Mahvish Akhtar

The Problem

Change is coming fast and hard. We see it all around us. Everything’s new and different. I want to write new and improved but that would be a bit of a stretch. I don’t really know how improved we’re getting as human kind. However we are changing. I wouldn’t even say “growing” because what does that even mean anymore?

As Muslims, whether we are a minority or not we have always wanted to be understood. We have always wanted people to understand us and give us a chance. Even learn our way of life.

We, however have not really been ready to do that for others as much if I’m being honest.

Living in a Muslim country as an Adult and raising children here has made me realize that more than I would have anywhere else. I know, this is probably hard for us to acknowledge. I am asking for a lot of traditions to be broken here. I am questioning myself on a basic level by saying something like this. I am telling people, myself included, to think differently about how we view ourselves and involve ourselves in the world.

This seems like a small thing but let me tell you, it is not. Many a wars have started over this thing. A few of them right on my dinner table.

The problem has never been our religion. The problem has always been our insecurity of what we were passing on or how strong we are holding on to our religion. I mean if we invite others to look close enough, will they find all the holes and dirty laundry we have been trying to hide? Sure they will. Then they will point their finger at us and they will say you have always been the problem. You let us have fancy discussions when the truth was simple, you were weak. You could never be as strong as you should have been and you chose to blame the world for it. I know, that’s harsh, but kinda true. If we let others in, are we afraid they will learn something about us we don’t know about ourselves? I feel this would be it?

There is a very easy solution, yet it seems so difficult, doesn’t it? Just give people the same rights that we want for ourselves. What are those? They are simple. Oh you want me to list them? Okay then. Here we go.

Let them live.

Let them be who they are.

Let them practice their religion as they please.

Let them be a part of our lives as we would be a part of their lives.

There’s more. There’s so much more but I think this covers the basics.