Author’s note:
This post is written as a result of a website that had been displayed on my Facebook timeline, called “gaymuslims.org”. So, since it was posted on my wall, I had decided to just take a look at what they were talking about. Usually, most Muslims, particularly Muslim men, consider this topic of discussion in and of itself “dangerous-ground”. But, for those who know me, I live kinda dangerously anyway.

Anyway, what I had found on the site was actually better than I had thought initially. I will share my opinions on this site, as well as the general motive that I perceive that the site intends. Now, it’s very obvious that Homosexuality is a big-deal Islamically. And, this issue is also a very touchy subject as well; but, in our modern-age, we, as a Muslim-Community, whether locally, nationally, or even globally, must address this issue full-throttle. There has to be some way that we can communicate with this particular demographic, in order to reach out to them, to call them to Islam. I mean, seriously, they deserve to be informed of the guidance of Islam, just as much as any other demographic. However, our approach would have to be very tactful & wise, but, also uncompromising.

I’ll explain what I mean:

Referring to being tactful & wise, this basically means that we, as Muslims, are to call people, who may be Homosexual, in a way that does not make us seem like we’re constantly condemning them, for their lifestyle-choice/sexual-preference. Realistically, Homosexuality was just as much of an issue during the lifetimes of the Prophets Lot & Muhammad (Peace be upon them), as it is now. We all know of the People of Lot, whom were the first persons, in Human history, to be Homosexuals, and in Pre-Islamic Arabia, Homosexuality was so common among the Arabs, that Muhammad specifically said, “Don’t allow men who imitate women & women who imitate men into your houses.”.(al-Bukhari) But, this has never been the initial issue that Allah had command Lot, nor Muhammad, for that matter (Peace be upon them) to address their people with. In fact, the very first thing that Allah had ever commanded the Prophets (Peace be upon them all-together) to call people to is Tawhid/Islamic-Monotheism (the recognition & acceptance that Allah exists & and is the only one who is worship-worthy). In the Qur’an itself, it clearly mentions that the first thing that Lot was commanded to tell his people was to stop worshipping idols, and to start worshipping Allah.(Noble Qur’an: Chpt.26, V.161-163)

Referring to being uncompromising, this basically means that even though we definitely want people to become Muslims, regardless of their respective lifestyle-choices/sexual-preferences, it needs to be made very clear that Homosexuality is in no way, shape, or form, an acceptable lifestyle-choice/sexual-preference. There are in fact two main things that the Muslim-Community has to make sure doesn’t happen: One, we cannot allow ourselves to be pigeon-holed in the public-eye, when it comes to this type of social-issue, as being people whom are not welcoming to all members of society, to accept Islam. In other words, we have to be sure that we, as a Muslim-Community, ensure people that the guidance of Allah, which is Islam, is for everyone, and to not imitate the Jews, who do not call people to Judaism, because they believe that it is just for them. Just as Allah says in the Qur’an, describing the Qur’an itself as guidance for Humanity.(Noble Qur’an: Chpt.2, V.185)

The other thing that needs to be established is the fact that Homosexuality is indeed a sin Islamically. At no time are we, as a Muslim-Community, to allow people to assume that we, as Muslims, legitimize Homosexuality, as something normal, natural, or a valid lifestyle-choice/sexual-preference. We must not allow ourselves, under the ambiguous & entrapping matrix of political-correctness, openness, moderation & modernity, to fog our own religious standards, and allow people to think that Homosexuality is a good thing, because according to Islamic-texts, from both the Qur’an & Prophetic-Tradition, it is 100% completely unacceptable, just like any other sexual-deviation-Just as vices such as: bestiality, child-molestation, rape, adultery, fornication are all Islamically deemed prohibited & shameful, so is Homosexuality.

However, one of the many negative things which we as Muslims tend to do is place favoritism of certain sins over others, just like how Christians view Homosexuality as an abomination, yet, ironically, see no problem with worshipping Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him), a created thing, along with Allah, the Creator of the Universe, which, realistically, is far worse than any sexual-deviation. Islamically, a sin is a sin, and we, as Human beings, don’t have the right to say, “Well…at least this sin is not worse than that sin.”. Our objective, as Muslims, is to avoid sinning, in its totality, not to just avoid major-sins. Now, referring to the “gaymuslims.org” website, I do commend their intentions & efforts, to reach out to the Homosexual-Community. However, there needs to be a definitive stance against the lifestyle-choice itself, which I didn’t really see present on this site.

I know the reason as to why this had not been highlighted on this particular site, to not ostracize anyone & to make them comfortable enough to open their minds & hearts to Islam. But, I view this as a potential floodgate-opening, which could on a positive note, bring members of the Homosexual-Community to Islam. But, it could very well become a great challenge, by having them believe that they don’t have to alter their lifestyle-choices/sexual-preferences.

And, this is very problematic, because again, it has to be made crystal-clear that this sexual-preference is not natural, but rather a result of lack of exposure to divine-guidance, taught & learned behavior, and various emotional and/or psychological issues, which are imposed upon people. I mean, there’s a reason why the term lifestyle-choice has the word “choice” in it, and why the term sexual-preference has the word “preference” in it…that’s because when it comes to having consensual-sex with someone, it’s exclusively your own volition, which guides your decisions to copulate with members of either the same gender or the opposite gender.

This is really all that I have to say about this website, as well as this issue. I know that I’ll be getting a whole lot of both positive & negative feedback and comments about this post, which honestly, I gladly accept. Obviously, I’m no scholar, neither in a religious nor secular realm. But, I know just enough about both Islamic-texts, as well as secular issues, to speak about this issue. For anyone who would like to comment, please, comment away.

Courtesy of Gareth Bryant

Religiosity vs. Spirituality: What’s the difference?!!!

A great deal of people, especially Muslims, have been taught or and lead to believe that being “spiritual” is not the same as being “religious”. I hear this from all types of people, from all spheres & all types of religious backgrounds. My whole intention & point to writing this article is to show people that there is in fact a direct correlation between a person’s spiritual aspect & their external ritualistic religious actions.

Let’s start off with a very simple message from the Qur’an, that will give us a pretty good premise into this discussion, comparing/contrasting “Spirituality” & “Religiosity”:
“By the Time. Verily, the Human being is lost (misguided). Except those who believe & do good.” (Chpt.103, V.1-3)

Now, let’s analyze critically what is mentioned in these verses, particularly when it comes to the correlation between belief & action. When Allah mentions that people are lost, “Except those who believe & do good.”, we have to really examine what “belief” is & what “doing good” is. Now, it should be pretty obvious, when comparing & contrasting two paradigms like “Spirituality” & “Religiosity”, that “belief” falls under “Spirituality” & “doing good” falls under “Religiosity”.

However, what’s more important than knowing this is the simple fact that Allah purposely chose to group both “belief” & “good-actions” in pairs. Allah does this, actually quite often, in the Qur’an-Pairing things off always indicates that whatever two things mentioned together have some sort of bond with one another. For example, Allah mentions the Night & Day in pairs quite often, as well as the Heavens & the Earth, the Male & the Female. Allah even mentions the Jinn (a creation of beings, created from smoke-less fire) & the Human in pairs, to display their dual purpose, “I have not created the Jinn nor the Human, except to worship me.” (Chpt.51, V.56). Likewise, when Allah mentions “belief” & “good-actions” in a paired construct, it’s done deliberately, establishing a symbiotic relationship between the two.

This is one of many proofs, which confirm, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that “Spirituality” & “Religiosity”, in practicality, are the same. To put it very simply: Any & all beliefs, concepts, thoughts, statements & actions has a direct affect on an individual’s relationship with Allah, their Creator, and vice-versa: The relationship with one’s Creator, Allah, has a direct affect on an individual’s beliefs, concepts, thoughts, statements & actions. There’s also immense proofs from the Prophetic-Tradition of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) which also confirms the symbiotic relationship between “Spirituality” & “Religiosity”.

Some examples from the Prophetic-Tradition concerning the relationship between “Spirituality” & “Religiosity”:
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has said, “And there is a piece of flesh in the body that when it is correct, the entire body is correct & if it is corrupt, then the entire body is corrupt, it is most definitely the Heart.” (al-Bukhari). He also, said that, “When a slave commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. But, if he stops it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart will be cleansed, but if he repeats it, they will accumulate until they overwhelm his heart.” (at-Tirmidhi). Now, in a religious context, which is obviously being projected in these two respective Prophetic-Sayings, indicates that both “Spirituality” & “Religiosity” not only define one another & compliment one another, but they also directly affect one another.

Let’s analyze the true meaning of “Heart” in both of these Prophetic-Statements: It is very clear that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was not referring at all to the physical heart, when he mentioned that “if it is correct, then the whole body is correct” & “When a slave commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart.”, simply because a person can have a perfectly healthy physical heart and still be an unhealthy individual, and “black spots” don’t appear on physical hearts. Rather, in fact, the “Heart” that is being referred to is the spiritual heart, the Soul/Spirit.

Let’s use one last example:
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said, “What separates the Man from Shirk (Association of false qualities to Allah) is the abandonment of the Prayer.” (al-Kaba’ir). The Arabic word for Prayer is Salah, which is derived from the Arabic verb “Salla” which means “To praise”, which in turn is actually derived from the Arabic verb “Wasala”, which means “To connect”. And, this is why knowing the Arabic-Language is so important: By definition of the Arabic word Salah, we learn as Muslims why the 5-daily Prayers are the most important actions of worship, because the 5-daily Prayers represents our direct connection to Allah, our Creator.

There are several Muslim sectarian groups, who use the diferences between Spirituality & Religiosity to justify separating them in practicality. There has been this centuries-long gimmick known as the “Spiritual-Path”, that many Muslims have adopted, while attempting to give the implication that Spirituality & Religiosity exist to function independently of one another, which is simply not true. Also, there are Muslims who take the position, that not only does Religiosity & Spirituality function independently, but that they don’t affect one another at all. The following verses from the Qur’an & Prophetic-Statements have already quelled those argument. But, for the sake of argument, I’ll present an everyday organic, natural proof to what I’m saying.

Let’s take a look at the Creation:
Allah says in the Qur’an, “Verily, for those who possess knowledge, there are signs within the creation of the Heavens & the Earth, as well as the separation of the Night & Day.” (Chpt.3, V.190).

Let’s look to one of the most dominant creations of Allah that we know about, the Sun. When we analyze the Sun, let’s observe what it truly is, relative to its chemical-composition. The Sun is actually a Star, among billions of stars in our Universe, it’s just that the Sun of our Solar-System is the largest Star around. But, now, let’s observe the chemical-composition of a Star, what is a Star inherently? A Star is actually a gigantic cosmic version of a bonfire. So, let’s look at Fire. There are two components to Fire: the Flame & the Heat. Relative to our discussion, the Flame itself would be Spirituality & the Heat would be Religiosity. Now, merely using basic-intelligence, is it even realistically possible in this material-existence, to separate/isolate Flame from Heat or Heat from Flame? So, since we all know that one cannot separated Flame from Heat or Heat from Flame, then why is it so believable that one can separate their Religiosity from their Spirituality or their Spirituality from their Religiosity?

My final point is for each of you to ask yourselves, after the presentation of the following info….what is the difference between “Religiosity” &” Spirituality”?!!!

#I’m just askin’!!!

Author’s note:
This article is written as a result of a previous lecture that I had given about Hijab at Hudson County Community College, in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Unfortunately, whenever the subject of Hijab comes up, it’s basically always gyno-centric-It’s always concentrating upon the Hijab of the Muslim woman & not enough or at all upon the Hijab of the Muslim man. I personally view this bias, when it comes to only mentioning the Hijab of the woman, as very unfair, for the following reasons: It gives a lot of Muslim women the impression that men can wear whatever they want without reservation, which makes the mandates of Hijab seem very misogynistic. Also, the rise of a feminist mentality among Muslim women has established opinion that women don’t have to wear Hijab, because it’s something that puts women back as opposed to putting them forward. Then, there’s the whole fallacy that Hijab is just an Arab thing, or something which predated Islam in Arabia.

Firstly, the ordinance of the Hijab originates not from Islamic-Arabia, but rather, according to “Stories of the Prophets”, written by by Ibn-Kathir, the Hijab was initially an established mandate for our Human parents, the first Muslims from among Mankind, Adam & Eve (Peace be upon both of them)-Ibn-Kathir has clearly explained in his work that when they disobeyed Allah & ate from the tree which Allah told them not to go near in the Paradise, they were evicted from the Paradise itself. When they were subjected to live upon the Earth, Allah had thus commissioned both of them to wear clothing, to cover their private areas. So, Adam had made clothing which covered him, from his navel to his knees (which coincides perfectly with he statement of Muhammad [Peace be upon him] when he described the `Awrah [private-area] of the man in which & he said, “Whatever lies under the navel & to the knees is an `Awrah [private-area].” [Sunan Ad-Daraqunti & Al-Bayhaqi]), and made clothing of Eve which covered her entire body from head to toe (which also coincides perfectly with how Muhammad [Peace be upon him] described the `Awrah [private-area of the woman] when he said, “A Woman is an `Awrah is to cover her  entire body & reveal nothing except her face & hands once she reaches puberty.” [Sunan Abu-Dawud])-Now keep in mind that they were the only Humans upon the Earth at this time. So, the fact that this was ordained for them when there were no other Humans around, except them, is very important & significant & thus proves that the Hijab for both men & women possess roots in Islamic antiquity.

In all reality, the purpose of the Hijab is to maintain proper etiquette & decency between men & women, that they treat one another with respect, and not to merely view one another nor themselves just sexual objects. But, unfortunately, we all live in a modern/secular context, which promotes general/full-scale immorality via over-sexualization of our global society. Also, we live in an age where these disgusting misogynistic & feministic ideas of what men & women are outside of an Islamic context & this has caused Muslim men & women to have developed demented ideological religious stances as to how to practice Islam on an individual level as well as a social level. For now, let’s just stick with the individual aspect of practicing Islam.

The Feminist community has basically black-listed the obligation Muslim women to voer properly as something archaic & savage meant to demean women. On the contrary, the Hijab of both men & women was established to uplift both respective genders, never to debase them. However, becuase Secularism has become the ideological king of our society, people like members of the Feminist community have actually supported various movements to get the Hijab for women specifically banned in as many places as possible. Basically they want our Muslim sistersto shame themselves before men as well as other women by exposing parts of their bodies which Allah has ordained to be cover & concealed from public view, as Allah says in the Qur’an: “Oh, Prophet!!! Tell your wives, daughters & the believing women to cover themselves with their garments. This is ensure that they be recognized & not be harassed. And, Allah is all-forgiving, most-merciful.” (Chpt.33, V.59). In all actuality the purpose of the Hijab is not to make us miserable, rather to separate us from the rest. I mean really, do you want a bunch of horny, ill-mannered men who don’t believe in Allah & the Last-Day or disobedient Muslims to drool over the sight of your body?!!! We need to seriously think about this!!!

Now, there are those who would argue that men should have more control, or that women shouldn’t have to cover just because men are lustful. Well, from a Human perspective that’s a very good point. But, we’re not the ones who make the rules; rather, the Creator of the Universe has ordained how men & women are to worship behave, act, and dress, not us-The whole reason that Allah has ordained that men & women cover different parts of our bodies is because by our very nature, which He has created us with, men & women are anatomically attracted to different things. Let’s be very honest here, we all know that even anatomically, women are more attractive & possess more to offer men than the other way around.

The reason why women are required to cover their entire bodies is because every aspect of the external anatomy of a woman is attractive to some man in some way, and it’s not normally the other way around, meaning every aspect of the anatomy of a man is not attractive to a woman women are attracted to very specific things on a man’s body, while men are attracted to a whole number of things on a woman’s body. The ordinance for both men & women to cover their bodies a certain way is actually a mercy from Allah, for all of the reasons that I already mentioned previously. The whole notion of supporting legislation in countries that are attempting to legally eradicate the Hijab, for women specifically, are truly people who are hell-bent on establishing Secularism everywhere, and are on the side of the Shaytan to attempt to extinguish the Light of Allah (i.e. Islam). This is systematically being allowed because Islam is the only force that stands in between those who wish to see the world immersed in complete desire-driven corruption, and their goal of a world without any divine guidance established anywhere.

#I’m just sayin’!!!

Oftentimes, almost always, both Atheists (who deny the validity of believing in any Divine-Creator) & Anti-Theists (who are blatantly against even believing in the existence of any Divine-Creator) respectively, place their claims that the existence of any Divine-Creator is non-sense, or silly at best, because they claim that no religion can empirically prove the existence of any Divine-Creator.

Well, I have such proof of the existence of a Divine-Creator, directly from the speech of the Divine-Creator, it’s in the Qur’an itself. Allah clearly states in the Qur’an, concerning the metal Iron: “We have descended Iron, within it contains great durability, as well as benefits for Humans.” (Chpt. 57, V. 25). Now, for those who are scientifically inclined and/or educated in the field of Science, you would know that there have been numerous studies which have proven the fact that tons of amounts of Iron deposits, in the forms of  meteors, meteorites, meteoroids, asteroids, etc. have descended to the Earth, during various points in the history of the Earth itself. The most popular scientific opinion concerning the origin of Iron coming to the Earth is via meteorite showers that pummeled the Earth’s surface, before it became solidified, and thus became part of the Earth’s core, as well as part of the Earth’s crust.

Now, for those who deny the legitimacy of the existence of Allah, the Creator of the Universe, and/or the Qur’an as a factual book of revelation, I ask you the following question: How is it possible for someone like the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), who was well-known in his society for not receiving a formal education, and for being completely illiterate (who is also mentioned directly in the Qur’an as being illiterate [Chpt. 7, Vs. 157 & 158]), going to have such sophisticated knowledge about Iron & how it came to the Earth originally?

The answer is right in front of your faces, he was directly inspired by Allah, through the revelation of the Qur’an, and was given knowledge about this particular event of Iron descending to the Earth, 14 centuries before any other Human being ever discovered the origins of Iron via scientific analysis & research. Even though Allah does not go into detail as to exactly how this event to place, the fact that Allah does in fact mention it at all is very significant, especially when it comes to debunking the erroneous belief that no Divine-Creator exists. Now, I’m not trying to convince anyone who is an Atheist or Anti-Theist to just give up their respective beliefs (by the way believing that there is no Divine-Creator is a belief in and of itself) just on my account, that would be a decision which you as an individual would have to make consciously on your own.

However, I am most definitely here to tell you, as a Muslim, as an intelligent Human being, that not only is denial of the existence of the one who created you a personal offense to Him, but it’s just down-right dumb!!! How do you think you got here, just by an accident?!!! Do you really think that everything in the Universe, with all of its wonderful intricacies & complex orderly systems just got here, with no one to bring it into being and to ensure its maintainence?!!!

I’m simply imploring you (those who may be reading this who may in fact be Atheists or Anti-Theists) to use the intellect that Allah, the Creator of the Universe has given you!!! If you are still willing to be an Atheist and/or Anti-Theist, after this simple proof against it, in this modest blog post, well then I guess Rick James was absolutely right when he said, “Cocaine is a hell of a drug!!!”.

#I’m just sayin’!!!

Ramadhan is upon us, so get ready for the blessings that are ahead!!!

Utilize all of your time in this month & be grateful you are not dead!!!

There are so many of us, who have not made it this far.

They’ve returned to Allah, as either Muslims or Kuffar.

Chase the goodness of Ramadhan, for some, it’s our only shot!!!

We need this to shield us from the Fire, because the Fire’s hot!!!

Don’t do the same lame things that you’ve done last year!!!

When you hear the Qur’an recited, shed at least one tear!!!

When having Iftar, we should eat much less!!!

Don’t have arguments or fights, avoid stress!!!

Chase the goodness of Ramadhan, for some, it’s our only shot!!!

We need this to shield us from the Fire, because the Fire’s hot!!!

We all need the coolness of Allah’s mercy in this month, just like our tongues need cool water.

Make sure that you’re focused on the true objective, don’t waste time & end up being a loser.

This month is when the Qur’an was revealed, so we need to read it more!!!

We must attach ourselves to the Qur’an, make it something that we adore!!!

Chase the goodness of Ramadhan, for some, it’s our only shot!!!

We need this to shield us from the Fire, because the Fire’s hot!!!

If we don’t attain the great mercy within this month, we will all fail!!!

Let us not fail!!!

Being Muslim in America is exactly what it is, being Muslim in America. You always get the weird, threatening stares from people on trains, buses, platforms, sidewalks, for either having a beard, Hijab/Jilbab, Niqab, or any other physical indicator, that tells people that you’re Muslim, or “looks Muslim”. Even though I’ve lived in the U.S. my whole life, I feel so very different & distant from so many people, even those whom I’ve grown up with. We sit around & chill and relax, then tell jokes & what not. Then, some person, or several persons always breaks out the typical “Muslim-Jokes”, which are funny sometimes, inappropriate a lot of times, down right disrespectful many times, and rather awkward all of the time.

However innocent these jokes may actually be, those telling these particular jokes are in fact expressing a great amount of subliminal hatred, fear, ignorance and insecurity, concerning all-things Islam & all-things Muslim. This is not always easy or simple to deal with-Knowing that people actually live in fear, just because of the very sight of you as a Muslim, is very disheartening. Even aside from all of the achievements that Muslims have made for our Humanity, in History generally and even for this country, we’ve still been categorized as a foreign people. We live in such a heighten state of fear of Muslims, that it’s so difficult for us to even assimilate into our society the way that many Americans say that we should. Many Americans have been feed the lie that if Muslims are in fact allowed to assimilate into American society that we’re going to commit a hostile takeover & immediately establish Islamic-Law.

Now, firstly, our jobs as Muslims are not to establish Islamic-Law in a place where, by nature of this government, it is not even compatible the U.S. Constitution-This is a secular society, and everyone already knows that Secularism & Religion naturally don’t mix anyway. However, we as Muslims do in fact wish & want to be defined by our Islam, as being Muslims, and not just by our citizenship status, as being Americans. We’re not just Americans, we’re Muslims first. Of course, all Muslims view Islamic-Law as being superior to any other political system, religious or secular. However, when the Muslims live in a land where the Oneness of Allah is not even established, and/or there’s immense debauchery & decadence, then by nature of our Islamic-Principles, we can’t try to accomplish one thing without completing another.

We do want Islamic-Law to reign supreme, because Islamic-Law is the only way to enact true justice for all, all over the planet. However, first things first-Muslims must at all times first contribute to the betterment of our societies, where we may reside. But, if we’re being painted as a people who want to conquer, as opposed to people who want to make people’s lives better, we’ll never get the true chance to provide people with the better alternative of Islam. And, honestly, that’s the reason why we’re being portrayed so negatively.

Money-controlled media wants the American people to possess constant disdain for Islam & Muslims, in fear of the fact that once more Americans start to embrace Islam, they’ll begin to see the true beauty of Islam, rather than the negative portrayals given to the American people, in order to keep Islam as a representative of something inherently negative. Now, how does all of this fit into my life, as a Muslim. Well, I’ve lived here my whole life, as an American, and since I’ve been a Muslim, even before 9/11, I’ve been the subject of ridicule by my family, my neighbors, my classmates, various members of my former Christian community, and the list goes on & on.

Any & every form of negative imagery about Islam & Muslims will always affect me, as long as I’m still alive, whether those negative things are true or false. As an American, the onslaught of negative portrayals of Islam & Muslims has definitely affected even myself, to the point where one day, I was on a train, this was after the NYC MTA came out with the “If you see something, say something” poster adds, I saw some persons who were visibly Muslims, I mean like these guys had beards & stuff-They were also foreigners, and this shows you how dangerous lies are, that if you tell a lie enough times, people will begin to believe it. I started to notice how just by their Middle-Eastern appearances, even I, as a Muslim began to be leery of them. And, that’s when I realized that even Muslim-Americans are affected by this great body of lies.

Even myself, even though people know that I’m Black, the fact that I’m Muslim makes them view me as someone who’s a foreigner, these are people that I knew before I even became a Muslim that I’m referring to, by the way. Anyone who’s seen me with the past 8 years, or is a friend on Facebook, knows  that I’ve got a big beard. So, every time that I’m in a Federal/government building, a restaurant, a movie theater, an amusement park, or any where that I may be, I’m constantly view in a disgusting manner. And, I can feel how people view me, without them even having to say anything.

Their body language speaks volumes. Now, when a white woman clutches her bag when I’m sitting next to her on a train, I no longer think that she’s afraid of a Black man who may rob, or rape her. Now, I know that she’s afraid of a Muslim who might blow up the train. It seems a bit childish or even amusing to think this way, but for me, and hundreds of thousands of fellow Muslim brothers, just like myself, who refuse to be defined by the Non-Islamic societal standards of how a man should look or dress, or how much facial-hair one should have, we have been made open targets for ridicule, denial of jobs, discrimination among our peers, co-workers, schoolmates, etc.

This has gotten so serious, that even some of our Muslims sisters won’t even marry a brother who has a long beard, or even a beard period, and this is part-in-parcel of the negative propaganda that we as Muslims have allowed to invade our minds & hearts. For example: In 2010, I was pursuing a Muslim woman for marriage. And, she ended up calling things off, because she asked would I ever consider cutting or shaving my beard, and I said no. She then took the position that because of this particular conversation that we had that I was “too religious” for her, which is really like a code-word for calling me an “Extremist”. And, of course no one wants to be with someone who an “Extremist”. But, the irony is that out of all of the other valid reasons to not want to marry me, she purposely chose my beard as a reason-So, now I’m being indirectly labeled by my own fellow Muslims, as being an “Extremist”, just because I won’t shave my beard…..wow!!! Well, this is my story, it’s a never-ending struggle, but the struggle is always worth it.

Courtesy of Gareth Bryant

On the night of June 4th. & the early morning of June 5th., 2011, I participated in the annual “AFSP: Out of the Darkness Overnight” Anti-Suicide walk, in New York City. I didn’t even realize how important this walk that I had committed myself to was, until I actually got to the starting point of the walk, in Brooklyn. The walk hadn’t even started yet, and I was just jolted with anxiety & excitement, not knowing how this whole event would play out. There were all types of people there, at this walk, from all over the country & around the world. They were there to lend their support to put an end to Suicide, at all costs. However, there was one group of people who were not in attendance at this walk……it was us, the Muslims; we were nowhere to be found!!! It’s so ironic how something as prevalent & important an issue as Suicide, or this kind of walk, could possibly be the furthest thing from our agendas-It’s not something that we even think about, or are concerned about.

We are so pathetically distant from real issues in our society, like Suicide-I can say for myself, as an individual Muslim, that this walk is incredibly significant to my ability to be of better service to Allah, as His servant, as well as being of better service to my Human race. As Allah says, “From that which we’ve ordained the Children of Israel is that whomever kills a person who has killed no one, nor has committed corruption in the Earth, it’s just like they’ve killed the whole Human race. And, whomever saves them, it’s just like they’ve save the whole Human race.” (Noble Qur’an: Chpt.5, V.32). It’s a proven fact that Suicide-Awareness indeed saves lives!!! There were so many people here, all for the same objective: to save people from making the mistake of taking their own lives. Even if only one person was saved because of this walk, it would be worth it.

This walk was absolutely amazing, to say the least!!! Every step on this this 18-mile journey was an excuse for me to reflect on this precious gift that Allah has given us called life. This walk was in fact a celebration of life itself; my fellow participants, from every part of this nation, all had individual & personal purposes for committing themselves to this walk, along with a valid narrative to boot. I had the awesome privilege of meeting & conversing with some of the most humane, amusing, and positive people you could ever find on the planet-Take actress/activist, Mariel Hemingway, for example, who lost 7 of her own family members to Suicide. In spite of her tremendous loss, she displayed such fortitude, that I very much admired her for. And, she shared her personal story of familial tragedy, with such an immense level of grace, honor & dignity; she’s also a strong advocate for the American Foundation for Suicide-Prevention as well, which is the organization that annually sponsors the “Out of the Darkness Overnight”.

During this walk however, I still felt isolated, alone, and disappointed. Everyone had a walking team, or at least family or friends to walk with, but I didn’t have anyone initially with me walking, nor a walking team; I was just by myself. I tried very hard to conceal my immense anger and disappointment at the Muslim-Community, our leadership & organizations particularly. I reached out to at least 5 major Muslim institutions of Islamic-Learning, Muslim advocacy groups, and leadership councils…..none of them showed the significant want, or care, to partake in this cause, or endorse me, or even help me to spread awareness about this walk. When I sent out e-mails to these institutions, groups, councils, and organizations, they didn’t even have enough courtesy to reply to me and say they were not interested-I received zero responses, from at least 98% of those whom I contacted. But, in spite of all of that, I made it my business to commit to this walk, and to do it by myself, because you know what they say: “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”.

Honestly, there were in fact instances where I wanted to just quit this walk, because of lack of support for it, from my own community. However, after every mile, and after every check point/rest stop, and all in between, there were people, congratulating us for the miles that we had already walked and encouraging us to walk even more. These people, the AFSP staff, volunteers, family members of those who were running, family members of those who committed Suicide, all of them gave us so much encouragement to go on and finish this walk. It was so wonderful having them there to instill encouragement to complete our walk.

There’s one thing I can say, walking by one’s self does have its advantages-Whenever people would ask me as to who, what, or why I was walking, I had the splendid opportunity to express myself individually, as an individual Muslim. Everyone whom I had told that I was walking on behalf of the Muslim-Community were absolutely ecstatic, and I could see the surprise, and delight on their faces; they were shocked that a Muslim would even be there, and at the exact same time, they were so happy that a Muslim was there. For those whom I came in contact with, and told that I was representing the Muslim-Community, it was a good feeling for them to know that somewhere out there, at least one Muslim actually cares about this cause, and this may have been the very first time that many of them have even met a Muslim. But, it shouldn’t have been just be me who cares, it shouldn’t have been just me out there, all of us should care, and all of us should’ve been there!!!

Now, it was just me out there, one Muslim, by himself, and even just as an individual, I made a positive impact on people that I came in contact with. Just imagine, if the Muslim-Community had a significant presence there? It would have been such a powerful Da`wah power-play, for people to know that we empathize with them, and want to be part of the solution to this major problem plaguing America. We all owe it to Allah, then to our fellow man to be a part of this particular walk and movement, to put an end to Suicide. The grand involvement of the Muslim-Community in this walk would most definitely place a positive imprint in the hearts of the people who would witness us there. It would be a tool that we could’ve used to help us clarify the negative stigmas about Muslims being inherently religiously violent, that serves as every-day slander in popular media upon our religion, as well as the general character of the Muslims.

When we’re seen participating more often at these types of events, promoting the general preservation of life, then it would turn the tides of how we’re viewed in America and across the world. Participation in a walk like this would place us in a different light, as caring individuals, who respect, honor and celebrate life. We must all make a more valiant effort to involve ourselves in the society that we live in, to paint a better image of Islam & Muslims, through our actions, as well as contributing to the general betterment of our society, by being of better service to the people.

Courtesy of Gareth Bryant