I am a doctor.
I studied and worked hard my entire life to have a career that would allow me to serve others and help change people’s lives for the better. I start every procedure with a whisper to myself, “In the name of God the most Merciful and the most Compassionate,” because I know any good I provide is through Him.
I go out of my way to be extra nice to patients because I know I am constantly battling the perception of Islam they see all around them.
I am a mother.
I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in more than a year because I’m at my son’s side whenever he needs me.
Through my own mother’s example of patience, love and sacrifice, I’m continuously learning how to raise my child in the best way I can: Teaching him to be gentle, kind and respectful of others; teaching him to value the good in people and to never shy away from helping someone in need; reminding him that although people might think badly of his faith, he can change people’s opinions just by being himself.
I am a wife.
The past few years I’ve dedicated most of my love and effort toward being the best I can be for my husband — being his support when he needs and growing together to be better people.
We started our marriage with a promise that everything we do would be pleasing to God and be of benefit for our family and everyone around us. We look to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as an example of how to be toward your spouse.
Be soft, be respectful, be thoughtful, be selfless.
I am Muslim.
I don’t need a politician’s “Muslim ID badge” because I wear one everyday for all to see.
Whether I want to be noticed or not, I am. Whether I want to be judged or not, I am. Whether I want to be associated with crazy criminals or not, I am.
I have nothing to hide — except that I haven’t really told anyone that when I go out I’m always on guard someone might say or do something to me because I’m Muslim; that I worry for my child as he grows up in a climate of suspicion and fear; that when I watch the news, I feel sick as the entire world is told that I am the enemy.
I’ve even considered if Muslim concentration camps are a reality we might ever have to deal with.
But the truth is, all of who I am cannot be taken away by a few. I’ve worked too hard and too long to be represented by people who couldn’t be farther from who I am. I am not the people committing senseless acts of violence, nor do I have answers for why they’ve made the choices they’ve made.
I am also not ashamed of who I am, nor do I want to keep apologizing for stupid people. I am the doctor, the mother, the wife, the daughter, the friend.
I believe there’s more love than hate, more knowledge than ignorance and more goodness in the world to overcome all the bad. I can’t change what’s been done and I can’t control the future. But I can control who I am and the influence I have on those around me.
I’m always here if you have questions — and I don’t blame you if there are many. I may not have the answers but we can work together to figure things out so that collectively we become a society of tolerance, respect and love.
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Written by: Nadia El-Hillal
Image: Provided by Nadia
are you really here to answer questions? because a have a million.
edit: it just hit me, the female in cali could pretty much say all the same things. although she wasn’t a doctor, but she did study to be a pharmacist. not sure if she finished before turning to the dark side, shall we say.
The quote from the article: “I’m always here if you have questions — and I don’t blame you if there are many. I may not have the answers but we can work together to figure things out….”
Although the quote I took is selective but it seems that there is only hope expressed in the article that answers for the questions will be found but it’s just another name of hopelessness. If the person is hopeless enough in religious matters, you shouldn’t expect anything from it as he/she should churn out things not based on logic, sense or intellect but based on illusory straws of imagination and that would be disastrous.
munna, you speak in riddles sometimes. can you dumb it down for us philistines? she is hopeless in her hope? you are hopeless in finding answers with her religiosity? I don’t follow ya.
Seems El Cid gotta clue of her in his comment. Although, the lady talked of finding answers but in reality, if she got any idea herself about some innovative solutions then, she wouldn’t have stopped herself from suggesting any idea. Leaving the matter to the discussion or finding flaws in whomsoever, who’s gonna ask her question is another tactic now employed often these days by religious zealots as their intellect remained confined to finding the flaws in others argument. Maybe, the writer got scared from some of us but she would have come out with exuberance if some Muslim pansy would have thrown his/her usual easy to manipulate doubtful questions.
see, I took el cid to be saying she will be killed by us evil western if she stays among us.
I don’t think the writer had any intentions to actually answer questions. I think it is just kind of a saying. I think her point was more that she was going to represent islam with her actions. but it would be interesting to hear a doctor’s opinion on some of the less scientific beliefs in islam. I would love to ask her about jinn. but alas, it is not to be.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never is, but always to be blessed:
The soul, uneasy and confined from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man
as the muslims say, they care not about this life. it is the next life that matters.
Mike, on second thought it struck me that maybe as you’re western educated person, might not be aware of Asian culture. Here being hopeless in her hope means that she’s hoping for a person to be of certain nature-n-temperament while not knowing that it could be far more diverse/difficult. She’s hoping to answer the questions that might be according to her choice i.e. innocuous religion related problems but will be unwilling to answer any difficult ones that might involve condemning the religion itself. If you remember your conversation with Ilisha then, you’ll know that she might be fair enough in answering common religious questions pertaining to Islam but will use whatever diversion, deflection, dissection methods which is in a sense hopelessness on her part. In Asian cultures often some words do carry double message which might seem contradictory to western person.
yes, I’m sure it is just a culture miscommunication. plus your English is probably bristishfied. you know what they say about America and Britain: we are two countries separated by a common language.
I am woefully lacking in knowledge of Asian culture.
so she is hoping for, what we call ‘softball’ questions and surely will not answer any hard questions, or anything that might press her faith. and at best she will fall back to the old and tired, ‘what about the crusades’ deflection. I just got that from sufian on another thread. you might be just the person to answer him on ‘why are their still hindus’ in india. much like my lack of knowledge about the subcontinent’s culture, my historical knowledge of the region is poor as well. somehow muslims have this belief that their history is devoid of persecutions of minority religions and attempts at genocide.
just hit me, I forgot to bring up the Armenian holocaust. maybe next time.
Well Mike, whatever knowledge you do have about many a things about Islam and other religions is good enough. One can’t be the end all or know all in every matters, only strive to for that. Regarding arguing with someone, I think Hskol did mention it somewhere to leave the person at a certain point with his belief and I appreciate it somewhat. I don’t think arguing with Sufian or El Cid or Ilisha is good enough after a certain point as they’re there to argue endlessly without any change in their thinking, however, you can point the glaring mistakes in their perception. Regarding obsession of Muslims to let prevail upon their religion, it’s like many others however, in my language it is called as “Rajhath” (Royal Obsession), it’s a difficult concept to translate but whatever poor translation of it…. it is denoted by an obsession which makes a person likely to shed any pretensions of being on right/wrong path, it means an obsession which makes a person commit suicide or kill others just for the heck of it, it means an obsession which makes a person wants to prevail/superiority complex over others whether it’s been proved wrong or unjustified, it means an obsession which is superior to all other obsessions.
I agree with you when it comes to el cid. he is too insane to be rational. but that is the thing I like least about hskol, his unwillingness to engage them and their irrational beliefs. I will continue to do so if given the chance. perhaps I’m the hopeless one, my hope springs eternal for reason to win out. I will cling to the rope of logic.
Well, Hskol has his own style, so do the many others and yes, hope springs eternal but some channelize it much better than others. You got your own style, can take on anyone, I get my own way, more to do with putting up better questions than finding answers sometimes. As you know, there comes a point when someone will be probing you for answers for which there’s too many parameters or difficulties, sometimes I do skirt them but I noticed that you do venture more forthright than others to find the answers too, so take it as a compliment.
yes hskol has his own style. he is nearly unshakable in his placidness. even the white nationals can’t rile him usually.
so how is everything on the subcontinent. I’ve been working longer hours than usual lately. haven’t been able to get in my usual hours reading the news. in fact I often don’t even get to any, but I have see some mumblings about the bloom being of modi’s rose?
Well, the news about subcontinent is somewhat on the negative side as the economic things are not looking up in great fashion due to maybe, cooling down of world economy. Regarding political sphere, there’s lot of debate on intolerance aspect. Those who’re against the present govt. of Modi are accusing it of intolerance while not putting up any credible debate or argument themselves that how has intolerance gained/more compare to earlier times. Regarding, the workings of the Govt., it is also tied down due to the vengeance factor, it has been the trend from last 5-6 yrs. now, earlier the opposition was stalling the Parliament now the earlier party holding power (Congress) is stalling the Parliament reducing the working of decision making body (Parliament) to a farce. It’s called Power Politics but it’s not beneficial overall to country’s progress.
Hope to listen more of US electoral trends from you later.
Typical platitudes of a broken, beaten, defeated hopeless pleadings of an immature magical thinker, living in fear, out of touch with reality: “Spare me I am a good Muslim. I never hurt anyone. I am a good doctor, loving mother, caring wife.”
Lulz!
Hey lady you defined yourself as the perfect target: Center of mass. Zero shoot back like…fish in a barrel. Just as soft. Just as stupid. Worse, because you have been given a brain and free will.
Wait till the torches and pitchforks come for you…if you live in America. You have a better chance with probability than with your ‘goody two shoes’ defense.