I'm Not Islamic: An Open Letter

Since I started my MA in Religious Studies focusing on Islam and the Middle East, there has been one question plaguing my study.

"Are you Islamic/Arabic/Arab/Muslim/an Islamist?"

You name the adjective, I've heard it.

First, as an objective statement, the only appropriate way to ask this question is "Are you a Muslim?" If you want to know about more the definitions and why that's the only question, let me know. That's a separate rant.

And yes, I was explicitly asked if I was a Muslim by my ex-boyfriend's (very Catholic) mother, and yes, the answer to that question is also no, just like the answer to every other adjective you could put in that question relating to the Middle East.

Second, I'm not a Muslim/Islamic/or anything else. I am Rachel. And if we have to add any adjective, then I'm an Islamicist, which is someone who studies and specializes in the Middle East and Islam.

I am an MA Student in Religious Studies studying Islam in the Middle East. I became interested in the Middle East largely after 9/11. It was a huge issue that divided our country, and everyone saw Muslims precisely as "those people:" those people who destroyed our country and were evil and so on and so on. It was one group lumping of evil.

Don't get me wrong, I do not condone the actions of those terrorists who distort Islam to fit their twisted ideology to perform perverse actions that harm others. I hate Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda as much as everyone else. And from what I know of Islamic theology, those people have thoroughly mistaken what jihad means and what the core of Islam is, and will most assuredly be in hell.

But where I became fascinated was the idea that not all Muslims were terrorists. I knew they weren't just one lump group, but I needed evidence and facts to prove it.

In America, when we talk about the 1%, we're talking about the upper wealthy class who has more than everyone else. Think of my research this way: the 1% in Muslim countries are the terrorists. They are the people who have a misunderstanding and consequently perform perverse actions. But those 1% do not define Islam or the Arab World.

My research focuses on this 1% though and looking at what they're misinterpreting and how in doing so and performing acts of terrorism are perpetuating the notion of Islamophobia that rose in the West. I'm essentially that these people are creating their own downfall, while also trying to protect and understand that 99% who are innocent victims. I want to see how the other 99% feel about the 1%, and use that to dispel the Islamophobia that was created because of how horribly the 1% misrepresented their faith.

And most importantly, what I teach focuses on what Islam is and how it began, and how it plays a role in international relations presently. I don't project my research on my students, or try and convert them to Islam. I try and get them to be aware of current events in the world, like the Israel/Palestine Conflict or the Arab Spring, to understand international relations between the US and the Middle East. And never ever have I had a professor who has tried to convert his students. The majority of Religious Studies programs in the US are also secular, and just teach tenets of faiths, and not sermons of conversion.

But there's a reason I'm writing this, and it's not to give you a prospectus of my thesis, or brag about being a graduate student.

Let me preface my rationale by saying this: I'm not perfect. I'm not putting myself on a pedestal because I chose to go to graduate school to study this. I don't know everything. I'm learning.

The conflict between the US and the Middle East is largely rooted in the misunderstanding about how the 1% actually does not represent the truth about what Islam is. And the bottom line is, is that if more people took a moment to ask questions about the other 99%, we would not be in nearly as much conflict as we are, and Islamophobia would not be the outlandish phenomenon that it is. This is simply because we would have a better understanding of the world, and we could attack the 1%, and not the 100%.

I am no saint by going to graduate school to learn about this, but I firmly believe that everyone should take time to learn about the 99%, instead of asking the question of "Are you Islamic?" and trying to lump everyone into the 1% to further perpetuate the cultural divide.

And if for some reason you don't believe me about the 99%, let me tell you a story.

I was in Minnesota this week taking my class on a field trip to meet the other students in their virtual classroom. In the planning stages of the trip, my student told me that he was invited to give the khutba (sermon) at a local Islamic Community Center. Mind you, our class has an interesting dynamic. My student is a practicing Muslim, our chaperone is a practicing Muslim, and then myself and the other student are just people looking to learn more about the Middle East. We were extended the invitation to come to the mosque and observe, but we were also extended the invitation to stay behind, because the practicers in our group did not want to make the non-practicers uncomfortable and for us to feel like some beliefs were being forced upon us. (Read: Islam is not intended as a proselytizing religion or as a religion of forced conversion). We decided to go and observe just for experiences of understanding the five pillars and six articles we had learned about in class.

We arrived at the mosque. The Brothers (the men) went to the front and prepared themselves to listen. The Sisters (the women, or myself and my other student), went to the back for the sisters section. Disclaimer: the lump grouping of sisters just means women, not necessarily practicing female Muslims. Out of respect, we covered our heads and took off our shoes (much like I did in India). We went to the back and sat in the corner, only slightly smiling and nodding at the other women out of respect, but otherwise minded our own business. When the time came to perform the rak'ah (cycles of prayer), we remained seated and observed. Prayers ended, and we stayed seated observing the community formation.

A woman named Sarah came up to herself and introduce herself and welcomed us and asked how we came to find their mosque. We explained our visit to MN and our relation to the imam (the man giving the sermon or Khutba is my student), and how we wanted to come and observe and learn for our class.

Sarah's reaction at this point will never leave my mind. She welcomed us and thanked us for coming to learn. She introduced us to the other Sisters around us, and told us about the mosque and her history with the mosque and in the US. She explained how grateful she was for people like myself and my students because she is from Pakistan, a region largely plagued by conflict, and she wished more people would take the time to learn. She then invited us to come and observe whenever we would like, and to join them for Ramadan, where they would be happy to feed us and introduce us to the rest of their community. Ramadan is the singular most sacred time for Muslims, so to be asked to come and observe Ramadan and to be fed by them and learn from their experiences is a huge honor, and it was a social and learning invitation, not a conversion opportunity.

In all of this, here's what you should read. Sarah is the 99%. Sarah is an incredibly kind woman who has her beliefs, but will keep them to herself until you explicitly say you want to convert or you want to participate. She welcomes those who want to observe, and respects anyone and everyone who wants to take the time to learn. In fact, she wishes more people would observe and get to know them and take the time to learn.

And if you don't yet grasp the reality of the misunderstanding between us and the 99%, you would have when you walked out of the mosque to find armed guards guarding the surrounding area as people came in and out for afternoon prayers. Because people are so angry at the 1% that they will physically harm the 99% in retaliation for the 1%.

I am not a Muslim. I am not Islamic/Arabic/Arab/or anything else. I do not support the 1% who are deemed as terrorists. I fully despise the 1% for their false actions that misconvey what Islam is. But I believe in the 99%, and I want nothing more than to understand the 99%. To me, I just think I'm taking the time to be a global citizen and understand other people, and then to teach that to future generations in hopes of living in a world not entirely plagued by conflict.

And if there were more people who asked "What is Islam?" instead of "Are you Islamic?", soon, our population in the US would understand the vast difference between the 99% and the 1%, and somehow, the world just might be a little better place.

On waiting.

http://aaronbleyaert.tumblr.com/post/109959086957

In the middle.

Hello friends!

I apologize for my absence. It's been a crazy three weeks, and the rule of thumb is sleep over all else. But alas, here we go.

It's been a crazy trip. So far, we've visited New Delhi, Mathura, Agra, Jaipur, Tilonia, and back to Jaipur. My life has consisted of living out of a suitcase and praying for hot water above all else. Then good food next. And the continual quest for chocolate.

Anyways.

As expected, I'm in love. (With India, that is). But for many reasons.

First, it is just a beautiful city. On one hand, everywhere you turn is a monument or a landmark that will take your breathe away with its careful design and grandiose scale. Seriously. It's incredible. But oddly enough, the thing I find the most beautiful is the juxtaposition. From the majority of the landmarks we've visited, within a fifty foot radius from the site is some kind of extreme poverty. No, people living in poverty isn't beautiful. Actually, it's kind of heart-breaking when a mother comes up to you with a child and asks you for money. But what's beautiful is the potential you see from the two paired together. Potential for greater lives and a greater city because you can see what these people are capable of, and what kind of life they can eventually have. And believe me, the majority of them seem to want to work hard to have a better life.

Second, I've learned to love and crave Indian food. It's bizarre. And usually one meal is Indian food and the next is french fries. But anyways.

Third, there's a kind of equality and tolerance that will absolutely blow your mind. India is primarily made up of Hindus (which are broken down in various ways). But there is also an incredibly large Muslim population too. For example, we were downtown the other day in a Hindu part of town when vans of Muslims came through in celebration of some holiday. No one blinked. As Americans, we get looked at funny for a minute or two, and then people welcome us with open arms. Sure, the caste system exists. But there is no hierarchy of race or religion here. It's a mind blowing concept, but it will definitely change you.

Fourth, the education. There's a large majority of the population that is technically uneducated due to the country's rate of development. However, that's changing. Children are going to night schools with their family. While here, we visited a place called Barefoot College in Tilonia. The college takes only elderly women from all across the world and trains them to be solar engineers so they can give electricity to their village. Keep in mind, none of these women have had higher than a third grade education, and none of them speak the same language. But the college has devised a plan by which through pictures they can teach these women the engineering capabilities to light a village, and then these women can teach younger generations and other women who come to the school. I'm about to graduate college, and I couldn't dream of doing what they do. But they do it with such passion and such success that it really changes the way that America places an emphasis on such high education for often menial tasks.

Though I could go on forever, I'll end on the fifth, the children. No matter where you go, these children are the happiest children you will ever see. They always have smiles on their faces even in the worst of living conditions. They are thrilled with the simplest things. They really bring perspective to you. And personally, I melt around them, and I just want to stay and hang out with them forever.

A brief story to bring it home. While we visited Barefoot College, we had the opportunity to paint a mural for the community. Children ran back and forth, but there was one little girl who always stayed to watch. Finally, I motioned for her to sit with me, and she did so joyfully. We quietly admired the mural together. She went and got her younger brother to watch with us too. A few minutes later a friend of mine gave her a notepad to draw. She thought this was quite possibly the coolest thing ever. When she finished her drawing, she pointed around trying to explain things, and she pointed to the part of the drawing where she drew me. As if I wasn't already about to cry at her sweetness, it gets better. I gave her the drawing, and she ran off thrilled to show everyone. But she came back. We looked at my camera together and she loved pointing to see who was who and how it worked. She began looking through my bag and things, and she found my book. She thumbed through, and eventually ran across my Angry Birds bookmark. (Yes, I have an angry birds bookmark. Judge me.) She carefully considered it for a while and then gave it back. I gave her the bookmark, and the look of disbelief she had on her face when she had something so special to her that cost me fifty cents at target will forever be in my head. She then proceeded to go show her friends, and throughout the next few hours I watched her friends around the village watching it. I never saw her again, but I like to think I made her day. I know she made my year.

Some Thoughts.

Hello friends!

First of all, I apologize for the lack of updates. Rickshaws and third world countries don't have the best wifi, sadly. And for a lack of a more connected and philosophical thought process, here's some thoughts.

Speaking of rickshaws, they're terrifying, but super wonderful.

My camera is my best friend.

I'm convinced there's an Indian mafia and they own everything.

The British influence here is ridiculous.

I miss American food. My list of things I want to eat upon return is growing by the minute. Day 1 will consist of Starbucks, bacon and eggs for breakfast, chipotle for lunch, and homemade pizza for dinner. Then following week my goal is to eat chips and queso, sushi, Nodo, froyo, and cupcakes. NOM.

I'm learning to like Indian food. But for a rice based country, being gluten free here is a struggle.

Wine and McDonald's french fries are just as good in India.

I love harem pants. Seriously. Try a pair. Or 12. And yes, even though my wardrobe in India is all harem pants, I still only work in black, or very very dark grey.

After visiting several world renowned monuments, I'm in awe of such beautiful craftsmanship. Seriously everything you look at is absolutely gorgeous and intricately detailed. As a culture, it's clear aesthetics are super important. And I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life studying Indo-Islamic art history.

I still can't draw.

Indians are incredibly accepting. On one hand, Hinduism is a tolerant religion, so they happily coexist with Muslims and Buddhists. For example, the other day we were having coffee in a nice part of town. In the middle, trucks of Muslims drive through with loud music and flags. Apparently they had some kind of major festival. But mind you, though they were celebrating, they didn't disrupt anyone, and no one minded their celebration. Tolerance is definitely the mantra.

For as much as Americans don't accept Indians and Muslims, people here LOVE Americans. Partially, they think tourists are famous. Literally, I've never been so popular for being pale. But nevermind that. The important thing is, these people are accepting and accommodating to new cultures and people and creating a friendly environment, which is something not done in America. It's just sad to think how poorly they're treated when they come to the U.S. looking for a better life.

I'm convinced everyone should have at least one experience where they aren't the racial majority and don't speak the national language.

The kids here are the happiest ever. We were told early on to not interact with the kids because then we aren't enabling them to be hawkers and not go to school. I've seen a range of kids from well dressed and educated to naked and hawking stuff. The bottom line is these kids are the happiest people you'll ever meet, no matter what. There's so many I just want to pick up and love. We've gotten to have pictures with some classes, and it's been so wonderful to see their faces light up. And the thought of spending a year teaching these kids English is actually pretty great.

Have I mentioned it's beautiful here? Because it is. But what's fascinating is that the beautiful parts are also met with parts of utter devastation and poverty. We stayed at a five star hotel and right past the fence were naked homeless children and cows eating trash. Fascinating, really.

And yes, there are cows and goats everywhere. The dogs are nicer than expected, but watch out for them monkeys.

Never has my angry bitch face been more effective and necessary than here when there are hawkers following you and yelling at you.

I'm not good at constant motion. We've been moving cities every couple of nights and it's very hard to be so transient. But yes, I still love to travel.

Most importantly, I'm pretty sure I'm meant to be here. Everything is beautiful. The city is crazy busy. Everyone wears scarves all the time and is frequently barefoot. People eat with their fingers exclusively. Oh, and there's coffee breaks every three hours. Seriously, it's my kind of place. I just need to import Starbucks and Chipotle.

My new bucket list includes seeing all seven wonders of the world and visiting all seven Baha'i temples. I've got one of each down! Oh, and see all UNESCO world heritage sites.

We're about half way through the trip now. I'll admit, between jet lag and food issues, it was a pretty rough start. And I still have days where I miss home and food. But I do love it here. And I couldn't have asked for a better study abroad experience or first trip out of the country. It's been educational, it's been eye opening, it's been fun and interesting and engaging, and a million other adjectives. But most importantly, it's been freeing. To get lost in the monuments and your surroundings. To break out of customs and norms and habits. To try new things. To just get outside the box.

I could go on forever, but for now, I have a window to look out of and India to explore. See y'all in 12 days! Namaste.

Day 4

These school kids were on their holiday, and they came to visit Qutab Minar. When we walked out they started screaming and waving, so we went to take a picture. The absolute happiest kids ever <3