November 19, 2009

http://hispanic-muslimah.blogspot.com/2009/11/fighting-stereotypes-about-latina.html

1. I didn’t convert for a man. Don’t insult my intelligence.

2. I didn’t convert in order to wear longer clothes and hijab to protect myself from men. * Some men will be pervs and harass you even if you wear full face niqaab. I’m working on wearing more modest clothes for Allah * swt * & out of respect for myself.

3. Oh yeaaa the majority of Latinas don’t go around in revealing clothes like mini skirts, tube tops, etc all the freaking time. We are dayum sexy in whatever we choose to wear: freakum dress or abaya! Respect for women regardless of their clothes / appearance is something the entire world needs to work on.

4. Not all Latinos are Catholics / Christians. There is a significant Latin Muslim community in countries like Venezuela and Argentina for example.

5. I’m not giving up dancing completely. Dancing with non-mahrams is haram obviously and I won’t do that anymore. On that topic, I will bust a move when I
hear a classic like “La bilirrubina.”

6. This one’s my fav: when people ask me “On a scale of 0-100, what are the chances that you come back to the church?” My answer: 0!

7. We don’t all see foreign born Muslims (from Islamic majority nations) men to be more appealing for marriage than a Latin Muslim man. My opinion is that the preference is on the man’s deen & character.

8. We don’t give up the empanadas, pastel de tres leches, and tamales upon conversion and in return for ya’ll’s biryani & falafel. We admire & like your cuisine. We just make our mother’s recipes with halaal ingredients now. No pork & wine Ok?

9. My children will speak Spanish 1st. They will call their parents “Mami & Papi” not “Ammi & baba” lol.

10. My brothers are NOT IN GANGS! Nobody in my family is involved with gangs. & btw, any family can have a black sheep … even if it’s a Muslim family … what a surprise. * rolls eyes *
Somebody seriously said she was concerned abt how my family is because she had met only one lady from my Latin American country & her brother was killed in gang related stuff.

My point with all this is, I want to educate the Islamic community about having tolerance for others! Diversity is good 🙂 Sadly, racism exists amongst our ummah (I’ve had my share of muslims giving me the cold shoulder). I came to Islam because of the equality I read about in the Qur’an. I’m a Muslim for my creator. I want to be a better Muslim to serve Allah * swt * and also to put a smile on the face of my brothers & sisters in this life.