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 * __Group 1's Islamic Religion Speaches page__**
 * __Back to home page__**

__**A Muslim speaks on her belief and culture**__

over the past month we have been studying islamic religions to make up our project we have learnt that it is a complicated religionand much more: this is an extract a islamic women has said: As a islamic woman wearing a headscarf, I am now, more so than ever, regarded as an object of suspicion, a potential traitor to Britain and all it stands for. But most people probably think I'm stupid too. What self-respecting girl brought up in the Land of Choice would choose to wear the get-up of an Afghan under Taliban rule? They think I'm either forced into wearing what is technically called hijaab, or I am completely brainwashed by a barbaric ideology of yesteryear. I am neither of these. I chose to wear the hijaab without parental consent, and Islam is more a part of this society today than it was 1400 years ago. There are of course, the benefits. Namely the weather - have you noticed how most heat is lost through the head? The headscarf is able to reduce that significantly - and in such a country as Britain where the weather is invariably cold and windy, not to mention wet, this is a great blessing, for which headscarf wearers all over the country are eternally grateful to a most foresighted God. Sometimes, and this is between you and me, I think perhaps if I wear something intentionally revealing, maybe the dashing young man who joins me daily on my commute to work will notice me. But then my rational brain exerts itself, and once more overpowers the scheming one. Do I want some random guy, who probably has awful eating habits and never picks up the tab, to make a move on me? Chances are he's okay for the odd night out until you start to mention something about commitment and cautiously ask 'where is this going?' at which he disappears. And I am a very lazy person - I don't want the hassle of having to dress up over and over again to attract countless men on the off chance that one of them might be Mr Right. I would much rather be appreciated for who I am beneath the skin, and be valued for my intellectual prowess rather than the size of whatever body part happens to be coveted at that moment. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that even though my body does not in the least resemble Kate Moss's, and my face is nowhere near as gorgeous as Claudia Schiffer's, it doesn't matter. Perhaps if people placed less importance on physical appearance and more on perfecting character and personality, the world would be a better place, and the very real and depressing problems of bulimia and anorexia would be less common. The hijaab is more than a symbol of being a Muslim woman, it is more than an observance of religious practise - it has a wider purpose. Many women might believe that the hijaab is actually there to subjugate women, and to keep us in the background, when in fact its purpose and its effect is the exact opposite. When women plaster their faces in make-up, spend hundreds of pounds on the perfect hairstyle, or spend hours just deciding what to wear to bring in the milk, one has to question motives. Women are better than this. Self worth and esteem ought not to be boosted simply because a hair-style is by Toni and Guy rather than a local independent. Women shouldn't be made to feel that unless they are size 8 and have perfect legs they are not worth considering for love and companionship. Any society that dictates these rules, surely it is their women who are chained and subjugated to a male ideal of the perfect woman? As a Muslim, I am taught to believe that being neat, tidy and clean is important when it comes to appearance. Growing up with two cultures at my disposal, I believe I have a unique window to view both rather more accurately than your average woman on the street. Being a witness to both, and living both, I believe that I would not change who I am even if the Kurt Geiger label were placed in my left hand and the Bobby Brown label in my right. My appearance is only as important to me as much as it allows me to carry on being me, and only me.


 * __Another women has just become a muslim and speaks about the faith__

__I'm A new muslim__**

There is nothing easier than converting to Islam - the moment one really becomes aware personally that God is real and truly does exist, and accepts that the Arab Muhammad (peace be upon him) really was the last prophet of God in the same line of prophets as all the others named in the Bible - one has actually taken the first step. This moment of dawning is called //taqwa// - God-consciousness, and //ihsan// - awareness. Suddenly you know that God can see you and knows you, even if you do not know or see Him. The next step in becoming a Muslim is to make a clear statement of this moment of faith, to declare shahadah: 'I bear witness'. Then follows the rest of your life.


 * __Living as a Muslim__**

It is one thing to become a Muslim in the mind, but it's quite another to enter into the lifestyle or to become part of the local Muslim community. For many female converts this involves a great deal of determination and confidence-building. Not only do you have to face up to your own family and friends who think you have gone mad, but as a woman you have to find the courage to enter the mosque world, which may consist of scowling bearded men who will not speak to you. If you're a Muslim woman convert in those parts of the north of England where mosques are heavily Asian in character, you have to learn a lot about those Asian cultures, as well as about Islam. Under the scowls you may meet are shyness, gentleness, piety and genuine friendliness and hospitality and generosity - but it is regarded as rude for a man to appear eager to talk to women, or look at them with more than a mere glance. And many mosques don't yet have enough room for the womenfolk to pray there as well.

__**Gaining confidence**__

But we converts are gaining in confidence. We no longer feel we have to pretend to be Arabs or Pakistanis in order to belong. We now know there are Muslims in every place in the world, from Eskimo to Aborigine. We may take an Arabic name, or we may choose to keep our old names, it doesn't really matter. The ladies may opt for a costume that consists of loose trousers and long shirts, or long skirts, rather than billowing forth in black gowns or wearing shalwar-qameez. If we feel out of it at the local mosque because we don't understand the language, we are beginning to get organised with house-mosques and groups of our own, where we can invite the Asians to be our guests.

__**Many kinds of Muslim, one family**__

We converts are beginning to have read enough and studied enough to voice our own opinions about things. We have become mature enough to realise that not every Muslim is a saint - people are people, and most of us far from perfect. We get over the disappointment of discovering that not every Muslim is living the Muslim way of life to perfection. It doesn't make us give up or accuse them of hypocrisy; we just do our best to live our own lives in the best way we can. Gradually each convert wakes up to the fact that there are many different styles of Muslim. Some Muslims are spiritual while some are ritualistic. Some are extreme to the point of fanaticism, some are lazy. Some are even racist. But we converts increasingly feel we can take out place alongside the others in this vast ummah or family, and so long as we are doing our best, Allah will reward our good intentions.