The Space Between ‘My’ and ‘Islam’

My Islam.

My prayer mat underneath my bed Islam

My Qur’an next to my Kanye albums and Chance poster Islam

My — the only dates you’re allowed to have are the ones during Ramadan — Islam

My forgot to set my alarm for Fajr Islam

My you don’t eat pork? So you never had bacon? Islam

My have you ever tried to taste it? Islam

My I accidentally ate a pork sausage in 3rd grade Islam

My you don’t look like them Islam

My your eyes are too small and you’re not the same shade of brown as the terrorists on TV Islam

My I didn’t know there were Asians who practiced Islam

My but you don’t always wear a headscarf Islam

My are you rebelling against your religion by not wearing one? Islam

My at least you’re not like the OTHER Muslim girls. They’re oppressed Islam

My media calls oppressive but forgets how they treat their own country’s girls Islam

My 1.6 billion muslims but your understanding of Islam is based on American Sniper and Allahu-Akbar vines Islam

My Allahu-akhbar is not followed by an explosion Islam



My Allahu-akhbar is not followed by your political agenda Islam

My prayer for peace is not and should not be followed by your violence Islam

My “randomly searched” at every airport Islam

My no need for further checking after seeing my face because I’m not the same shade of brown as the terrorists on TV Islam

My always worry for my sisters who are Islam

My “The Holy Qur’an: Translated In English” Islam

My recite Arabic in Sunday School but don’t know what it means Islam

My years pronouncing it Is-LAHm not Islam Islam

My fear that my prayers won’t reach my ancestors because their mouths never held the same language Islam

My held all of the violence of my ancestors in my mouth and my prayers are the one thing that smooths it over Islam

My the space in between “Muslim” and “American” is not another place for you to draw another border Islam

My refusal to have the violence of you drawing borders in my identity be another thing my prayers have to smooth over Islam

My space between “my” and “Islam” and what I do with it will never invalidate my prayers Islam

My PrayerMatQuranChanceKanyeLateForFajrNoHijabNoDateCeptForRamadanAsian’Other’MuslimGirlRandomSearchDontSpeakArabicButMyPrayersAreValid Islam

My no matter what you say, this will always be

My

Islam

Dena Igusti/MuslimGirl.com