8 Responses to “Don’t Touch Me With Your Religion”

1. Author	Date	Comment
   nassima mahieddine	February 23rd, 2010 12:55 pm	mashallah it is a good article . may allah bless u. thanks muslimaoasis for all that;)

2. Author	Date	Comment
   Amina	February 23rd, 2010 11:18 pm	Nice topic, mashaAllah. Not only does this happen with non-Muslims, it happens even with other Muslims. I mean, I personally could modify the title to "Don't touch me with your niqaab"! I remember when I put it on, I received opposition from other Muslims as my decision to wear it was somehow affecting their lives personally (I almost felt like they were paranoid I was going to force them to put on niqaab or something). What really bothered me the most though were the people who "pretended" to give me a chance to discuss my decision but actually everytime I opened up my mouth started telling me "their evidences" against it … So definitely, even when you're living in an area with other Muslims, you still find this sort of "don't touch me attitude". I think people are just afraid- afraid to rethink their own values, reconsider what they've grown up with, afraid to think of the possibilty that yes, you will be judged by God on every single thing you do, e.g. whether you shake hands with a guy or what you wear…

3. Author	Date	Comment
   Amina	February 24th, 2010 1:23 am	^ I meant to write "as IF my decision to wear it…." ;)

4. Author	Date	Comment
   UmmIn	February 24th, 2010 8:51 pm	Mashaallah great advice sister :D

5. Author	Date	Comment
   Kathleen	February 25th, 2010 9:51 am	I know what you mean about hijab. My husband really doesn't like it at all. I live in a VERY rural area, but no one looks at me, but I don't go out with him anymore because doesn't understand why I need it, even though I DID explain it to him. You can not compromise with the word of God, dang blast it! lol. Funny, isn't it that the grief comes from him. My adult kids want me to be happy and they even provide spaces for me to pray :) I am no longer willing to compromise on the important things.

6. Author	Date	Comment
   Abigail	March 3rd, 2010 1:55 pm	Masha Allah very interesting article. As a converted I had to face many things and still doing it. Today was the first day on which a christian complained about why I turned to Islam. Every question he asked me about Islam and Jesus I answered but it seemed for him that I was incorrect. He began to ridiculize me in front of people at the university, since I'm the only muslim woman wearing the hijab. Clearly we have the right to choose our way of life and religion but when we live in a "democratic free country" everything changes.

7. Author	Date	Comment
   Wael - IslamicAnswers.com	November 30th, 2010 4:29 pm	I don’t quite agree with you. You seem to be saying that we should live our lives as Muslims but should not do any da’wah beyond that. Actually da’wah is an obligation on us. Where would we be if the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had simply practiced Islam on his own, without preaching to the people? Actually at one point Allah commanded him to go out and preach publicly, and though he was reluctant to do it (for fear of the people’s reaction) he did. Here in the SF Bay Area, there’s an organization that sets up da’wah booths at malls, Walmart, street fairs and farmer’s markets. They hand out dozens of Qurans and pamphlets, and speak to many people who approach them. This is great work, important work. There is even a brother down at the cable car turnaround on Powell Street, where all the tourists gather and commuters pass by, who literally stands on a crate and preaches Islam, and sells Qurans at cost. I admire him greatly because it takes courage to do what he does, and it may touch someone’s heart. Then there are less personal forms of da’wah like websites, magazines, radio, TV and film. They are important as well. It’s a free country. Others are free to preach their religion – certainly the Jehova’s Witnesses and Mormons have no compunctions about going door to door, and that’s why their religions continue to grow. And we too are free to preach ours. That’s not “pushing” our religion on anyone, it’s simply sharing.

8. Author	Date	Comment
   Durriyyah	December 13th, 2010 10:42 am	Hmmm, maybe I wasn’t clear in my purpose of writing this. As I said here, “The fact is, that we don’t live in a rural society anymore, and we are going to step on each others toes. We must look towards the middle path which means not accepting anything in order to not hurt anyone’s feelings, nor should we distance ourselves from anyone different from ourselves. We are commanded to speak up, but we should choose our words carefully.” We should not hide ourselves in the culture we find ourselves in, but rather speak up on who we are and what we believe. That means though, that we need to be careful what we say. Blurting out “I’m right and you’re wrong” seems to be the avenue that some people take, assuming people will start thinking and questioning why someone would say that. I believe that most people will instead assume the person is a jerk and move on without another thought. Dawah is of ultimate importance, and how we deliver that dawah should be different in different areas. What works for some does not work for all. Even someone who has the attitude of “don’t touch me with your religion” will listen to someone who speaks in a non-confrontational tone, inshaAllah.

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