How Converts can Oppose Islamophobia

Serving as bridges to faith and non-faith communities

BY STEPHENIE BUSHRA KHAN

There 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.

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

Islam and Muslims oppose terrorism. Thus it is up to all Muslims, including converts, to correct this omission through activism, engaging with mainstream society, behaving as all good citizens should behave, demonstrating peacefully for just causes, running for public office and following the law.

Muslims shouldn’t separate themselves from non-Muslims, but befriend them. This is where interfaith groups come in, for interfaith events allow leaders and people of various faiths to get to know each other better through personal interaction. Attendees from different houses of worship and schools of thought meet to express and share their faith. In fact, many Christian and Jewish faith leaders have stood up for Muslims after acts of Islamophobia, hate crimes, opposition to the construction of a new mosque and similar incidents.

Although participating in such groups is a good idea, one that should always be encouraged, Muslims should also join civic groups. For example, I have joined and served on the boards of several art organizations without compromising my faith. Many people are curious about our faith and want to visit the mosque to learn about Islam. Given this, we need to start inviting them to attend our community’s activities and events that are held there. Converts are like a bridge between Islam and other faiths. They can provide non-Muslims a unique and very personal perspective about Islam by sharing why they converted and how Islam’s teachings and practices have made their lives better. In addition, we should undermine Islamophobia’s false narrative by living in a way that adheres to the Quran’s principles and reflects the Prophet’s example. We should live with integrity and generosity to everyone, not just to fellow Muslims. For example, many converts have helped out at soup kitchens and with the homeless, visited the sick and engaged in what every religion regards as “good deeds.” Opposing Islamophobia begins with us converts. Just as the Prophet did, we can begin by talking with our family members and co-workers about why we converted. But not before we

IN ADDITION, WE SHOULD UNDERMINE have educated ourselves enough about the Quran and ISLAMOPHOBIA’S FALSE NARRATIVE BY LIVING Sunna so we can answer their questions intelligently and by citing the relevant verses and hadiths, as well

IN A WAY THAT ADHERES TO THE QURAN’S as the contexts in which they were revealed (verses)

PRINCIPLES AND REFLECTS THE PROPHET’S and why the Prophet chose that particular approach or action (hadiths). EXAMPLE. WE SHOULD LIVE WITH INTEGRITY Some Muslims, both those who were born into

AND GENEROSITY TO EVERYONE, NOT JUST Muslim families or converted, get their information TO FELLOW MUSLIMS. solely from the Internet. This is not the best way to acquire such information, as a great deal of it is opinion or taken out of context. New converts should get the right information through accurate publications and personal or online interactions with knowledgeable Muslims. On top of that, we should be aware that all kinds of people convert to a given religion, even those who have some psychological problems or political grievances. We need to learn how to identify them and make sure that they do not turn to radicalism or terrorism. Many Muslims have reported to their mosque and other officials their concerns about someone who appears to have become radicalized. Converts who have become imams should give kuthbas to new converts on how they can implement Islam’s principles, teachings and practices in their life and begin their spiritual and behavioral transformations. Converts who have gone on to become scholars can also be very helpful in this regard, for they know what new converts are facing and understand that “becoming Muslim” is a gradual process, one that continues forever. Mostly there should be a great deal of love for God, the Prophet and for humanity. We should care for Earth as part of our faith, because God gave it to us as a gift. We should care about all living things and prevent cruelty to them, for such behavior is part of our faith. These are some of the ways in which converts can oppose Islamophobia. ih

Stephenie Bushra Khan is a freelance writer for Islamic magazines and professional artist. She also wrote for The Independent newspaper in Bangladesh for three years.