Your Husband Must Be Muslim, That's Why You're Brainwashed, Right?

Yep! You got it! My imaginary husband who put this invisible ring on my finger is Muslim so I just wear this on my head to make him happy. Umm .... no.  You're stupid, and by the way, it's a 22 carat invisible ring. And my imaginary husband is the guy that got kicked out of Saudi Arabia for being too hot. Duh.

After the Boston Marathon tragedy a lot of people were speaking out about the widow of one of the attackers as she is a convert and making this accusation of her.

It made me really mad.

And I feel terrible for that poor girl bless her little soul.

I think I have it rough with my friends and family? Imagine if I married someone accused of something like Boston.

The amount of judgment I can imagine is intolerable.

May Allah (swt) relieve her of her burdens and may she fight through the ignorance to become a voice for all of us.

What I found the worst was that I read an article (or watched a TV segment - I can't remember) where her old professor said that she was a bright girl with a great future, it's a shame she became a Muslim because of that guy.

What killed me is that I can totally see something like this happening to me and reporters calling up like my freshman year Geology professor who thought that I should be a geologist and was pissed when I told him that I could not imagine my life spent with rocks all day.

Yah, he was offended.  He looked like an angry version of Danny Tanner.  I insulted his passion. He would claim "Muslim" on me.

And, they showed pictures of her with hair... what the hell? That's so messed up.  That's her choice to wear hijab, why do you think it's appropriate to show pictures of her without hijab just because her husband messed up? I'm sure they'd find some ridiculous pictures of me and post them all over the internet. (By the way, before anyone judges me for this sentence, I don't care if you're a 53 year old niqqabi, you have a skankalicious picture SOMEWHERE).

I would flip.

You can't assume that we all became Muslim because we married some guy.

(Who are these persuasive men? I want them on my dawah team!)

I would do a lot for someone I really loved, that's true.  Give up my favorite food perhaps, do a symbolic dance of sorts, dye my hair red.  But change my religion? No chance in hell.

And last week, at my open house, a woman came up to me and said "your husband must be Muslim right? What's your story?" No. Not right. I'm not married. I'm Muslim on my own choosing. No guy in my ear.  No threats.  Just Muslim because I want to be.

Like I've said before, some girls meet some 7/11 owner named Firas, fall in love with him and "convert" to Islam because he says so and they can't marry anyone else otherwise.  And he wants his greencard.

But that's not every person.

Look, I don't LOVE these stories, it wasn't my path, but who am I to judge those girls?

Maybe they really believe it. Maybe Firas is meant to be a Muslim missionary. I don't know.  You don't know.

Most people just follow the religion of their parents, so why is it SOOO wrong to follow the religion of your husband?

It's not my choice. But it's a choice.

I also have spoken to a lot of my friends that converted after falling in love with a guy and what I realized is that it wasn't because their husbands are Muslim that they converted.  It was because it's the first time they ever had a deep conversation about religion with someone that was Muslim and they finally understood it.  You probably aren't going to talk to your girlfriends about the secrets of life, religion, faith, etc... in a deep way. You're gonna talk about shoes.  But, you will talk to a potential spouse that deeply.  So, that's when Islam comes up.  When you're deep in conversation.

But, please, don't assume it's because of some controlling Muslim guy that these women would change their faith.  Islam is the fastest spreading religion - it's not because there's a lot of controlling dudes and weak women.  It's because it's beautiful.

There's a LOT of male converts as well so riddle me that one....

And Muslim people - that were born Muslim - don't be so quick to ridicule converts who convert after falling in love with a Muslim guy.  You're not God.  And, there's no reason to be skeptical.

Again, I suck at history, but I remember this story: In battle a man took his shahada when he was about to be killed by the army of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) and the solider killed him anyway.  Prophet Muhammad (saws) told that soldier that it was wrong of him to kill him as even if he is in a pressured situation, the solider, a mere man, is not the one to say whether or not the man was Muslim.

Similarly, we can't judge.

Finally, know that no, I'm not brainwashed.  I didn't come to Islam with some "kumbaya" (no, I can't spell it!) lovey -dovey attitude towards it.  I came to it critically, harshly, like every other "average American" would.  And after fact checking, understanding, and building my knowledge then - and only then - did I fall in love with it and convert.

May Allah (swt) protect this woman, Katherine Russell, from all of the negativity in this world.  May He open peoples eyes to Islam.  May He help everyone that converts to do so willingly and for His sake only. And may everyone that takes his or her shahada die a Muslim.  Ameen.

Where Are You From? I'm From Here. No, I Mean ORIGINALLY? Cleveland.

One of the reasons I decided to move to beautiful Los Angeles, California was because some bootleg Malaysian newspaper writer who straight up stole my convert story and published it in his country said I was from Los Angeles.   Just kidding - (although I thought it was pretty funny that they just made facts up out of thin air and I was quite offended that he used a picture of some really unattractive white chick to represent me in the article! Rude.)

I moved here because of diversity.

I came to visit a friend, walked the streets of Hollywood and people said "salaam" to me when they saw my hijab.  White people!

Imagine that.

So, when I experienced people speaking 20 different languages when I walked a one mile stretch of sidewalk, I realized how beautiful that was and that I wanted to be a part of it.  Permanently.

A month later I moved here.

I'm a sucker for diversity, what can I say?

And, guess what... people are cool to me here ALL THE TIME!

It's beautiful!

I go out to lunch with my Asian boss and white people on the sidewalk go out of their way to say "salaam" - the greeting that Muslims give each other meaning peace.  How cute is that? 

PLUS, they do it in the sweetest voice and they touched their little hearts when they said it.  Merrrrr ... adorable!!

This is a beautiful example I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience, because I wasn't experiencing that in Toledo, Ohio.

The one thing I have noticed about Los Angeles, however, is everyone is curious about me.

I'm not saying that because I think I'm God's gift to earth and I'm like Los Angeles' own unicorn or something... I mean because I look different.

I hold open houses every weekend to advertise the houses we have for sale and 1 out of every 3 people ask me where I'm from.

No matter what their ethnicity is.

And, they don't do it in a mean way.  They do it out of love.

Usually though I think it's so annoying!

Standard Couple #1: WHERE ARE YOU FROMMMMM?

Me: I'm from here.

Standard Couple #2:NOOOO I MEAN WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS FROM?

Me: Here.

Standard Couple #3: NO I MEAN ORIGINALLY

Me:Cleveland.

What does it matter? Are you writing a book?

My Goodness!

If I say my dad is from Iraq will that make you feel any different?

I thought about making up a story that my dad is Saudi and my mom is Syrian just so people don't ask the follow up questions...

Eventually the conversation goes:

OOOOOKAYYYY WHAT'S YOUR NATIONALITY?

I'm Czech.

OH AND YOU'RE MUSLIM?

Yes.

AH I SEE. DID YOU CONVERT?

Yes, I did.

OHHHH WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY THINK? HOW MANY TIMES A DAY DO YOU PRAY? DO YOU SPEAK ARABIC? WHAT IS YOUR DAD'S COUSIN PHIL'S MIDDLE NAME?

None of your business! UGH! This is a Spanish style house, that's all you need to know.

Today I was reflecting on this, preparing for a meeting where I was sure I would be asked my nationality, and I realized it's not as annoying as I feel like it is.

It's actually a blessing.

Instead of being negative I should be appreciative that people are nice enough to ask and strike up a conversation as if they actually care about a stranger.

It might not be consistent with modern social cues, but it's very nice that they ask and are curious.

I'd much rather people be curious than afraid.

This post is a reminder for me to work on myself - to be more open to answering people's questions - regardless of where I am, how rushed I am, or what I'm doing.

These people are giving me the opportunity to educate them without hatred. How awesome.

May Allah (swt) teach us all to be guided guiders and teach others about our religion for all of its beauty.  May we be as curious of others as they are of us, and in a positive way.  Ameen.

Of Course They Were Muslim, What Did You Expect?! My Take On Boston's Tragedy

Yes, the attacks at the Boston Marathon were allegedly caused by two men who identified themselves as Muslims.  I know. And yes, I spent all of the week that they were looking for them praying - sincerely - to God that they would not be Muslims.

And yes, I am extremely heartbroken that people who share my religion would be evil enough to kill others.

Devastated.

But, after I was devastated, I realized that they're not just Muslim.  They're Chechnayan, they're American citizens, they're men, they're a lot of other adjectives! Unfortunately, the only adjective that people care about today is "Muslim."

(I don't hate all boxers because the one brother was a boxer, do I? So don't hate all Muslims because they were Muslim!)

Probably about a year ago now, there was a plot to bomb a bridge in my hometown.  A bridge my grandparents take to go to the doctor, one that I took to go visit my friends in high school.  I remember that my aunt mentioned to me that "they must be those Muslims!" before the names were released.

And then the names of the plotters were released.  And they were some white kids.  And they were no longer "terrorists" they were just "two crazy kids!"

Even then, I remember being thankful that my family was safe, but almost more thankful that the plotters weren't Muslim, so I didn't have to hear about it for the rest of my life from my aunt. What I never thought to myself was "oh my God, they're white and I'm white!!" And, I never said to my aunt, who is also white, "look it was them whities!"

Regarding Boston, I have a confession to make:

I am pretty damn ashamed of myself, to be honest with you.

I'm ashamed that now whenever I hear a story of a "terrorist activity" on the news, I spend all my energy praying that the attackers aren't Muslim.  I'm busy praying "dear God, please tell me they're not Muslim." And what I'm not saying is "dear God, grant all the victims Jannah... forgive them of their sins, protect their families, grant them Heaven for dying innocently" even though, in my heart, that's what I WANT to say.

I wish we lived in a world where I could do that! And, I wish I was strong enough to not worry about myself so much.

I worry about going to the grocery store and having someone say "oh look at what YOUR PEOPLE did."

I want to show everyone all of the love that Muslims spread every day.  

How many buildings they've built, not the handful that they've destroyed.

How many Christians, Jews, and people of all religions that Muslims have saved, not how many they have killed.

But, I am only one person.

This week I read a quote that said "My religion doesn't oppress me, it's your ignorance" and I feel like that quote is applicable of this subject.

My religion is beautiful.  Perfect.  Muslim people are NOT perfect.

Far from it.

Especially me.

But, the anger people have leads to this intolerance and ignorance.

One thing I want Muslim people to understand however is that we cannot say "These men are not Muslims! Muslim people don't do evil things like this!"

Are you God? No.

The reality is, MUSLIM PEOPLE DO EVIL THINGS. You are a sinner. I'm a sinner.  Killing people is a MAJOR sin, but our sins are terrible too.

You are NOT the person to judge them if they believe in Islam or not.

Whether their actions are consistent with Islam is not a question - they are ABSOLUTELY actions that are NOT consistent with the teachings of our Prophert (saws) and our God.

However, as far as we can see, they were Muslims.  Imperfect Muslims, but Muslims nonetheless.

I want my nonMuslim friends to know as mad as you are at Muslims, I'm furious at these two men.

Way more mad. A million times more.

I spend every waking minute going out of my way to defend my religion, show how beautiful it is, opening doors for little old ladies, getting spit on and smiling through it so that I can put a positive image out there for others of my beliefs.

I'm a representative. So are these guys. I can spend my entire life working to change your mind and in two seconds these two people can completely destroy it.

And when something like this happens, I feel like all of my hard work, all of my restraint, all of it, is in vain.

I have to start from square one all over again trying to rebuild that image.

It's so frustrating. 

Thank God for all of the people in the world that are reasonable enough not to let the actions of a few change their opinions of an entire religion.

On behalf of these two men, I'm sorry you're disappointed. I'm sorry we disappointed you.

But please realize me apologizing for them is equivalent to Christians apologizing for the Ku Klux Klan.  (Literally, same percentages).

Just because one of the adjectives that these two men are is "Muslim" don't let that one adjective become all that they are.

How can we say that Islam is a religion of peace when things like this happen? I get it.

It does not necessarily mean that their religion is the cause for their disobedience.  With the bridge example, no one said they did it because they were Christian.

May God grant all of us - no matter what race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc... - tolerance for one another.  May He teach us the importance of compassion, holding judgments, and loving one another. May He grant all of the victims Jannah and all of their families solace.  May all of our hardwork not be in vein, and may God make us all good examples in the footsteps of the BEST example, Prophet Muhammad (saws). Ameen.

Why Don't You Post Anymore? I Suck.

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah everyone! So sorry I haven't been posting lately - I've been ridiculously - RIDICULOUSLY busy with work.

(Side note: Want to buy a house in Los Angeles? Please call me LoL)

I've been working on ten transactions at one time and studying to get my California license at the same time!

Alhamdulilah for my job and the passion I have for my career.

I've been receiving angry emails that people are mad I stopped writing! LoL... that's an honor that I've upset you by shutting up! Haha...

Anyways, I promise to make an effort to try my best to post more often! I've actually written a few posts but after I reviewed them I thought they needed some editing before they could go out to you.

I will try to edit and post a few inshaAllah.

Tonight, I was reflecting and trying to perfect my recitation of all of the surahs I know from Quran and I remembered a website I used when I was first learning Quran.

 www.mounthira.com

I recommend everyone - especially converts - go visit it and learn some surahs! It makes it SO MUCH EASIER! you can repeat the verses, there's a transliteration, there's the Arabic next to it.

Really, it's an amazing tool for non-native Arabic speakers.

I am in no way affiliated with the site, I just happen to love it.

May Allah (swt) reward the creators of the site for helping to teach me many surahs and inshaAllah you as well, and may He reward you for learning His Book - ten hassanat for every letter you read.  May He multiply your reward to His pleasing.

With love,

Hannah

Will You Ever "Go Back" to Your Old Life? : Life On The "Dark Side"

"Go back" where? To the dark side? Everyone I know well asks me this question. Yes, I wasn't born Muslim, and yes I did not always memorize Quran, and I didn't always wear hijab and I didn't always pray five times a day.... but... this may shock you... I wasn't the devil.

In my past life I never treated anyone wrong, I had respect, compassion, love for all other people.  I wasn't wild.  I was actually the one that always got made fun of for being "stuck up" because I thought I was too good for beer pong championships (white girl reference).

I wasn't a party-girl, I didn't do drugs, I didn't sleep with dudes because they winked and blew an air-kiss my way.

Did I know people like that? Yes.  Was I friends with these people? Yes. Was I one of them? NO.

I think there is often a misconception about nonMuslims in the eyes of Muslims - especially those without nonMuslim friends.

Not all nonMuslims are alcoholic, coke head, gambling addict strippers.  Yes, going out is "the thing to do" in college, but not everyone chooses to follow the crowd.

Also, Muslim readers, think about all the Muslims you know - some of them are probably your friends - that do things that are against the religion... maybe they party, maybe they gamble, maybe they drink... does it make them not Muslim? No.  It just makes them sinners.

Listen, I definitely wasn't an angel then, but I'm also not an angel now.

I try my best to follow what I think that Allah (swt) wants me to, but no one is perfect. Before Islam, I wasn't a bad person though!

If you're asking whether or not I have plans to leave Islam, the answer is: NOT IN A MILLION BILLION YEARS. I will be Muslim as long as Allah (swt) chooses.

If it's up to me, that means forever.

If I had any plans to leave this religion I would not be Muslim right now. I have no doubts about Islam.

Yes, I know there are girls who meet a guy at the local 7/11 and take their shahada because "Firas was just so hot and he taught me about Islam while he sold me a case of Bud Light Lime" and then the next day they're not Muslim anymore. This exists of course, and although I find it heartbreaking, it's the reality.

I didn't make the decision to become Muslim on a whim.  I studied it, I prayed about it, I have experienced hardships from it, and I when I die, inshaAllah, I will only ask Allah to come back to earth to worship Him all over again - as a Muslim.

If you can't tell by the way I act, I am Muslim in every ounce of my soul.

What is the most frustrating part about this question though is that I feel I was always Muslim.  Despite the fact that I had never read Quran and I didn't know the pillars of the faith, I still had the same beliefs.

I had the iman (faith) of a Muslim person, but I just didn't have the ibada (worship).

I always believed in one God, never accepted Christianity as the truth - or Judaism - or Hinduism - or Taoism - or any other religion, though I studied many of them on my quest to find Islam.  When people asked me "what religion are you?" I would list out all of the pillars of Islam - which were consistent with my beliefs - and say that's what I believe in, but it took me 20 years before I listed these things and someone responded with "oh, you're Muslim then!"

I always explain it by saying: "if you never ate meat, and thought it was wrong to eat meat, but didn't know that there are thousands of other people called 'vegetarians' out there... weren't you always a vegetarian?"

That's exactly how I feel about Islam.  My heart was always Muslim.  

Now that I have the instruction manual on how to please my God, all the changes I've made are easy! Becoming Muslim was the easiest decision I've ever made - following what Islam requires of me is simple!

I have no plans to ever accept another religion, inshaAllah ya Rab.  I have never been so sure of something in my whole life.

I will never drink alcohol, I will never eat bacon, I will never dance naked in a club - not even for a billion dollars.

May Allah (swt) make all of my fondest memories those that were of my path to Him, and protect me - and all my fellow Muslims - from all the haram in this dunya in order to reward us in akirah.

What's So Great About The Quran Anyways?! The Miracle of Our Book

Today an old friend posted on Facebook about how shocked he was when he started learning more and more about his religion of Christianity and how the Bible leaves parts out, changes details, etc... He was surprised how different his religion was from what he had learned of it.

And, it made me remember several years ago when I began researching more and more... when I felt like I needed religion in my life, but the religion my grandparents had passed down to me wasn't congruent with what I felt in my heart.

It was so painful.

And frustrating.

And it created this terrible sense of longing in me that nothing could quell until I found Islam.

But, it didn't stop me from trying to make Christianity my religion before Islam. When I delved deeper into the Bible, I found inconsistencies. Yes, there are things in it that don't make sense.

For example:

I did a skit in my freshman year of college when for a course we were asked to read the Bible.

The skit was about the difference between Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We each had our own disciple to tell the story of Jesus about and we made it like a Maury talkshow:

"OH NO YOU DIDN'T SAY THAT JESUS WAS SON OF MAN!"

Mark (Me!): Jesus was the son of man. 

Matthew and Luke: Jesus was the Son of God.

John: Jesus was God himself.

Guess what, in a Paternity Test of Jesus, God is NOT the Father.

But, that didn't bother me as much.

What KILLED me was the fact that what was in the Bible wasn't being practiced.

For example, the Bible says to wear hijab... I haven't seen a Christian hijabi yet.

The Bible says not to gamble... but 98% of the casinos are filled with Christians.

Now, please, keep in mind Muslims believe in parts of the Bible, and parts of the Torah.  One of the pillars of the religion is we believe in the Books - not just Quran.

I think the problem is that no one ever reads the Bible... and when they do, not literally.

My grandmother is a pretty devout Christian and she even admits that she doesn't think that The Bible is the word of God.  She reads the Bible every day.

People say it's an "interpretation."

Yes, not every Muslim person follows what the Quran says.  Of course not! We are all messed up, too! But at least I feel in Islam we all believe in Quran.  We all know that it is the Truth.  And that it is what we SHOULD be doing.  There is a shame about going against the Quran.  I can only think of one Muslim guy I know that shares on Facebook each time he gets drunk.

What I love about Islam is that we REALLY believe that the Quran is LITERALLY THE WORD OF GOD.

Straight up. From Him to us. 

AND, there are millions (sources say approximately ten million, but don't quote me) of men and women around the world that have the ENTIRE Quran memorized.

When I first learned about these people - called "Hafiz of Quran" - I thought about how many people have the Bible memorized, and soon realized what language would they memorize it in?

See, there are thousands of different versions of the Bible.

There's ONE version of the Quran.

Yes. That's what's so special. There's just ONE.

One.

O.

N.

E.

When I first learned that about Quran I was shocked! What the hell do you mean there's only ONE?

There is one version of the Arabic Quran. Every little letter and accent is the same. Every single one.

No matter which one you pick up.

Can you imagine if that was true of the Bible? The Bible has inconsistencies within ITSELF.

Let alone the entire book!

Yes, there are different translations of Quran.  I read a side-by-side Arabic - English translation, for example.

The Arabic is exactly the same as all other Qurans. The English, not so much.

Obviously there is no exact English translation for all Arabic words, same thing with German or Portuguese or Urdu, any other language.

That, in itself is a miracle to me. This doesn't allow for "interpretations." This means it is literal.

There aren't inconsistencies (except in places where rules changed during the revelation of the book- i.e. at first alcohol wasn't prohibited, but instead people were commanded not to come to prayer drunk and eventually, before the end of the Prophet Muhammad (saws)'s life, alcohol was then forbiden).

But, guess what, the Quran says "don't drink" so I "don't drink."

Imagine that!

My History Lesson: And, I friggin hate history, but from what I learned, the Quran was memorized by the Arab people during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) as he would receive a revelation he would repeat it.  At the time the Arabs were amazing memorizers and they would then memorize word-for-word what he said.  Many people all memorized the same words, so it was not as if it could be changed by some random camel rider. It was eventually written on the shoulder blade bones of camels and when the people decided to make the written copy - the one we use today - they gathered a bunch of different hafiz (memorizers) and wrote down what they had recited.  They were all consistent. Feel free to correct anything wrong I said in here, because this is straight from memory from 3 classes I took 2 years ago.

I guess the point of the entire post is for two reasons:

1. If you are going to claim a religion, at least read the book. If you are Jewish - BE JEWISH. If you are Sikh - BE SIKH!  I don't care! Just know what "Being Jewish" means. Know what the Book says. Know the fundamentals of your religion. Go to temple. Go to church. Go buy a dreidel.  Do what you want.

And, don't tell me you don't agree with aspects of my religion that are also a part of yours.

2. If you're Muslim, please, we need to be so proud of our Quran.  Alhamdulilah wa subhanAllah what a miracle!!! 

I said before: "I would stay up as late as possible reading Qur’an and crying knowing that I was reading the truth. I reflect on how beautiful it is that Allah (swt) gave all of the other Prophets the power to perform miracles for the people of their time to see, but he gave Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa salaam) a miracle that I get to hold in my hands every day, the Qur’an."

Really, it is such an immense blessing and we can't take it for granted.  I'm totally guilty of it, too.

You buy a fancy $200 golden Quran, but you never take it off the shelf.

It's not a decoration.  This isn't Pottery Barn.  This is a miracle.

May Allah (swt) help us all to come closer to Him through whichever path He has decreed for us.  Even if you're not Muslim, He chose a path for you. May He make us all passionate about our knowledge of Him through His Book, and inshaAllah someday I - and millions of others - will become Hafiza of Quran.

"What's Your Name?" "Hannah" "No, I Mean What's Your REAL Name"

This is just a quick one, but something I'd love to tell everyone.

My name is Hannah.  Yep, my REAL name is Hannah.

The day I became Muslim my name was Hannah.

The day I was born my name was Hannah.

The day I lost my first tooth my name was Hannah.

When I die my name will be Hannah. But I might spell it Hana... or not... who knows?

Just.... Hannah.

Always have been ... Hannah.

هانا

Yes, this name has Arabic origins. My family didn't care about that when they named me Hannah.

They heard the name, they liked it.  That was it.

I didn't change my name when I entered Islam, nor did I feel a need to.  And if my name was Shaniqua, I wouldn't have changed it either.

I understand some converts find it important to change their name to an Arabic name, but there's nothing that mandates you must change it.

As long as you have a name that doesn't conflict with Islam, then you are allowed to keep your name!

"According to Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, '...if one's name is Abdul-Messiah, for example, or similar such names, then he is obligated to change it, as the Prophet  had people with the names Abdul-Ka'bah and Abdul-Uzzah change their names upon accepting Islaam. If the original name does not comprise or imply anything forbidden in Islaam, then he or she is permitted to retain it (such as the name George, for example).'"

I like my name, and I don't plan to change it.  Alhamdulilah my parents named me something good - and something that sounds like I've always been Muslim.  I think it's ironic, yes, but I don't think I would have ever changed it anyways.

Also, what I find amusing, is that I have a few convert friends whose names have always been Arabic names - Sarah, Jenna, Mariam, etc...

It's like our parents knew!

My kids will have beautiful Arabic names, inshaAllah someday when I have children.

May we all reflect the goodness of our names and name our children names of goodness that Allah (swt) will be pleased to call us by on earth and in Heaven.

So If You're Muslim, Then Why Are You White? The Difference Between Race and Religion

My friend Lubna recently reminded me of this question I often receive, so I thought I would elaborate :)

Yes, I am white.  Caucasian. My heritage is Czech mostly with a sprinkle of Irish and German, but I'm American.  100% cracker, white girl status.

And, I'm Muslim.  100%... MUSLIM.

So, HOW CAN THAT BE?

Islam is the name of our religion - as Christianity or Judaism is the name of other religions.

Muslim is the name of the person who follows Islam - as Christian or Jew is the name of people who follow other religions.

Caucasian is my race.  As other races are African American, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc...

Your religion is connected to how you perceive the world, who you worship, what you believe in. It has nothing to do with where you were born, or where your parents were born.

You can be a black Buddhist from Budapest.

You can be an Asian Jew from Timbuktu.

And, as you read in my bio, I'm a Caucasian Muslim from Ohio.

(I hope you liked my rhymes).

Yes, I'm learning Arabic.

Yes, I love Arab culture.

Yes, I make kabsa wa kousa mashi wa samboosa (all Arabic foods).

But I'm a white girl.  And I'll always be white.  And I'll never be FROM an Arab country. And I'm very thankful for who I am. I like that I'm different. I love surprising people when they ask "Intee min wein?!" and I say "ana min hon!" (Where are you from? I'm from HERE!").

See, not all Muslims are Arab.  I know people associate Islam with Arabic, Arab culture, etc... , but it's not 100% accurate.

Our Prophet Muhammad (saws) lived in modern-day Saudi Arabia.  This is true.  But, Malaysia actually has the biggest Muslim population in the world.  It's not an Arab country at all!

And, not all Arabs are Muslim - there are many Christian Arabs in Lebanon, for example.

Funny, I know, but my grandma calls me all the time and tells me that she goes to Arab restaurants to feel like she is "in touch with my cultural roots."

Grandma, we're Czech.  My cultural roots include pierogies and kolacky and polka music.  Not Tamer Hosny and falafel.

She told me recently that she's going to start taking matters into her own hands if I don't get married soon and start meeting nice Arab families to marry me off to. I told her I want a nice MUSLIM husband and I explained to her the difference between Arab and Muslim.  I thought she got it.  Then, at the end of the conversation she said she would make sure he was Arab.

I have a feeling she's going to bring home an Israeli guy for me and not know the difference.

I guess that I should say I would prefer that people don't confuse my love for Islam with my love for Arab culture.  I do care about both, very much.  And I feel like I am very influenced by Arab culture, but I'm much more influenced by Islam.

Islam is perfect. Muslims are not. Arab Muslims aren't always the best Muslims.

Islam is a mercy for all mankind.  Not just Arabs.

When a lady at WalMart told me to go back where I came from, I told her I'm from CLEVELAND.

There is a hadith (not sure on how authentic) but it says that Prophet Muhammad said, "O people, know that the Lord and Sustainer is One. Your ancestor is one, your faith is one. The Arabism of anyone of you is not from your mother or father. It is no more than a tongue (language)." (As quoted in Islam The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid p. 125)

May Allah give us the wisdom to realize that Islam is for all people - in all times - of all colors - forever. And, may He give us the tolerance and patience to understand that the diversity of the world is beautiful. Ameen.