this is what i mean.

May I just say something?

I hate the word 'Islamaphobia'. I hate what it means, the generalization of the term and how it makes people look at me differently. I hate how people could even think that little girls like me are dangerous. The term means to have a fear of people who are Muslims or who believe in Islam. I do not believe that your faith ultimately defines the person you are or the morals/principles you live by.

The news on CBC this week is racked up with Islamic names. I say Islamic names, and not Islamic people because I refuse to associate my faith to someone wo has created so much pain, anger and destruction. Something that maybe people do not know is this; Islam is arabic and it comes from the root word 'salam', which in turn means peace (Hah! Someone has clearly been paying attention in Islamic Studies class!) How could a religion, a faith based on the message of peace for all, stir so much hate in the world?

It is not the faith these people hide behind from that justifies their behavior. It is the people they are. I despise individuals who do 'heroic acts' (AKA kill Innocent people) and claim that it was for the cause of Islam. Excuse me, but that is extreme and utter bullshit. A religion that advocates for the death of others is not a one that is linked to God. In school we were taught to live peacefully with those of others faiths, we were taught to never force someone to believe what they do not. It is the freedom of choice for you to decide and determine where your belief lies. Speaking on a personal note (then again, almost everything I am saying is on a personal note), I believe that God gives 'hidayah' (Gosh, I really don't know what that word is in English) in His own time to people. You are what you are because God has 'chosen' you. That's what I think. That's why my mommy always said 'Pray that God gives him/her hidayah', she never said 'Don't be friends with that chick because she's Christian'. There is no divide in faith. It's either you believe, or you don't. And those who believe know that there is no excuse for your actions by blaming it on faith.

Now, what irks me to the core are these so called 'religious leaders' who advocate for the deaths of those who are not of the same faith. It is these people (I do not want to demean unto them any sort of derogatory words as they may be better than me in some ways, and I do not know them personally thus I do not have the right to coin any sort of 'names'. But you know what I'm thinking) who call for 'heads of the kafirs' and praises those that do so. Those are not Muslims. I don't know what they are, but I refuse to declare that we share the same faith.

This week, a supposedly Muslim military man (American Military) shot 13 people and wounded 29. An 'Islamic Leader' in Yemen apparently praised this military man on his blog and called him a 'hero'. My a**. You are not a hero when you kill innocent/unarmed people. You are not a hero when you take away a life of someone who has yet to live it to the fullest. You are not a hero when you leave a child without his father or mother. You are not a hero. He is not. (I need a moment..Moment over) His name was repeated on the news so many times this week, and I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment when his name came up. It was because his Islamic name made me feel that I was part of his doing, that I was somehow going to get looked at differently because of what he did.

Let me share something with you; when I look/hear about a person who has done something wrong, I do not think "Oh, is he Christian/Jewish/Buddhist? Ah, he is? I thought so. They always do things like that." These days people validate actions based on the wrong doer's beliefs. What is up with that?! A person does not do something wrong because of what their faith is, IT IS THEM. IT IS THE PERSON THEY ARE, AND NOT WHAT THEIR RELIGION IS. I get so mad/upset when the public feels that when a Muslim does a terrorizing act, it is because they are doing it for the cause of Jihad (Which, by the way, is defined wrong, and people are misusing it. If I have enough energy I shall get to it), no way! They did that act because of the people they are. They are just bad people. They are just evil people who want to rid the world of 'peace'. They are wrong, it's not their religion that is wrong, it's them. When someone has done a terrible act, I look at them and say, 'There's something wrong with the person. The person. The person. The person!'

Another headliner this week was the execution of John Allen Muhammad (You know where I'm getting at), he killed 10 people with a sniper in 2002. It was said that he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his surname to Muahammad. Just let me say that he has tarnished this name. (I need another moment.. Ok, I'm good) There is something brutal about hearing the name of someone you love, over and over again, and having it associated with something disgusting and inhumane. This sniper-shooter, in my opinion, does not stand for Islam. His murders are not a reflection of the faith he 'supposedly had' (of which I seriously doubt), it defined who he is. His killings mirrored him as a person, and NOT Islam as a religion.

I am getting tired. Tired of the way Islamphobia is now 'really' word. Tired that is being used to define hate. Tired that feelings of animosity are being held towards those that stand for peace. There is something with wrong those people who say that Islam calls for 'the deaths of those who are not'. And there is also something wrong with people who think all Muslims are terrorists.

We are not terrorists, and those who are, I seriously question their faith and conscience.

Some people are evil because they are, not because their religion makes them evil.

Now I shall strongly leave with a little piece of my integrity intact because I feel like I've shared what I believe, and I shall continue to advocate. We little Muslims girls, with these scarves on, and strong personalities; we're not to be taken lightly nor should we be overlooked. Our views and voices have been silenced for so long, but now that we are being (I should probably say 'I') discriminated against, we shall (I really should say 'I') make known that we are not like those 'men' who claim that they are symbols of faith, we are (Ok, this is probably where I should not say 'I'). Thanks guys, have a great week.