Religion

Since he stopped smoking, E decided to go to Friday prayers yesterday at the local university (where smoking on campus is forbidden) instead of at the mall. I drove him and two school friends from Saudi Arabia, and I was glad I did because the one guy with directions would have taken them to the opposite end of campus. E was absolutely glowing after prayers. He loved meeting with other Muslims his own age, particularly a student from Jordan and another from Mali. E told me, with pride, that they had complimented his English and suggested he should apply to the university. Personally, I think that would be a great idea, but he’s not sure he can keep the promise not to smoke on a permanent basis, a concern I respect. He’s two weeks smoke-free, but it definitely is not easy.

We both got off work late last night, and I was starving. Instead of cooking, we headed to Outback Steakhouse. I’d never been there before, but it was one of the few restaurants still open so late. Of course, I immediately noticed a table of Middle Eastern men (and one blonde American woman). I’ve developed a Muslim-dar and tried to encourage E to introduce himself. I really want him to develop a network so he will have someone to celebrate the upcoming Festival of Sacrifice with. He wasn’t able to celebrate the Ramadan Holiday because we had just moved here, and I’d hate for him to miss his holiday while I am celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. Any who, he just laughed at my suggestion and said of course he already knew the men from Friday prayers.

On a more serious note . . .

E and I listen to NPR whenever we’re driving in the car. E is definitely aware that many news stories are about Islam. This week, for example, the firing of Juan Williams over bigoted statements about Muslims has been all over the news. As you might imagine, I feel so much shame every time we hear another story reporting on Americans prejudice and fear of Islam, despite the fact that most Muslims in America are middle-class, assimilated members of society. The reality that many people in this country, a country founded on religious freedom, want to deny the right of worship to a certain population boggles my mind. Really, Americans, do you honestly think there are 1.5 billion people in this world who are plotting your downfall? Get real.

Anywho, I worry so much that E will suffer from this prejudice and backlash. I was really impressed, though, when we talked about it this week. He said there is no reason to be offended or angry. If people hear about Islam, he said, maybe it will inspire them to actually research the religion, and then they will understand they have nothing to fear. I wish he were right. We did hear an interesting statistic, though. Generally, Americans who are afraid of Islam haven’t met a single Muslim (shocking, I know). Those who have no fear have friends, neighbors, and coworkers who are Muslim. Maybe having E in our neighborhood here will do more than any lecture I can ever give on the insanity of such prejudice.