Don’t Make Yourself a Prisoner

It's possible to make ourselves the prisoners ofothers. How? By caring
somuch what they think that we let if affect how we practice our
religion, how we dress, how we speak, even what names we call
ourselves.
Prisoners have their names taken away and are given numbers. We do it
voluntarily when we change Muhammad to Mo, Wael to Will (I've been
advised by some to do this but I have always refused), and Khadija to
Kim.
Prisoners are told how todress. We do it to ourselves by giving up our
hijabs and kufis in order to fit in. We enslave ourselves to the
cultural dictates of others. We humiliate ourselves by suppressing
everything that says, "I am Muslim."
Prisoners are sometimes refused the right to pray or to have a Quran.
We do it to ourselves by missing our prayers because we are afraid of
being seen in public; or putting away our Quran and letting it gather
dust.
Prisoners are given no choice in their diets. We do it to ourselves by
eating the non-halal meat that is put in front of us, because we are
ashamed to say, "I only eat halal."
Prisoners learn to remainsilent. We do it to ourselves when others
speak of faith and religion – sometimes even criticizing Islam in our
presence – and we remain silent because weare embarrassed to speakup.
"And believe in what I have sent down confirming that which is
[already] with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And do
not exchange My signs for a small price, and fear[only] Me." – Quran,
Al-Baqarah, 2:41
Allah gave us a great gift,He gave us truth and guidance, and others
are hungering for it, so don'thide it! We must be ourselves, be proud
(not the pride of arrogance but of gratitude), let our faith show,
shine our light! A lamp in the darkness cannot be hidden!
Don't make yourself a prisoner! Wear your Islamic clothing without
embarrassment, eat halal without apology, speak your name with pride,
pray on time no matter where you are, read the Quran on the bus or the
subway if you wish, and when people ask you about your faith, tell
them with a smile, "I am Muslim." Speak your truth without fear. Be
proud of Islam. Be free, and hold your head up high, bowing only to
Allah.