It Could Have Been Me or You

By Anwar 

It could’ve been me or you walking to the masjid (mosque) with my heart set on God, during the holiest month of the year, getting ready to worship my lord with the companionship of my friends. It could’ve been me or you that was kidnapped and murdered because racial and religious profiling seem to be the “trend” these days. It could have been me or you that never made it home that night and left our families gut-wrenched and heartbroken. Ask yourself, “how does that TRULY make you feel?” Seriously, be honest with yourselves. 
I’m not sure how much longer the world will continue to turn a blind eye to kidnappings, murders, terror attacks, racism, and bigotry against Muslims. I’m just not sure. I’m disturbingly sick of how often I turn on the news or hop onto social media, and there it is: LABLES. LABLES everywhere. You see a man with a beard, who isn’t Muslim labeled as a “Muslim terrorist”. You see a modest women dressed in hijab, and she’s apparently “oppressed”, but you see a woman flaunting her body in a bikini and she’s “free and beautiful”. A white man commits a crime, and he’s “mentally ill” or suffered “road rage”. A black man commits a crime, and he’s “a thug”. It makes no sense to me. It’s totally backwards. I mean that is my opinion, but I’m pretty logical. In this case, my opinion is truth. We just refuse to see it that way. We judge people because for years we’ve labeled groups of people based on religion, race, and gender. Let’s face it. It exists in all of us. I’m not sure what it’s going to take to turn this around, as I feel like we are far from it. 
Let’s reflect. 
We have a “President” who stands for nothing related to “for the people, by the people”. We have a mass media base that’s totally skewed to report everything but TRUTH. We have a world around us where children are dying and are being murdered by the masses and we’re totally numbed by it. 
I am so LOST. I have no idea what to do about it. I feel defeated, but I refuse to lose. I refuse to let oppression by society be the theme of the rest of my life and the for the lives of future generations. I need, we need people to band together to make change. Who is going to be the one to step up and actually do it? I mean honestly, who? We all say we want a part of it, but who is actually going to be the one? 
Here’s a thought. It begins with the already mentioned. REFLECT. Reflecting from within ourselves. Refusing to allow ourselves to be afraid of truth. Clear the blindness of our hearts and open our foggy minds to think and feel for what others are going through. Challenge yourselves to wear a hijab, and walk in a store. Have an open conversation with a Muslim, or walk in a mosque, and gain an open mind. I promise, you will be amazed. 
I’ll be honest. When I wore my hijab, “being judged” was something I struggled with. Now, I’m just over it. I wear my hijab as an obligation of worship to my creator. He is the one and only judge. Not society. I’ll continue to wear it proudly. I will continue to be a voice for the unheard. 

I will continue to stand up for the rights of Nabra who was assaulted, kidnapped, and brutally murdered by a fascist, and the other 1.7 billion Muslims around the globe, who are the victims of hate, terrorism, and bigotry. 
It is my duty. 

Now it just needs to be yours.