American Dreamers
Posted on July 23rd, 2007 by Tariq Nelson
Newsweek has some articles and multimedia galleries on Muslims in America
Here are some of them:
Doing battle with the internet jihadees (AKA the lunatics who condone murder)
.
Additionally there is this article that reports a power struggle between some of the madmen with foam at the mouth
Filed under: Convert Issues, Muslim Isolation
From the article about the girl who took off her hijab:
“But the people who were affected most by it were Muslim men, my boyfriend and my father, because when I was wearing hijab they got weird looks, too. ”
As she had a boyfriend whilst wearing hijab, it would seem covering her head was the least of her issues. She allowed American society to make her take her hijab off, it seems these same societal pressures maybe made her have a boyfriend as well?
I am completely unimpressed by her actions.
I know many Muslim women who put on their hijabs after 9/11 despite what their fathers and brothers thought. They worried more about what God thought……..and that is the same reason these same girls didnt have boyfriends.
It is articles like this, no……..people like this, that often make Muslims look like hypocrites. The logical thought here is “why wear hijab for modesty when you have a boyfriend, that is not the action of the modest.”
It is just like on another forum a non Muslim pointed out that the hijab is a joke because 75% of the people they see wearing it have skin tight pants on, enough make-up and perfume on to be see and smelled from 50 feet away, and being loud and obnoxious at schools and malls where they are hanging out with loads of guys.
They pointed out they had seen Muslim families, mom with cleavage showing, daughters wearing skin tight pants, with the Muslim father there not seeming to care. As if the hijab was all that was needed for modesty.
I almost wonder if people like this would be okay with the femakes in their family going nude, as long as their hair is covered? Interesting to note that the girl places a high priority on the fear/discomfort of the men in her life, rather than their worry that she do the right thing as a Muslimah. As always it is the interests of the male that win, whether it is to cover or not to cover.
It is no wonder people look at Muslims and shake their head when I, as a Muslim, do the same thing.
Perhaps, we should not judge her so harshly. She is a young woman; a young Muslim, growing in this secular society, in that alone allah ta ‘ala has placed before her a test. And an even greater test, than this everyday struggle, that so many of us in our own ways face, because it has been published for the whole world to criticize and opine, despite the intentions of the publishers. Rather than being harsh, perhaps we should make du’a for the young lady, she is a mu’mina, is she not. Make du’a for her that allah ta ‘ala give her clear Guidance, that I think is best.
maa’ salamah
I rather pray Du’a for the Muslims that might be inflicted with insults and curses because non Muslims see the hypocrisy in her actions. I pray Du’a for the women, who despite being told to uncover by male members of their own family, choose God instead of their own fathers, brothers, husbands and uncles. I pray Du’a for the young men and women in this country, who although surounded by the sin, still choose the way of God.
For her I pray that she recognises her own hypocrisy, and how articles like this that point them out, actually hurt the Muslim community here in the USA, not help it. I pray that her father, rather than lead her away from Allah, helps her to become better in her deen. The first lesson should be “sitra”.
I pray that all women and men who wear clothes and hairstyles that mark them out as Muslim realise that whether they like it or not they are going to be seen as ambassadors for Islam. I pray that they realise this and do their best to live up to it.
Ameen.
ya akhi wa allahu a’alam.
Ahem, I believe in equal opportunity criticizing.
If we are going to get on women for their inconsitencies of Islamic dress. I think we should also get on the brothers who are not so modest, are not following sunnah in their appearance as well or being very good ambassadors. I get pretty tired of seeing sisters in jilbabs and big triangle scarves while their husbands rock shorts and tight t-shirts. Or don’t get me started on crack, crack kills by the way. And when your pants hang below your awra, doesn’t that invalidate your prayer? Also, I know brothers who dress all sunnah and but are complete womanizers. They have girlsfriends on the side and say that they are giving the sisters dawa. Some of these brothers have wives already, then make their girlfriends co-wives in those halal quickie under the cover marriages.
I think this is a somewhat interesting series by Newsweek. Even though I don’t particularly like everything about the series — I do hope that it will yield something positive for our Dawah in the US.
Margari,
Had the article been about a brother who sported a Sunnah beard, wore Sunnah pants and then talked about his girlfriend I would have certainly mentioned it. In this case, however, it was a girl talking about her experiences with hijab and how her boyfriend’s fear played a role in her choosing not to wear it.
I have mentioned many times on different forums the women who, Masha’Allah, dress very nice and conservatively only to be walking with their husband wearing a wife beater, shorts above his knees and sporting gold chains.
But like I said, this wasnt an article about them. I could have brought up Khaliji Arabs who think they are the next best thing to the Prophet but spend their Ramadans in Europe living the good life. Once again……….the article wasnt about them.
Salaam
Brother Abu Sinan:
I have some thoughts I would like to share with you, and a question for you too. Hopefully you don’t mind.
Forgive me if I’m jumping around a little bit as I’m trying to type and keep my 2 year old distracted at the same time!
First things first: Hijab. I read your response about the decision of a young lady to remove her hijab. I also just recently read a news report article about another young lady who is fighting to keep her hijab on and play soccer. A group of Muslims known as “Progressive Muslim Union” promptly issued a statement declaring that “Muslim women do not half to cover up.” Of course your response and their response concerning hijab is on the opposite side of the spectrum obviously.
Concerning the young lady fighting to keep her hijab on, I’d half to agree with your comment in your first post that articles like this may hinder Muslim women who wish to practice Hijab as an act of faith or tradition. What I’m trying to understand is “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along” or better yet “Live and Let Live?” Why aren’t both options ( hijab or no hijab) an option?
This is something else I’m wondering about: The American Jewish community has divided themselves up based upon their “Minhag” ( Minhaj) you will find Orthodox Conservative Reform Liberal and Progressive
Jewish congregations that manage to some how work for the collective good of their entire community and the society at large. Do you think maybe our ( American Muslim community) could take the Jewish community here as an example? Despite our disagreements concerning their community’s position on foreign policy should we dismiss everything about how they have managed to preserve their heritage while succeeding in the society ( especially in leadership positions in government)? Have you seen brother Umar post about the Jewish community helping the Bosnian Muslims becuase they see the same exact struggle?
I’m asking this becuase I think that issues such as hijab and G-d knows there are many others, would be so much easily resolved if we did the same things legally, publicly, and officially. It’s not enough for something to be unspoken or just assumed. If a Mosque said ” Orthodox Islamic Mosque” or ” Progressive Islamic Mosque” and a member chose to or not practice a tradition or act of worship it would be based on the minhaj of that congregation? Am I making sense brother?
That way no one group can “own Islam” or become it’s sole monopoly. I think the reaction of the Progressive Muslim Union was inappropriate especially becuase a child/minor is involved. I can’t even begin to imagine her devastation at the lack of support and condemnation of her choice, just like, I can’t even imagine condemnation of this young lady mentioned in the article.
What do you think brother?
Concerning the entire series, I do half to be honest and say I feel that African American Muslims are constantly being marginalized by the media. I don’t know what’s up with that, but that is just so not cool anymore..
Umm Amina,
We can all get along. I am all for the choice to wear or not to wear hijab. My issue is that the young girl based, in part, her choice not to wear the hijab on her boyfriend’s feelings.
I think when you wear hijab you really become an ambassador for Islam. Just like any guy wearing a Sunnah beard, kufi and short pants, your actions and the things you say and do directly reflect on other Muslims.
In this case the hijab is supposed to be a sign of modesty. That is why Muslims fight for the right to wear it. When you have a boyfriend, you date, then that throws the modesty argument in favour of the hijab out the window. When you are a young single woman and you have a boyfriend, modesty isnt an issue, and trust me, non Muslims point this out all of the time, as well as women who wear hijab and wear tight clothes ect. Their actions make it harder for other Muslims who want to wear the hijab, it undercuts their rational behind wearing it.
I certainly would NOT want to take the Jewish community as an example, in regards to religion, for Muslims. You’ll find that a majority of Jews now marry outside their religion, the number of Jews practicing Judaism of any kind is way down. This is NOT an example of what I would want the Muslim community to follow. Judaism in the USA, is in free fall. This is why I support the movement amoungst Jews to become more religious, more observant.
I dont want to see in 50 years a Muslim community where more than 50% of Muslims marry non Muslims, where the majority of Muslim children knows nothing about their religion and dont practice, where the name “Muslim” as become nothing more than an ethnic marker.
I believe many Jews have preserved their culture, but left their religion behind. I do not believe in a “cultural Muslim/Jew/Christian”. Either you are a Jew/Muslim/Christian who practices or you are not a Jew. I would hate to see the Muslim community become a group of people for whom their religion is nothing more than “heritage”. There is a HUGE difference between heritage and religion, and it is sad to say that most American Jews do not practice the religion anymore, they honour the “heritage”. It is the same in Israel where a majority of Jews do not practice their religion, rather they honour the “heritage”.
That is not what I would want at all, God forbid.
I have no problem at all people having different ideas of what to do religiously. I dont want someone getting on me about not wearing short pants. My wife doesnt wear hijab, although I would argue in her dress and behavior she is more modest than 50% of women who do wear it.
The example you point to, the Jewish community in the USA, is a poor one. It is loosing followers, its numbers are diluting, and to a certain extent some of them are changing the religion so much as to be unrecognizable. So no, I dont want what they have for the Muslim community.
Oh! Sorry, I misunderstood you brother! Yikes! : )
I didn’t realize that you had an issue with her behaviour ( boy friend/dating).
Thanks for your response concerning the Jewish community, it gives me something to think about..
I can’t help but wonder if they ended up as you have described them becuase they are not in a Jewish society?
I’m trying to advocate a Calipha state for Muslims but I really do wonder now..
Thanks have a good day!
Correction:
I meant to say:
“I’m NOT trying to advocate a Calipha state for Muslims”
my fav quote: “I felt like it was incredibly liberating to wear hijab because I was moving away from that pressure to wear this or that or whether my thighs were OK. I felt like “judge me for what I’m saying as opposed to what I look like.”
btw, I just read the article, and she doesn’t mention a boyfriend. In that quote above, she says “males friends.”