After Four Years Of Studying And Prodding At World Religions And Their Adherents, I Converted To Islam
By Theresa Corbin, Special
to CNN
October 14, 2014
I am a
Muslim, but I wasn't always. I converted to Islam in November 2001, two months
after 9/11.
I was 21
and living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was a bad time to be a Muslim. But
after four years of studying, poking and prodding at world religions and their
adherents, I decided to take the plunge.
Burqa
----
Questions And Answers
I am the
product of a Creole Catholic and an Irish atheist. I grew up Catholic, then was
agnostic, now I'm Muslim.
My journey
to Islam began when I was about 15 years old in mass, and had questions about
my faith. The answers from teachers and clergymen -- don't worry your pretty
little head about it -- didn't satisfy me.
So I did
what any red-blooded American would do: the opposite. I worried about it. For
many years. I questioned the nature of religion, man, and the universe.
Chador
----
After
questioning everything I was taught to be true and digging through rhetoric,
history and dogma, I found out about this strange thing called Islam. I learned
that Islam is neither a culture nor a cult, nor could it be represented by one
part of the world. I came to realize Islam is a world religion that teaches
tolerance, justice and honour, and promotes patience, modesty and balance.
As I
studied the faith, I was surprised many of the tenets resonated with me. I was
pleased to find that Islam teaches its adherents to honour all prophets, from
Moses to Jesus to Muhammad, all of whom taught mankind to worship one God and
to conduct ourselves with higher purpose.
I was drawn
to Islam's appeal to intellect and heartened by the prophet Muhammad's quote,
"The acquisition of knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim, whether male
or female." I was astounded that science and rationality were embraced by
Muslim thinkers like Al-Khawarizmi, who invented algebra; Ibn Firnas, who
developed the mechanics of flight before DaVinci; and Al-Zahravi, who is the
father of modern surgery.
Here was a
religion telling me to seek out answers and use my intellect to question the
world around me.
Taking The Plunge
It was 2001
and I had been putting off converting for a while. I feared what people would
think, but was utterly miserable. When 9/11 happened, the actions of the
hijackers horrified me. But in its aftermath, I spent most of my time defending
Muslims and their religion to people who were all too eager to paint a group of
1.6 billion people with one brush because of the actions of a few. I was done
being held hostage by the opinions of others. In defending Islam, I got over my
fear and decided to join my brothers and sisters in the faith I believed in.
My family
did not understand, but it wasn't a surprise to them since I had been studying
religion. Most were very concerned for my safety. Luckily, most of my friends
were cool about it, and even curious to learn more.
The Scarf
These days,
I am a proud wearer of hijab. You can call it a scarf. My scarf does not tie my
hands behind my back, and it is not a tool of oppression. It doesn't prevent
thoughts from entering my head and leaving my mouth. But I didn't always know
this.
Studying
Islam didn't immediately dispel all my cultural misconceptions. I had been
raised on imagery of women in the East being treated like chattel by men who
forced them to cover their bodies out of shame or a sense of ownership.
But when I
asked a Muslim woman "Why do you wear that?", her answer was obvious,
and appealing: "To please God. To be recognized as a woman who is to be
respected and not harassed. So that I can protect myself from the male
gaze." She explained how dressing modestly is a symbol to the world that a
woman's body is not meant for mass consumption or critique.
I still
wasn't convinced and replied, "Yeah, but women are like second class
citizens in your faith?" The very patient Muslim lady explained that,
during a time when the Western world treated women like property, Islam taught
that men and women were equal in the eyes of God. Islam made the woman's
consent to marriage mandatory and gave women the opportunity to inherit, own
property, run businesses and participate in government.
She listed
right after right that women in Islam held nearly 1250 years before women's lib
was ever thought of in the West. Surprisingly, Islam turned out to be the
religion that appealed to my feminist ideals.
Abaya
----
Getting Married
It might
shock you to know that I had an arranged marriage. That doesn't mean I was
forced to marry my father's first choice suitor, like Jasmine from Aladdin. Dad
didn't even have a say.
When I
converted, it wasn't a good time to be a Muslim. Feeling isolated, alienated
and rejected by my own society pushed me to want to start a family of my own.
Even before converting I had always wanted a serious relationship, but found
few men looking for the same.
As a new
Muslim, I knew there was a better way to look for love and a lifelong
partnership. I decided that if I wanted a serious relationship, it was time to
get serious about finding one. I wanted an arranged marriage.
I made a
list of "30 Rock"-style deal breakers. I searched. I interviewed. I
interrogated friends and families of prospects.
I decided I
wanted to marry another convert, someone who had been where I was and wanted to
go where I wanted to go. Thanks to parents of friends, I found my now-husband,
a convert to Islam, in Mobile, Alabama, two hours from my New Orleans home.
Twelve years later, we are living happily ever after.
Not every
Muslim finds a mate in this manner, and I didn't always see this for my life.
But I am glad Islam afforded me this option.
Living In A Post-9/11 World
I never had
to give up my personality, American identity or culture to be a Muslim. I have,
at times, had to give up on being treated with dignity.
I have been
spat on, had eggs thrown at me, and been cursed at from passing cars. And I
have felt terror when the mosque I attended in Savannah, Georgia, was first
shot at, then burned down.
In August
2012, I moved back home to New Orleans, where being different is the norm. I
finally felt safe -- for a while. But now, with the continuous news coverage of
the un-Islamic group known as ISIS, I have been subjected to much of the same
treatment I received in other cities. And I now feel less safe than I ever
have.
It enrages
me to know there are some who call themselves Muslims and who distort and
misappropriate Islam for political gains. It weighs on me knowing that millions
of my countrymen see only these images as a representative of my religion. It
is unbearable to know that I am passionately hated for my beliefs, when those
hating me don't even know what my beliefs are.
In my
journey to Islam, I came to learn that Muslims come in all shapes, sizes,
attitudes, ethnicities, cultures and nationalities. I came to know that Islam
teaches disagreement and that shouldn't lead to disrespect, as most Muslims
want peace. Most of all, I have faith that my fellow Americans can rise above
fear and hatred and come to learn the same.
----
Theresa Corbin is a writer living in New
Orleans, Louisiana. She is the founder of Islamwich and a contributor to On
Islam and Aquila Style. A version of this piece first appeared on CNN iReport.
The opinions expressed in this story are solely
those of Theresa Corbin.
Original Headline: I'm a feminist and I
converted to Islam
Source: CNN Edition
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/after-four-years-studying-prodding/d/123306
New
Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism