Dear Miss SmartyPants,

I am a junior in high school, and also a Muslim.  I was born in the United States, but my parents came here from India almost 20 years ago.  They are naturalized citizens, and we love the United States of America.  We also love India, and visit almost every year to see relatives.  It is important to my parents to educate me as to my heritage.  I am proud of my religion and my background, and am so lucky to have such a wonderful, large family, here and in India.  But I am very much an American girl. 

I fit in well at school.  I don’t dress any differently from the other girls, and while my parents are a little strict, I am allowed most of the freedoms the other girls enjoy.  So why am I writing?  People who don’t know me very well, and strangers, sometimes treat me differently, almost like they are suspicious of me.  Also, the impressions of Islam on TV and other public media are often incorrect and hurtful.  Some websites are hateful.

I don’t know how to defend myself against the looks, rude questions, and misinformation.  I can’t go into big explanations about what the Qur’an teaches, it’s not practical.  But I wish I could, so that people would realize that the vast majority of believers in Islam are devoted to God, and are taught to humble ourselves in prayer, avoid vanity, help other people through charitable deeds, abstain from sex until marriage, etc, etc.  In other words, many of the teachings are the same as for Christians. 

Violent extremists twist the teachings of Islam to suit their purposes, just as extremists have historically done with the teachings of the Bible and the Torah.  Matters of interpretation aside, we must put these various writings in their historical perspective in our efforts to understand what was written, and under what circumstances.

Anyway, do you have any suggestion as to how I can deal with what feels like prejudice based on ignorance?

Proud to be Muslim

Dear Proud,

Unfortunately, ignorance and prejudice are in large supply, and are not going anywhere.  People who carry such baggage no doubt learned it at home, and are probably more to be pitied than reviled.  Don’t let them get to you.  But there may be something you could do.

You are an interesting person.  You are a good writer, seem quite mature for your years, and display an intelligent mind.  Considering all that, I am going to make a suggestion: the only way I know how to fight ignorance is to counter it with education.