Who is that guy??

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, Assalamu alaikoum,

I had initially planned to write this post on a different subject than the one you are about to read.  But by the grace of Allah I have found inspiration after attending Canada’s largest Islamic conferences.

Part of being a Canadian Muslim means that when I encounter people in the street the last thing they will see is a Muslim.  I will generally come across as the average stereotype of a non-Muslim westernized Canadian. I’m the type of person that is not afraid to stare back at someone giving me a demeaning look; which many Muslims initially do. Everything about my initial appearance is “unmuslim” except for the beard, and even that can often be confounded with modern style. In my society, I am an undercover Muslim.

Being an undercover Muslim however is simply the outer shell, it is what people see when they don’t know me.  My cover is blown as soon as they approach me for a conversation.  I can be one of the friendliest and nicest people you can ever meet.  Or at least I try to be.  It is a personal philosophy of mine that if I come into your life, I must absolutely improve it in some way.  Whether that may be by making you smile in that moment, being a friend to give you advice at some point later on in your life, or becoming a lifelong companion to bring joy to you as often as possible.  Above all, while I may look like a typical Canadian youth, my love for the religion of Islam is evident through my speech, my actions and my behaviors.

My close non-Muslim friends have always known that there was something different about me because of my mannerisms even before knowing I am a Muslim.  I tend not to act in the wild extravagant manner that most Canadian or even North American youth do, but somehow still manage to blend in. In fact I find their initial reactions quite humorous when they do find out that I am a Muslim.  “What you’re Muslim?!” “No way, bro you’re not Arab or Pakistani, you can’t be Muslim!”. As Muslims, we often find these comments to be extremely ignorant responses because anyone who knows the least bit about Islam would know that one of the reasons that Islam is such a beautiful religion is because it transcends all racial and cultural barriers.  Anyone can be a Muslim because the religion of Islam is in your heart and not your blood.  No one knows this fact better than North American Muslims themselves.

This is why I feel so frustrated and insulted when Muslims themselves negatively stereotype other “non-visible “ Muslims.  I can understand that there may be a contexts when one may be unable to identify another Muslim, but the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged us to assume the best of each other and make as many excuses as necessary to do so (up to 70!!).  As Muslims we are taught to avoid suspicion and that it is better for us to think good of someone and be wrong than to think evil of a person and be wrong.

Many Muslims would be tempted to argue that there are no such stereotypes but the truth is that stereotyping is an inherent part of human nature; it is what helps us survive and allows us to grow as individuals. But stereotypes are also something that we can control, and there is much more blessing for us when we try hard to control a thing that can negatively influence others around us.

How many times have we seen that white guy who hangs around Muslims and simply assumed that he was just curious but not Muslim?  Or the black guy with the baggy jeans, long-tee, and baseball cap turned backward and almost fainted when he walked into the mosque? Every one of us can relate to one such moment where we have stereotyped a person who turned out to be Muslim. The problem is not that we are surprised when we meet these people; the problem is what we had initially thought of these people before realizing that they were Muslim. The negative character that we assumed they had. We must remember, and I stress this, Islam is in the heart.

I remember hearing Yasir Qadhi say once that Islam did not present itself as a fashion revolution, or a cultural revolution. Rather it was a lifestyle change, a change in values and morals, a code of ethics.  There is no Islamic garb per say, but there is an Islamic form of modest dressing. There is no Islamic culture, but every culture has Islam.

Muslims cannot unite to combat external stereotypes if we are limited by our own internal ones.  We must unite rather than divide and most of all fully understand our own religion so that we may be able to apply it to our everyday lives, and Insha’Allah then be able to explain it to people of other religions.

I pray that Allah guides us all and unites us to create one Canadian Muslim Ummah beyond racial and cultural stereotypes.

“People, we have created you from different all male and female and have made nations and tribes so that you would recognize each other. The most honorable among you in the sight of God is the Most-Pious of you. God is All-Knowing and All-Aware.”

                                                Surah al-Hujurat (49:13)