Extra blog: My religion

For the additional blog this week, I decided to write about my religion and some issues that it’s facing today. I am a Muslim and I am a typical girl, just like the others. Often, people associate Muslims/Islam with terrorism and violence. However, being a Muslim, I find that completely wrong and what the media displays is completely false.  Islam, the word itself comes from the root of “Salaam” which is an Arabic word for peace. Thus, the meaning of Islam is peaceful submission to God’s will. Living in a Muslim family, I’ve witnessed how peaceful Islam actually is and the way that we are thought to lead life is all about attaining peace. For example, when we great each other, we say the equivalent of “peace and blessings be upon you” instead of simply saying “hi”. The Qur’an is about humanity and guides the Muslims on how to lead righteous lives. Recently, I’ve been reading the Qur’an and have discovered how it teaches us to respect other religions and teaches us to coexist. In fact, I’ve read some books about the founder of Islam, Prophet Muhammad and have learned that he assisted his Christian neighbors in building a church. Such examples are just a few, out of the many. In short, I’ve learned humanity from Islam and I respect all the humans, no matter which religion, race, or country they are from.

Being a Muslim, I am no different than other girls my age. I go out with my friends, enjoy watching movies, keep up with fashion, and play sports, just to name a few of my activities. Islam hasn’t taken away any of my rights or oppressed me, as the media shows. Although I do not wear the hijab, or the Islamic scarf, I am a moderate Muslim and believe in modesty. I pray 5 times a day, read the Qur’an at least once a week, and fast during the month of Ramadan from dawn to dusk. Islam also emphasizes other values such as helping the poor, respecting your parents/ elders, and leading humble lives.

I believe that no matter what religion or God you pray to, it's important to have a clean heart and good intentions. The more you pray the more peace you obtain. Thus, religion is a bridge between the individual and the Creator of the universe. Religion is simply a way of attaining peace and becoming closer to the God, and no religion should be judged based on the actions of its minority followers or what the media displays. I feel that Islam is a great religion, just as the other religions such as Christianity, Judaism or Hinduism; it is just not being represented properly. One day, I hope to finally see a world where all religions coexist peaceful, without discriminating or conflicting with each other, as it did once in earlier times.