Wozza's Place...: Well, I could a had a religion (Muddy Waters)

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Well, I could a had a religion (Muddy Waters)

As-salam alaykum. I read this article in the Guardian Weekly this week and it seemed an obvious one to share. Many of our friends share the western view of Islam and the stereotypes associated with Islamic women in particular. This article probably won't change their view but I found it interesting.

Having lived in the Middle East and having had a joyful experience working with both Arabic men and women there I read the article and felt that admiration again that Kristiane Backer expresses (her quote is down below).

Anyway - it's a great article about western women converting to Islam...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/11/islam-converts-british-women-prejudice

Some pull quotes from the women being interviewed:

I stopped seeing [Islamic practices] as restrictions on personal freedom and realised they were ways of achieving self-control. (Ioni Sullivan - pictured above)

[The headscarf] can attract negative attention from people who stereotype "visibly" Muslim women as oppressed or terrorist. (Anita Nayyar)

The Muslims I met touched me profoundly through their generosity, dignity and readiness to sacrifice for others. (Kristiane Backer)

Love and peace - Wozza

1 comment:

Crazy and opinionated said...: Being a Muslim female who wears a hijab, I have come across people who would refuse to talk to me, people who assume that I am uneducated and oppressed. On the other hand, the world is filled with accepting, and understanding people. The people who set out to bother you are few but they media hypes it so much that you'd think this is the norm. Most people who disapprove will stare and walk away :/; November 28, 2013 at 8:17 PM

A folly

The Master says:

Write. Whether it's a letter or a diary or a few jottings as you talk on the phone, just write. Writing brings us closer to God and to our fellow humans. If you want to have a better understanding of your role in the world, write. Try to put your whole soul into writing, even if no one else will ever read it or, worse, even if someone does end up reading something you didn't want them to read. The mere fact of writing helps us to organise our thoughts and to see the world around us more clearly. A piece of paper and a pen can perform miracles - assuage sorrows, make dreams reality, take away and restore lost hopes. The word is power. Paulo Coelho

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