Raynita is the author of our final entry on chapters 8 and 9, and this is a photo of one of her family reunions. I am awed by how much family she has, as my family is tiny...I don't even have any cousins! Just another example of how diverse we really are. Happy reading!
Rayna is a Muslim. The Islamic religion is considered a ‘minority’ religion in the United States of America, which makes it more appealing and interesting to the other women in the group. Rayna’s beliefs were placed under a microscope to be picked apart, questioned and analyzed by them all. Priscilla and Suzanne both admitted to not knowing much about Islam but expressed what they did know (or thought they did) and had heard about this religion. At times, I too know what it feels like to be looked at with uncertainty, concern, or just curiosity because of my mixed race. These thoughts can lead to ignorance if they’re not acted upon in the correct way, and that way includes becoming aware, learning facts and gaining certainty about that topic.
So the questions began about Islam and Rayna tried her hardest to answer based on her beliefs. With the 9/11 attackers claiming to be Muslim, their religion was looked down on because of people saying the Muslims attacked America in honor of their Muslim beliefs. Rayna went over how this is a common misconception lots of people tend to have concerning this religion. ”The whole matter of virgins and suicide bombers is ridiculous. I’ve been Muslim my whole life, and I’d never heard about the virgins in heaven until after 9/11”(p.111). Rayna is voicing how a lie could be portrayed as the truth because it might seem to make sense to one person; although it’s falsely blaming another group. She goes over how suicide is a sin to Muslims, just as it to Christians and Jews. The Islamic holy book, the Quran, was a focus of the discussion. It was compared to the Bible at times by Suzanne who is of the Christian faith because of some of the common characters and beliefs. The stereotypes about Muslims are based on people’s ignorance and lack of knowledge or understanding of the beliefs of the Muslim’s culture and or religion. As the questioning and conversation went on, it became more intense and emotions began to get involved. “Stoning? Hello? People who do that are insane!” (p. 115). That was Raynas’ response when asked if her religion includes a belief in beating women. Honestly I am not shocked at Rayna’s reply because that question seemed kind of obscene. When someone asks you a question like that, you might get offended because you start to think, “Is that really what they think about me and my beliefs?” In reality, questions need to be answered so we can turn curiosity and ignorance into familiarity and knowledge. Therefore, like Rayna, I too have learned to embrace questions about me and my beliefs, and remind myself that the more people learn about me, the better they’ll respect and understand my life.
I really appreciate your thoughts on the importance of questions, as well as how uncomfortable they can be. It's yet another example of the importance of risk taking...it's so risky to reach out to someone whose culture is different than our own, to attempt to befriend them and learn about them. This invariably involves asking questions, revealing stereotypes we hold, and taking the risk of hurting their feelings and possibly offending them -- and they, us. I think this is a huge part of the reason why we tend to move in social circles that mainly include people who are just like us -- it's comfortable, and much safer. In order to gain the rewards that are available through relationships with people whose cultures are different than our own, we have to be willing to ask awkward questions, as well as answer them.
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