I am sorry the way you are treated often by your fellow Muslims brothers and sisters.
I am sorry, ladies, for people who lecture you at the Mosque to start wearing hijab right away.
I am sorry, ladies, if you DO wear hijab, yet women scold you for what you're wearing.
I am sorry if person tells you your prayer is invalid because you did not recite the Quran in Arabic.
I am sorry if people continue to tell you to learn Arabic so you can pray properly.
I am sorry if you were ever told you must change your first name to a "Muslim" name.
I am sorry if you are constantly being nagged at how "wrong" you prayed and you must learn how to pray fast.
I am sorry if people tell you that if you don't pray five times a day, then you're not a good Muslim.
I am sorry if people tell you, guys, that you must grow a beard asap.
I am sorry if you are told to stop listening to music right away because it's all "haram"
I am sorry if you are told to give your dog away.
I am sorry if someone rolls his/her eyes at you if you ask a question.
I am sorry people look down at you because you were not "born" a Muslim.
I am sorry if people give you incorrect "fatwas"
I am sorry if people are shocked at you if you tell them you miss drinking.
I am sorry it people enforce their cultural practices on you.
I am sorry if people tell you to stop celebrating thanksgiving, mother's day, Fourth of July (i.e. your American holidays and traditions).
I am sorry if people often forget that the prophet's (pbuh) closes friends were converts themselves.
I am sorry for people's stupidity, ignorance and arrogance.
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Please comment down below about what else people should apologize to converts for ...
I'm speechless.. I love it.. Thank you so much... This really sums it all up.. :)
ReplyDeleteyes, I do want to say something. It'll be a year I reverted on the 27th. I still have no Muslim friends. The hijabis Ive met almost ruined my getting married. The Masjids seemed all money hungry. Reverting isnt the end. It's still a long fight. Deciding to wear hijab. Family becoming the enemy. Knowing hijab is the reason for not getting the job. Inshallah other reverts find good, authentic sources they can trust for accurate information to keep gaining knowledge, stay strong and remember Islam is about peace.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's been 13 years since I've converted and some of the things in your list still bring tears to my eyes. I've become a lot tougher as I've grown older and more comfortable with my faith...but it was really hard in the beginning. I wish I'd known you back then. :-)
ReplyDeleteFour years and growing stronger day by day. This should be posted on the bulletin board of every masjid in our land.
ReplyDeleteword!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this! It's been 1.5 years since I've reverted & I've faced much of what you've written here.... TY for writing this - you've brightened my day so much! Much love to you, dear sister. :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou Thankyou Thankyou!
ReplyDeleteNicely done, thank you! Unfortunately the list could go on and on...'your wudu is invalid because you are wearing nail polish', 'just so you know, your pants should cover your ankles', 'feminist ideas contradict Islam' and my personal favorite 'A Muslim woman cannot be married to a non-muslim, you should get a divorce.'
ReplyDeleteFrances LaMielle
Also, the accusations from others about why we have reverted. We did it because we are Brainwashed, we did it for Marriage, We did it because it's Cliché.... As if we don't have a mind of our own...
ReplyDeleteaawww this was so sweet! even though we might have it rough, being born muslim isn't easy either. being a muslim in general isn't easy. this post applies to anyone who is striving to be better. thanks for the encouragement <3 <3
ReplyDeletemashallah!
ReplyDeleteSo much of this is experienced by so many converts, including myself. Almost a year since I converted, and i've been through quite of few of these things.
nicely done!
MarshaAllah! May Allah bless you always... :)
ReplyDeleteSamara, thank you for your comment. I am sure you will be rewarded by being so patient!
ReplyDeleteAmanda, you are welcome! I, too, wish I had known you before. God bless you!
Faris - I really wish more mosques would talk about this. Haven't heard a talk at the masjid before about this issue. Thank you.
Teresa, thank you! May God bless you.
Aly, you are welcome!
Anonymous- absolutely. Many more need to be added to the list. These are ones that my convert friends have actually heard themselves.
Saluff- I agree. It is a struggle and we must constantly try to be better and fulfill our duties as Muslims--regardless of being a convert or not.
Anonymous- May Allah bless us all!
GREAT post! I'm definitely RTing it!
ReplyDelete(So cool that I recognize most of the commenters lol)
I love this! Thanks Aya!
ReplyDelete-Hollie
Asalaamu'alaikum Aya, this is really beautiful, masha'allah. Although I'm sure many people could have used this years ago, there's no time like the present to feel comforted by it now. Thank you...
ReplyDeleteI have one question for you-- what would you say to people who tell converts not to celebrate holidays they were used to celebrating (and many Muslims do) such as Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Mother's Day? It's often told to converts (at leat in my experience) that these are "haram".
THank you Hollie and Saif -- glad you both liked it!
ReplyDeleteYvonne, you are welcome. I am so humbled by all the comments on here. About the question you asked, I definitely don't see anything wrong with celebrating cultural holidays (4th of July, MOther's day, etc). It saddens me when converts, especially, don't celebrate those holidays with their families which then distances them away from them. Suhaib Webb often talks about how these holidays are fine to celebrate being an American Muslim!
Sigh...I get so tired of being told that "dogs are illegal in Islam" every time people find out that my (Saudi) husband and I have (and absolutely adore our) two dogs. Sometimes when I mention something about my dogs in the presence of other Muslims, all the Arabic speakers will suddenly begin chatting to each other in hushed tones, and someone tells me, "They're talking about how dogs are illegal in Islam." I don't know if that's more annoying than people coming right out and just telling me that "having dogs is haram," which happens a lot, too.
ReplyDeleteI also love when I get chastised for referring to myself as a "convert" and am then informed that I should be saying "revert" because, you know, we're all born Muslim. And then two arguments later they're playing the (supposedly nonexistent) "I am a born Muslim" card in an attempt to support their argument that dogs (eyebrow plucking, birthday cakes, Taylor Swift songs, whatever) are haram. That always makes me chuckle...
Finally, I just love when other Muslims ask about my conversion story, and as I tell it they nod politely, and then later on in the conversation I mention that my husband is Saudi and then there is this lightbulb that goes on behind their eyes, and they say something along the lines of, "Oh, so you converted so you could get married to your husband..." *facepalm*
From a "born" Muslim person, I am appalled at how converts are treated. May Allah swt make things easy for you and may He make "born" Muslims more understanding.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing everyone's story. I am not a convert but have been pulled within the last year to Islam. Thankyou for sharing your stories and I hope you all continue to share them.
ReplyDelete