OPINION
How Converts can Oppose Islamophobia Serving as bridges to faith and non-faith communities BY STEPHENIE BUSHRA KHAN
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here are various estimates of the number of Muslims living in the US. Some say there are approximately 5 million of us. Even if that number is low, researchers have said that Islam is now the world’s fastest-growing religion (“Why Muslims are the world’s fastest-growing religious group,” Pew Research, April 6, 2017). The Pew Research report of Jan. 17, 2019, stated that 20% of the country’s Muslims are Black Americans. A smaller percentage are White converts. Islamophobia, which existed long before 9/11, increased substantially after that tragedy. A small percentage of Americans have assumed that Sharia will take over our government and that Islam is incompatible with the American way of life. A large number of those Americans who fear Muslims may have never met one, because the media both distorts its coverage of our community and doesn’t cover our contributions to American society. Converts who wear hijab are often discriminated against because they really stand out. More than a few people assume that it is an instrument of repression. American male converts mostly blend in, unless they dress in traditional Islamic attire. Sometimes they conceal their conversion, fearing that they might lose their jobs; be rejected or cut off by their families; or lose their friends because they no longer fit into mainstream American culture. Some have been verbally attacked, told to go back home (even if they were born here) and take traditional Islamic names — many now keep their given name. In airports, converts are often pulled aside based on their appearance and name. Women have had their hijab pulled off and have been harassed and verbally attacked.
DEALING WITH ISLAMOPHOBIA
I know something about this, based upon my own experiences of facing distancing from family members and some friends who don’t approve of what I have done. My response to such negativity was to become involved with interfaith programs and revealing an accurate picture of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and Islam through my writing and my artwork. Like many Muslim artists, I want my artwork to display Islam as it really is — a religion of peace. I strive to make my artwork convey God’s Oneness, which is very appealing to me, especially in nature. Thus, my artwork conveys, like that of other female artists, Islam’s beauty. Inspiration is a gift from God, and converts should not shy away from it. Female artists and writers have broken the stereotype of American women being repressed by converted American or foreign-born husbands. Most of the time this is not the case. Female converts have contributed a great deal to society not only in the arts, but also in other fields as well. Both male and female Muslim Americans are active in the work force as businesspeople, lawyers, psychiatrists, housewives, athletes, artists and entertainers. We live the same daily lives as other Americans — taking care of children, studying, going to work — and face the same problems. Many converts who work as public school teachers are exposed to students who, along with the media, call Muslims “terrorists.” Their parents are teaching this to their children. Many children of converts are also bullied. One convert I know tells her students, “I’m a Muslim. Do you think I’m a terrorist?” She then informs them that the vast majority of Muslims live very peaceful lives and oppose terrorism. Along with this, she explains why she wears modest attire, observes dietary restrictions, prays, does not observe certain American holidays and the significance of Islamic holidays. 56 ISLAMIC HORIZONS MARCH/APRIL 2021
Muslims should start to teach their K-12 children what Islam is about, for many middle schools provide very limited information about it and often use poorly written textbooks. My friend and I have gone into public school classes and volunteered in our children’s classes to tell them how Islam has changed our lives and to give them a more accurate account of the world’s second largest religion. Our husbands have done this as well. Converts should demonstrate their faith by example. Anti-Islam and offensive literature and cartoons should cause outrage, but we need to express this intelligently. We know that the Prophet never responded to insults with violence, but with teaching his opponents what Islam is all about through education and activism. Unfortunately, many Muslims seem to have forgotten this important fact. Some journalists, educators and writers promote Islam in a positive way. As media outlets can earn more money by reporting on and sensationalizing “Islamic” terrorism and its perpetrators, they make almost no effort to inform their readers about how
