslim. They can also do this without forsaking their native culture or way of life, as long as they are in accordance with Islamic law. I read in a book once that Islam can fit right in anywhere, from a traditional Arab family to a village in Siberia to a ghetto in a city. It is simply not exclusive to one culture, time, or place.

I went to jummah prayers yesterday, and the khutba that was given was very thought-provoking. The imam told about an incident involving the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and a group of Ethiopian Muslims. These Ethiopian men were dancing and chanting outside on the street. Umar (ra) saw them doing this and was about to go and stop them--such showy behavior was inappropriate and offensive. However, the Prophet (saw) stopped Umar and went over to the Ethiopians himself. He asked what they were chanting, and they replied "Muhammad is a righteous servant". Muhammad left them to continue on with their dancing. Umar (ra) asked the Prophet (saw) why he didn't stop them from dancing and chanting, and the Prophet (saw) responded, "This is their culture". He then brought Aisha (ra) over to watch the Ethiopians dance. The imam explained that Muhammad (saw) understood and respected cultural differences. Just because something was not polite or proper in Arab culture doesn't mean that it is universally bad; in the case of the Ethiopians, it was positive. Muhammad (saw) merely confirmed that what they were chanting was halal, and once it was established he had no problem with letting them continue. By having Aisha watch them, he spread the message to others that as long as what is being done is halal, it is okay to express oneself according to one's native culture.

Subhanallah, I was so happy when I heard this. So many times I, and I'm sure other people, get the impression that the "Arab way" is the best and only way of doing things simply because the Qur'an is in Arabic and Muhammad (saw) was ethnically Arab. It's like all the Arabs and Arabic culture have a special status or a natural superiority to them because the Prophet (saw) was "one of them". I'm sorry, but I don't buy that. This story, and Muhammad (saw)'s farewell address where he says the line about Arabs not being superior over non-Arabs and vice versa, confirms that Muhammad (saw) didn't think this way either. Islam is about creating a relationship with ALLAH and living your life according to certain morals and rules, not following a specific ethnic culture.

I feel like as a convert I think about this a lot. I feel like there is a lot of pressure to accept a new culture along with Islam, particularly Arab culture. Changing one's name to an Arabic (not even necessarily an Islamic or Qur'anic) name, wearing only black abayas or white thobes and a turban, injecting random Arabic phrases (again, not necessarily Islamic phrases) into the conversation, talking trash about other cultures, especially "Western" culture, etc. I will live my life Islamically; I will not adopt a new culture. I will keep my "Western" name, since it is the name my parents gave me and it doesn't have any blasphemous or other negative connotations to it. I will wear jilbab and hijab, but I will not wear only Khaleeji-style abayas. I will of course say "Insha'Allah", "Subhanallah", etc. in my conversations, and I will learn Arabic so that I can read the Qur'an, but I will not go beyond this. ISLAM IS NOT AN ARAB RELIGION, IT IS FOR EVERYONE!!!

And darn it, why does everything "Western"=inherently bad/unIslamic? The rules of hijab and jilbab can be fulfilled just as well wearing certain "Western" clothes as it can wearing abayas and salwar kameez. The concept of honesty, concern for others, kindness, and selflessness exist in "Western" society, too. It really hurts when "Western" becomes a dirty word among some people.

I was hanging around the masjid yesterday after jummah, and I had a conversation with an older sister who was also a convert from a WASP-y family. She expressed her strong frustration with the pressure for converts to become Arabized or Desiized, and that despite her strong commitment to Islam, nothing could change the fact that she was a white American and proud of her heritage and culture. I told her I couldn't agree more.

I'm sure I will have more to say about this topic later on, as it is very relevant/important to me (and also because this is a sociological topic and I am a sociology major at college, so this stuff is fascinating to me).

So, to reiterate what I said: ISLAM IS FOR EVERYONE FROM EVERY BACKGROUND, ALHAMDULILLAH!!!!!