This Person is a Muslim, but They Don’t Look Arab!

Article and interviews by: Angeline Hazime

But you don’t look like an Arab; how are you Muslim?

In a suburban block a middle-aged couple moves into their new home with their three children. A curious neighbor across the street watches for weeks out her window as she watches her new neighbor and this scarf wrapped up around her neighbor’s hair. One day, while the covered woman is out tending to her front yard, the curious neighbor ventures out to check her mail. She takes on the opportunity and introduces herself to her new neighbor. She assumed the covered woman was Arabic, but discovers the covered woman is actually Latino. Soon her curiosity takes over and she asks about this scarf and why she is wearing it? The covered woman explains, and this is where the curious neighbor’s journey truly begins.

At a red light, a covered woman sits patiently waiting for the light to turn green. She is that very same curious neighbor five years later. Suddenly, a truck pulls up next to her, and the gesturing of the two men in the truck soon grabs her attention. She glances at them as she hears one of them remark, “Go back to your own country!” She finds humor in that remark, and so, looks them straight on and replies with a smile, “I am in my own country, but do you mean where my ancestors come from—Ireland?” The light turns green and she drives on. The two men sit astonished for their ancestors are from Ireland as well. The man in the passenger seat laughs it off, as the driver refers to her as a “traitor”, but this is where the driver’s journey truly begins.

In an elevator an attractive young man and woman stand waiting to arrive at different floors. Both do not know each other. The man notices her beauty, but does not allow himself to gaze on her. The man is that very same driver three years later. After a few seconds the woman tries sparking a conversation. He smiles and responds in the best manner without offending her, but still refuses to allow their eyes to connect. Finally at one point she mentions a situation where she had this run in with a Muslim, and how they are all “terrorists.” Thrown off at first, he smiles at the woman as he gently lets her know he is in fact a Muslim himself. She responds to him with a laugh as if he were joking. He reaffirms statement, and with a smile says, “and I have never thought of myself as a terrorist.” She examines his brown eyes and red hair, and the whiteness of his skin. She stands dumbfounded, and this is where the attractive young woman’s journey truly begins.
And this ripple affect continues…

Let us discuss some facts

It is said that Islam is the number one growing religion in the world. “The growth rate of Islam, according to the U.S. Center for World Mission, at 2.9 percent is higher than the 2.6 percent growth rate of the world’s population. Thus, the percentage of Muslims in the world is growing on the order of 0.6 percent per year. Futurist John Gary stated in 1997 that Islam is the fastest-growing of the major world religions. This is driven by the higher birth rates in the third world. Barrett and Johnson’s estimated in an article in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research that the number of Muslims would grow from 1.22 billion in the year 2000 to 1.89 billion by 2025. Author Samuel Huntington predicts that “Muslims in the world will continue to increase dramatically, amounting to 20 percent of the world’s population about the turn of the [21st] century, surpassing the number of Christians some years later…” [Sameer Dev, October 04, 2005—www.danielpipes.org]

And “although Islam is often associated with the Arab world and Middle East, fewer than 15% of Muslims are Arab.” [islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa120298.htm]

So then, who are these people and why are they converting to Islam? What is causing them to take Shehadah; to say “I bare witness that there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet.”

Well, why be shy- let’s ask

To try to get an idea from a broad spectrum of non-Arab converted Muslims in, 2005; fourteen people were interviewed from the Detroit, Michigan (USA) and Windsor, Canada regions. When asked the question, “Why did you convert,” here are what six of the fourteen respondents had to say.

“I converted because I was a complete non believer in Catholicism.” Austin, a nineteen year old Italian-American from Livingston County said. “I was amazed by the beauty of the Quran. Every question I had was answered. I also wanted to stop living for this life and start living for the next.”

Heather, a twenty-six year old Canadian-American female from Dearborn Heights calmly replied, “I feel that in reading about Islam it is the right path to follow.”

“I have one word for you—Science. No religion that I had studied prior to Islam could scientifically explain the—well—the unexplainable. It was the scientific fact that I learned in physics class in college that “even a rock is always in movement” that I also found in the Qur’an one day,” explained Christina*, a thirty-two year old Irish-American alumni student of Eastern Michigan University. “Learning the rock is always in movement because of the continuous, circular movement of the atoms, and that direction the movement is in the same as the movement of Muslims around the Kabbah (the Holy Shrine in Meccah.)” Christina* continues explain, “A Muslim friend of mine in collage said to me one day when I was still contemplating whether to proclaim myself Muslim or not, “What are you waiting for?” He then knocked on the table in front of us and smiled, “Even this table prays to Allah (God.)” I froze when I heard his words. He didn’t realize the impact of his example, but I did. The pure science in that statement took complete hold over me. I took my Shehadah a few days later in the Ann Arbor Mosque (2002).”

Tina*, an Ann Arbor nurse in her late forties of European decent, expressed, “This is actually not an easy question and perhaps there are two answers. The truer one, which is perhaps less satisfactory to the reader, is that Allah(God) chose me from His mercy, pursued me, gave me opportunities to choose, and I finally did. “She then explains, “The other way of answering is that it felt right and I ran out of excuses not to [convert.] And so, my heart submitted. I believed what I read in the Qur’an; particularly about believing in all the prophets and the true test of an individual being in their taqwa (piety, God-consciousness) rather than any other characteristic such as ethnicity, gender, etc. Also, I liked the combination (inherent to the practice of Islam) of personal development and community responsibility.”

After a brush with death and intense soul-searching, Paul, a sixteen year old French-Canadian from Windsor, Canada described, “I happen to come across Islam by chance, and every little bit I read made so much sense to me. It illustrated to me how I wanted to live my life as an adult and it reinforced all the morals that I and my family had taught me. Even though the factual knowledge appeased my thoughts for a right religion, I still had to make sure.” And so, Paul explained how he began to change my life a little bit at a time.

“I first stopped eating pork. Then, I went on two trips to spend time on meditation. The next thing that I changed, or rather, started, was fasting during the holy month of Ramadan in 2004. I didn’t know much about what to do, nor, was I praying yet, but I figured that the fasting would prove my self discipline and help me to mature. I completed it nearly perfectly. I did forget a few times but I figured that was natural. I considered it another sign I was following everything right. After the month of Ramadan, I considered myself to be Muslim. I still didn’t start going to a Mosque for about six months, that includes my Shehadah, but nevertheless, I called myself a Muslim.”

“Ok, I studied every religion I could get my hands on, right; trying to find what I felt was truth for me. And until almost ten years ago, I was ready to give up on this subject all together. Until I watched my girlfriend study it.” Explained Yusouf, once called Joe, a thirty something half African-American, half Hispanic man from Detroit. “Man, I thought she was crazy! Why would she want to study something that oppresses women, you know? Then, after time I noticed she became more serious about it. We started to argue over it. She told me that I was a wrong what I thought about Islam, and then she converted not long after. I was shocked! Mad! Most of all, embarrassed, because she started wearing that thing on her head! Why would a girl want to convert to that religion I asked her? She told me it was perfect for any educated woman, and the love of God over the womenfolk in this religion- the Deen she called it – was the only thing she would ever answer to again.” Yusouf than began to laugh, “Oh yeah, she also broke up with me. Said I would have to marry her if I wanted to ‘be’ with her. I tell you, I wasn’t happy.” He expresses while shaking his head. “But then I couldn’t take it. I loved this girl too much. So… I agreed to study with her. And after a lot of arguing and debating and just refusal on my part to see what she was seeing, it just happened one day. I don’t know how to explain it, but suddenly it was like some thing removed from my eyes. Or some problem removed from my ability to read. I don’t know. It just all made sudden sense. But now I am dealing with her wanting to cover her face, which I don’t agree with at all. But either way, after all that soul searching, here is where I stay.”

So, now… let us break some stereotypes

For what ever the reason may be, the fact of the matter is that there are a growing number of non-Arab people converting to Islam. And not all of the women who convert to Islam wear the hijab (the traditional practice of wearing a scarf over their hair.) Of the ten women interviewed for this article, only four wore hijab; the last wearing it in a fashion that resembled that of a Jewish girl or gypsy. One would have never known if they weren’t properly educated on the details. Of the four men interviewed for this article only one dressed traditional, and one dressed with a slight punk style. None of these men or women came across in any way as threatening as some media would have the majority to believe. The women don’t always convert to please her Arab husband. For that fact, not all Muslim husbands are Arab. And not all the men want their women to practice hijab (cover their hair.) Most women who wear hijab in the west do it completely out of free will, and sometimes with much debate with their husbands and/or families. And Islam is not an Arab thing. True, its roots are from Arabia, but the majority of Muslims in the world in the present day and age are found mostly in Asian countries, and in the United States the majority of Muslims are African-American. And not all Arabs are Muslim; there are many Arab-Jews, Arab-Christians and Arab-others that many of us are unaware of.

Conclusion

And so, let us remind ourselves for in the future when we are out and about, the person standing next to you in that elevator or in that car next to you could be a Muslim. They don’t have to be Arab to be one. Islam is a religion not a race. The person who worships under this religion is called a Muslim. Not an Islamist or a Mohamadan or the media’s favorite; a terrorist. And most importantly, that random person you may encounter does have their own life and own problems—which ever religion they follow. We are all in the same circle of life and all part of the same family tree; the Human Race.

*Name changed for level of anonymous request by interviewee.
First published October 2007