As I reminisce about the holy month of Ramzan that just went by, I am left awestruck at the sheer enormity of people who stand together, every single year, nights at a stretch, to pray to one God.
This isn’t the first time I have been lucky enough to spend a part of this month in the revered cities of Mecca and Medina, and yet my astonishment somehow remains unwithered.
Ramzan Has Not Been a Happy Occasion for the Past Few Years
No Ramzan is ever ‘easy’. You have to maintain a work-worship balance, and not everyone can afford to make concessions in either.
But the past few Ramzans have been awfully troubling for Muslims around the world. This year, Ramzan witnessed a string of terror attacks across the globe – from an attack on Iran’s parliament building leaving at least 12 dead, to London where terrorists rammed a van into pedestrians and also stabbed several at a bar nearby.
From Kabul, to Baghdad, to Paris and Melbourne, these terror attacks were all meant to leave scars behind – on the minds of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Both Islamic Extremism and Islamophobia Affect Ordinary Muslims
ISIS has been leveraging the month they consider “conducive” for these attacks. Additionally, this Ramzan has also witnessed “white” terrorism – yes, contrary to popular belief, it still counts as terrorism when the attack is carried out against Muslims and the perpetrator is low on melanin.
This month, a 48-year-old man rammed a van into Muslim worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, killing one and injuring several others. In another incident, 17-year-old American-Muslim Nabra Hassanen was brutally murdered by a man who abducted her and beat her up with a metallic bat.
India has seen a string of countless lynchings of young and old Muslim men, some on the “suspicion” that they were carrying and consuming beef; others purely because they looked “too Muslim” – making mob lynchings the new normal.
Also Read: Muslim Teen Lynched on Train: ‘Beef’ Kept Out of FIR?
None of the incidents mentioned above are rare or isolated instances. They are part of two larger narratives – Islamic extremism and Islamophobia – both of which serve to adversely affect ordinary Muslims.
Why Do So Many Muslims Choose to Retain Their Muslim Identities?
Where does this leave us? Along with being constantly subject to mistrust, the Muslim community now faces danger at every corner, often culminating in physical harm and death.
Why then, do so many Muslims choose to retain their Muslim identities? 1.6 billion to be precise, and ever-increasing. Ironically, the threats facing the community have given many a Muslim more reasons to embrace their identity.
When you’re singled out for being a Muslim – regardless of whether you’ve ever touched the Quran in your life, or can’t remember the last time you prayed – is when the reality of your Muslim identity really hits home. As long as Islamophobia exists, you will be known by your Muslim identity, even if you don’t subscribe to the tenets of Islam.
Religion is no more a private affair, as many would like to believe – it’s about making a political statement. But that’s just one part of it.
If you remember having had a close Muslim friend while growing up, you’re probably familiar with at least one of these situations – watching them pray the namaz five times a day/struggling with namaz/failing to do namaz five times a day.
You’ve probably seen your Muslim friend fast even when the temperature is 47 degrees Celsius outside. You may have seen them rush for Friday prayers immediately after school.
Choosing a Life in Which God Is Central
The other day, a college friend sent me a long and emotional farewell message. Her text read:
Looking past the religious binaries, “inshallah” is one word I’ve taken away from you and will continue to use it always, inshallah. Thank you for giving me that word, it will always be a reassurance, one that yields so much power, compassion, and hope. I will never really forget you because of that word which has truly become a part of my life.
As I read the message from my dear friend, a Kashmiri Pandit, for the nth time, my eyes welled up with tears. I realised that the answer had been in front of me all along. Being a Muslim isn’t just a philosophy, it means to choose a way of life in which God is the foundation, the core.
It is in your inshallahs (God willing) and subhanallahs (Glory be to Allah) and Alhamdulillah (Thank God), but also, in your Allah na kare (God forbid). It is in knowing that the world may go to the dogs but you’ll still have something to look forward to.
It is in seeing hope where there seems to be none. It is in the daily struggles of being called all sorts of names – all for wearing a piece of cloth over my head.
It is in revelling in the beauty of a religion that makes charity one of its very pillars, one that teaches you that even smiling is a form of charity. It is in knowing that a kind word, an honest approach, and gentle speech are deeds that – if done consistently – are far greater than other deeds. It is in realising that one should respect one’s parents, in knowing that money is no more than a test, and that gratitude is the only way to achieve anything in life.
It is in the words of the Prophet, “The man is not from me who sleeps contentedly while his neighbour sleeps hungry,” that a Muslim believer finds solace.
Continuing to Be a Muslim Despite All Odds
As sevai is prepared for Eid, I recall and lament the many mistakes I’ve made this Ramzan. I am reminded of the Hadith:
The fasting person is in a state of worship as long as he does not backbite.
My fast is not just for my stomach. It is for my tongue, my eyes, my ears. It is in this that the Muslim believer finds hope and respite in the tiring struggle that is life. It is in this that the Muslim continues to be a Muslim, despite everything.
(Fatima Khan is a graduate in English Literature and now a Fellow at Young India Fellowship, Ashoka University. You can follow her work on Twitter @khanthefatima. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)