Sidra Mohiuddin
“Why are you wearing leggings on such a hot day?”
It was the last day of school, and the scorching June sun was beating down on us. The day before, some of the girls planned to wear knee length dresses and, of course, I decided to do the same, only with leggings underneath. I guess my friend found it strange and, at lunch, as we picked up our pizza and Capri-Sun juice box, she asked me about it.
I froze because I knew I couldn't tell her the truth. So, as ridiculous as it sounds, I said the first thing that came to my mind. “I have a skin disease,” I lied. “I have to wear leggings to protect my skin.”
She was sympathetic and I became instantly guilty. Because the real reason was far from that. The laws of my religion, Islam, are to be modest and cover skin.
That night, I felt dishonest and overwhelmed with sadness. I had always prided myself on being honest and my religion has taught me so much and made me the person I am today. Right then I decided that I would no longer hide. I was proud of who I was and needed to act that way.
My resolve was quickly tested. Many of my friends were sitting together at lunch and we were all discussing immigration. Out of nowhere, one boy blurted out “Muslims are terrorists!” Before I could say a word, my friends tried to make a joke out of it.
“OMG!” one of them said. “Sidra is going to blow up the school!”
The boy realized I was a Muslim and rushed to apologize. Sort of. “Sorry, I meant Muslims from other countries close to the Middle East…”
“So, you think my grandma is a terrorist?” I asked him. “Because she lives in Pakistan which is close to the Middle East.”
He remained quiet and continued eating his lunch, and so did I. Inside, however, I was bursting with pride. Not only had I stood up for myself, I also felt loved and understood by my friends.
Another step forward for me was when I substituted for a Muslim speaker who was scheduled to give a presentation on Islam. When she canceled, I had the excellent idea of doing an Islam presentation myself! I asked my History teacher and he enthusiastically agreed.
When the day came, I was really scared, but at the end it was a success. Everyone enjoyed my presentation and learned something new because none of them were taught what Islam is, except from the media. My teacher liked it so much he said I should present it to the rest of his history classes that day, which I did!
As high school continued, I realized another way I could demonstrate that there is no difference between Islam and other religions is by being an outstanding student. I worked hard in school and, although I was not a natural public speaker, improved in that area and took on leadership roles.
In junior year, our Leadership Innovation Lab class had to do a TED Talk and I decided to do it on Islamophobia, and my own fears as a young Muslim American female. Whenever I have the chance, I continue to let people know who I am and what I can do.
I also learned that I could not meet hate with hate or anger with anger. When confronted with misunderstanding about my religion, I made a decision to remain positive, loving, and compassionate toward that person, no matter how hard that would be. If there was going to be a change in people's attitude, then it should start within me.
Stepping out of the shadows and being proud of my religion has changed the way I view the world in general. Not only that, it has changed the way the world looks at me.