ggle

10 Misconceptions About Islam That Muslim

Americans Are Tired of Hearing
It's time to get educated.

Hishaam SiddiqiJUL 6, 2015 6:20PM EDT

Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images

"Can you grab that bottle of Sriracha on the top shelf?" my mother asked, as
we made our way down the "ethnic" aisle at our local grocery store. It was
around 5:30pm, my father was almost home from work, and my mother and I
were out getting last minute ingredients for dinner. As we waited in the
checkout line, waiting to pay for our goods, I hear a voice behind me, "You
here to steal something?"

I turn around to find a tall man, broad shoulders, a baseball cap pulled low
over his forehead, looking straight at my mother. I stand there bewildered,
wondering if this was an acquaintance of hers trying to be funny or make some
sort of weird joke.
"Are you here to blow something up? Why are you wearing that?" he barks
again, referring to my mother's hijab and abaya. At this point, everyone within
earshot tenses up and I find myself flooding with both embarrassment and
panic. What was this guy trying to get at? We were just at the grocery store
trying to get home on time, and this man, who we had never seen before, was
going out of his way to harass my mother.

# FEED OF THE WEEK

@aspynovard

Lifestyle Vlogger & Blogger

Unfortunately, this wasn't an isolated incident. My mother, petite as she may

be, has no problem holding her own and isn't new to being singled out and
hassled for her choice of Islamic clothing. She clearly and eloquently explained
her religious garb to the man, told him to not yell at her, and swiftly sent him
on his way.
Growing up, I've had plenty of these experiences. Whether it was strange looks
at my mother or jokes about my Arabic name, life as a Muslim in post 9/11
America isn't the cutest feeling. The constant villainization of Muslims in
mainstream media makes it difficult to do even simple things such as buy
groceries or get through airport security without crude jokes or dangerous
assumptions, and with the murder of three innocent Muslim kids in Chapel
Hill this past year, it's clear that stereotyping can lead to even fatal
consequences.
Fortunately we live in the age of technology and open informationwe don't
always have to be victims of ignorance and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
Misconceptions can be overcome with a simple but powerful thing,
knowledge: here are ten common misconceptions about Islam and Muslims to
help you break the cycle.

1. Muslim women have no rights

This is definitely a hot-topic and complicated issue but one of my favorite
misconceptions to tackle. It's important to realize the difference between
cultural influences and religious policy. Many countries across the world,
including Muslim countries, have patriarchal cultures (cultures in which men
are automatically assumed to lead), which are often socially constructed and
influenced by the traditions, gender roles, and practices of that culture. Islam
as a religion, however, preaches equality of the sexes. There are many Muslim
women who have made great accomplishments in the fields of science,
entertainment, academia, art, and politicsjust this year, Ameenah GuribFakim, a professor of biology, became president of Muslim majority African
country Mauritius!
2. Muslims worship a different God
A lot of people think Allah is a specific Islamic deity, but really it just means
'god' in Arabic. Christian Arabs even use the word Allah when referring or
praying to God. And since Islam is an Abrahamic religion, Muslims believe
Allah is the same God who Jesus, Moses, and other biblical prophets all
prayed to.
3. Islam doesn't mix with other religions Again, it's important to make
the distinction between the behavior of various cultures and politics of
countries compared to actual religious theology. Islam is an Abrahamic
religion, which is in the same family of religions as Judaism and Christianity.
All three of the religions share many similarities, including important religious
figures, historical events, and spiritual beliefs. In fact, Muslims are religiously
required to believe in Jesus as a divine prophet. There have been numerous
periods of history throughout the Middle East where Muslims, Jews, and
Christians lived together for centuries.

4. Muslims must engage in Jihad, also known as holy-war

This misconception was a huge buzzword right after 9/11 and still does come
up every now and then. A lot of people misconstrue Jihad to be a religious
agenda to wage war, and is often cited as the reasoning for much of fringe
Islamic extremism. However, Jihad doesn't necessarily mean holy-war, it
means to simply struggle for Godan overwhelming majority of Muslims are
nonviolent and unfairly lumped with Islamic extremists. Jihad, as most
Muslims see it, can include anything from wearing a head scarf to school even
though you get teased for it to setting aside allowance money to donate. While
fighting for your religious beliefs can be a form of jihad, the term itself refers
to any sort of struggle to do good.
5. Sharia Law is taking over the United States
I always roll my eyes at this one. Sharia law is the theory of Islamic law,
derived from centuries old religious and historical texts, which outlines things
such as how to settle finances after divorce, the legality of adoption, social
etiquette, economics, and other spiritual topics. Almost every time I've heard
the word Sharia Law on the news, it's been fear mongering that's had little to
nothing to do with the actual body of laws. There's no broad Islamic drive to
push religious laws onto other political systems.
6. All Muslims are Arabs
Couldn't be further from the truth! Out of the 1.6 billion Muslims living
worldwide, over 60% of them are from South and South East Asia, with
Indonesia being the most populous Muslim country, followed by Pakistan. In
the United States, the largest Muslim demographic is African-American
followed by South Asian. Not all Arabs are Muslims eithermany Arab
countries have very large and historic Christian and Jewish populations.

7. Muslim women are forced to cover up

Although Islamic teachings do require women to dress modestly, how a
woman chooses to cover herself and to what degree is under her autonomy.
The different ways Muslim women cover varies both religiously (from simple
headscarves to full robes) and also culturally, with each region having it's on
take on modest clothing. Unfortunately, many patriarchal societies exploit this
and force women to cover in order to systematically subjugate them.
8. Muslims starve for an entire month every year
This one is more of a misunderstanding than a misconception but it always
makes me laugh because I hear it every year. Ramadan is a month in which
Muslims partake in various charitable and religious activities, most prominent
of which is fasting from sunrise to sunset in order to learn humility and
appreciate their blessings. But you won't believe how many people I've met
who actually think we don't eat or drink the entire monthnot true! Although
we do fast for one month, abstaining from food and drink only takes place
during daylight hours, which usually ends with a big feast at sunset and way
too many people over eating and raiding the fridge at 3am.
9. Muslim Men are encouraged to practice polygamy
This misconception gets brought up a lot but a little historical context helps us
better understand. Fourteen hundred years ago, during the rise of Islam,
social structures did not provide women with the same assistance as they do
todaywomen needed marriages not just romantically, but also as a means of
protection, housing, employment, and tribalism. The law of allowing Muslim
men to marry multiple wives was explicitly introduced so as to help widowed
and divorced women retain social wellbeing. More importantly, Muslim men
are discouraged from marrying more than one wife if they are unable to
provide for them equally financially and emotionally. In many Muslim

countries, and even Muslim communities here in the West, polygamy is looked
down upon and considered an outdated tradition.
10. Muhammad was the founder of Islam
Historians might consider Muhammad the one who introduced Islam, but
Muslims believe Islam to be the same message revealed by Jesus, Moses, and
all the other Biblical prophets. Additionally, Muslims do not pray to or
worship Muhammad, if anything it is emphasized that he was human just like
everyone else.