The Woman Who Hid That She’s Muslim For 15 Years

[KamaAina]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/woman-hides-being-muslim-15-years_us_5730c1cde4b016f37896746b?

In the days following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, she heard her classmates making disparaging comments about Muslims. There were slurs, she said, and jokes about turbans. Some students wondered aloud if it was safe to ride the Metro when a Muslim was on board.

At the time, her new classmates didn’t know she was Muslim, and Elhan — eager to make friends at a new school in a new country, and afraid of being harassed or even attacked — decided to keep it that way....

She also asked her principal to have teachers call her Amy — a name she heard in American movies and TV shows like “90210” — because it was easy to pronounce, and didn’t sound like a Muslim name. The principal obliged, and her classmates were none the wiser.

For the rest of high school, Elhan had a routine: She’d wear her hijab and Muslim garments out of the house, but change out of them before she got to the bus stop.

[Fumesucker]

1. A lot of us keep our unpopular religious views to ourselves

[rug]

4. You shouldn't have to.

[Fumesucker]

15. Reminded me of a song..

[rug]

18. Which reminded me of this.

Don't let them change ya, oh
Or even rearrange ya
Oh, no
We've got a life to live

[Fumesucker]

22. Moving to something a touch more recent...

Marley and Zeppelin are great but there are some good new artists too...

[rug]

24. I never heard of them. They're good.

Really good.

Thanks.

[TipTok]

42. Depends what they are...

In any case, I encourage folks to let em fly free so I know who to avoid.

[Fumesucker]

55. Generally I try to avoid those who are over fond of sharing their religious views, popular or not

[TipTok]

56. Yeah, but how will you know who the whackadoodles are...

... If they don't self identify.

Preferably before any real effort is expended on them.

[philosslayer]

11. Especially on DU

Mockery is the order of the day. Yet we are supposedly tolerant and oppose bullying. An interesting dichotomy.

[Fumesucker]

12. This is almost the only place I feel comfortable sharing my views

Certainly not out in the non-virtual world, not even all of my family knows what I think.

DU is kind of a mirror image in many ways.

[Nevernose]

13. Good point, although mockery

Is still a damn site better than what many minority viewpoints often face in this country.

(And, hypocritically, I'm often one of the mockers. Guess I'm going to have to think about that for a while...)

[Matrosov]

29. Why give religion a pass?

Misogyny and homophobia are at the very heart of Abrahamic religions, not to mention throughout history Christians have used religion as a justification for racial conquests with great effect (e.g. the Native Americans had to be conquered because they were 'godless savages' and God wanted the land to go to Christians).

Just because not every follower of an Abrahamic religion is a misogynist, homophobe, or racist, doesn't mean these aren't very destructive belief systems anyway.

[rug]

32. Because these actions are directed at a human being.

And she first felt the impact as a child.

Is it that hard to set aside your talking points for a moment and see someone's in pain?

[itcfish]

44. Very Well Said

[philosslayer]

38. Oh i KNEW the bullies would show up eventually.

Thanks for not letting me down.

[Matrosov]

41. Bullying for speaking out against intolerance?

Religion, especially Islam, is the only philosophy that gets a pass among progressives, even though if we were talking about any other ideology that promotes misogyny, homophobia, and racism, most of those people would also be the first to denounce that ideology.

[philosslayer]

43. So then evidently this story makes you happy

That a young woman had to publicly deny her faith and lead a double life for 15 years.

How progressive of you. How tolerant.

[Matrosov]

47. What if she were a white supremacist?

Would anyone care if she had to deny her ideology then?

Perhaps my problem is that I don't understand the distinction. Women in Afghanistan are executed for seeking an education. Homosexuals in Iran and Saudi Arabia are executed for being themselves.

If she were a white girl preaching white supremacy, nobody would have an issue mocking her. But with religion we somehow need to be different?

[philosslayer]

48. Strawman

She's not. My statement stands.

[Matrosov]

53. True, she's not.

But she still subscribes to an ideology that teaches women and homosexuals are inferior, and sometimes they need to be punished accordingly, even if that punishment is death.

..and once again I maintain that we'd have no problem condemning that ideology if it weren't, gasp, shock, horror.. religion.

[itcfish]

45. Nobody is giving

a pass to anyone. Geez, this was a child forced to hide her religion/culture for fear, don't you get it???

[AZ Progressive]

60. Hypocrisy is a de facto American value

[FLPanhandle]

2. In many parts of this country, it's smart to keep atheism under wraps too.

I know I didn't advertise it in HS either.

[rug]

3. Did you change yor clothes before you got to the bus?

[FLPanhandle]

5. What does that have to do with keeping your thoughts on religion secret?

Is this about dress codes or religion beliefs?

[rug]

7. It's about belief, practice and bigotry.

I take it you didn't practice atheism nor were you required to.

Your situation is not analogous.

[FLPanhandle]

8. Right.

Nice of you to say atheists don't experience the same issues.



What an idiot.

[rug]

9. I'm saying what you - as in you - described is inapt.

Thoughtful of you to invoke invisible compadres.

What a whiner.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

14. This story doesn't even get written if you're an atheist

"Who gives a shit, you godless asshole?" would likely be the reporter's reply.

[FLPanhandle]

16. Yep

Look at how Rug responded. Just like you said.

[rug]

19. To be fair, I did not call you a "godless asshole".

I simply took your word that you are godless.

[FLPanhandle]

30. And it's pretty obvious you are bigoted toward atheists

Based on your replies throughout this thread.

Why your hatred?

[rug]

31. No, it's pretty obvious that I have no truck with your-self-centered whine.

And it is that self-centeredness that seeks to diminish what this woman has experienced.

The replies are all to you.

unless, of course, you see yourself as a spokesperson for atheists. In that case, kindly produce your certificate.

[FLPanhandle]

35. Thanks for proving my point

The Muslim girl is a victim of bigotry. An atheist is a self-centered whiner.

You are so obvious.

[rug]

36. Your first sentence is correct. The second needs the indefinite article replaced.

You are so sensitive.

[riderinthestorm]

17. +10000. Atheists are more reviled than Muslims. In HS? x10 on steroids

I was raised fundy and sublimated my atheism as dramatically as this young woman with her belief in Islam.

Funny thing, she gets to re-join her Islamic "family", atheists are still reviled by everyone. There's no going back to a loving flock.

You're just out.

[rug]

20. Why did you put family in quotes? Do you think she has no family?

[riderinthestorm]

23. All Muslims are referred to as brothers and sisters by their fellow believers. "Family"

Atheists have no artificially constructed "families " of nonbelievers to rejoin.

[rug]

25. Believe it or not, Muslims have actual blood families as well.

And atheists have artificially constructed communities beyond their own families.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2015/01/why-people-are-flocking-to-a-new-wave-of-secular-communities-atheist-churches/

http://atheists.org/community

Imagine that.

[riderinthestorm]

37. Agreed. I was just answering your question.

Atheist "churches" are a very new phenomenon however. I think its disingenuous to say there's any kind of formal structure or "family" that atheists can retreat to.

[rug]

21. This strikes me as an "all lives matter" statement.

With a "we have it worse" twist.

Watch the video.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

27. Are you going to pretend atheists are an accepted majority in this country?

Please.

[rug]

28. Much as you'd like it to be, that is not the subject of the OP/

Check your own privilege.

[Fumesucker]

54. The subject of the OP more generally is hiding who you are because of bigotry

For some of us perhaps it is easier to hide than for others but it's still hiding for fear of being discriminated against.

[rug]

6. The video at the link should be watched.

[Albertoo]

26. Implicit wrong assumptions from the girl and the article

The girl calls herself Muslim? The Quran teaches not to make Christian or Jewish friends.
Had she followed through her good heart which led her to prioritize making friends, she might have benefited from reviewing what she calls her belief: that would have been a great boon to her.

And the article implicitly delivers this as a feel-good story of the girl who managed to socialize while holding on to her beliefs. As stated above, her beliefs are incoherent (as the Quran itrself is), and if her beliefs were coherent, in line with the hadiths, then it would be reasonble to ask if it "was safe to ride the Metro when (she as) a Muslim was on board"

Religious ideologies are not innocuous.

[rug]

33. Ah, blame the girl.

http://www.pbs.org/muhammad/ma_otherrel.shtml

Your cherry-picking is not only wrong, it endorses the ediscrimination she's experienced.

[Albertoo]

49. I blamed Islam, not the girl

and your ploy of injecting discrimination compassion is off the point.

Re-read what I wrote: my criticism is 100% directed at Islam, 0% at the girl.

Nice try at bait and switch.

[LanternWaste]

34. That is one of several interpretations...

"The Quran teaches not to make Christian or Jewish friends..."

That is one of several interpretations... unless of course, you allow only for literal interpretations. Adding relevant and contextual passages such as 60:8 and 5:51-52 certainly seems to deny a literal interpretation in this case, but no doubt, you as a learned scholar will allege to know better.

Bias is not innocuous, either.

[Albertoo]

50. What I wrote is what is written in the Quran

Interpretations are excuses.

The Quran tells believers not to make friends among Christians and Jews.

There is zero bias in reading the text as is, there is one in painting rosy readings.

[KamaAina]

39. "The Quran teaches not to make Christian or Jewish friends."

The Qu'ran does not classify Christians or Jews as infidels, but as "people of the book".

[Albertoo]

51. Passages of the Quran equate Christians and Jews to unbelievers

9:30 And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they!

Not that I have any beef in the matter, just the facts.

[dembotoz]

61. i married a fundy woman whose "friends" contended i was not fundy enuf....unevenly yoked

at first i thought it was about eggs


she put up with some shit that i did not hear about til after we moved away......

perhaps that is best cause i would have told them to ......fill in your own blank using whichever profanities float your boat....

[itcfish]

46. The Koran does not say

That! Where do you get this nonsense?

[Albertoo]

52. Quran 5:51 O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends

Pretty much says what I wrote earlier, doesn't it?

[itcfish]

57. Yes that verse was written when they were at war

but it follows, that you failed to include:

(5:58) O ye who believe! take not those for friends who make a jest and sport of your religion from among those who were given the Book before you, and the disbelievers. And fear Allah if you are believers

[60:8] It may be that Allah will bring about love between you and those of them with whom you are now at enmity; and Allah is All-Powerful; and Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.

[60 ] Allah forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable.

[60:10] Allah only forbids you, respecting those who have fought against you on account of your religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and have helped others in driving you out, that you make friends of them, and whosoever makes friends of them — it is these that are the transgressors.

Just to note I think all organized religions are used by the powerful to keep the power. But we must not pick a choose verses from the Koran or the Bible to fit our own agendas. That is my only point.

[Albertoo]

58. Are you kidding? Context to the eternal word of *god*?

Why should context be relevant when the Quran is the eternal uncreated word of God?

[Odin2005]

62. What a load of Islamophobic crap.

[Albertoo]

63. "islamophobia", the magic shield against any critique of Islam

My answer was about Islam and its impact on the girl, not the girl as a person
(to whom I gave credit of probably being a nice, normally sociable individual)

[Behind the Aegis]

40. Something many a GLBT person already understands and knows.

While this is sad, it is also quite rare. It would be better if people were accepted for who they were, but that also isn't the case, certainly not in HS. I wouldn't go back to HS if you paid me!

[LoverOfLiberty]

59. Reminds me of my own life

growing up gay.