By Yusra Murad - Follow @browngirlmag
I'm done getting personal about ISIS.
At this point, if you still wanna come to me with your, "But don't you think there must be something about Islam..." or, "Okay, but I heard from FOX that your Allah wants..." I'd like to direct your attention to books, libraries, extensive research and the Quran itself.
I have lots of things to do with my life. Here's what you won't find in my job description: A civic duty to explain myself and an ENTIRE religion to your uneducated ass every time some psychopath blows himself up and shouts Allah into the wind.
For the last time:
ISIS may as well stand for Insect Studies Involving Switzerland or International Sewage Investigation Services. That is because those bastards have about as much knowledge of bugs or plumbing as they do of Islam -- absolutely none!
The point is, anyone can call themselves anything that they damn well please! I could legally change my name to Jay Leno, but I don't think anyone will pay me thousands of dollars to tell jokes. If you do a quick Google search on Jay Leno, you will soon realize that no matter what I claim, I'm not Jay Leno!
So, if you continue to believe ISIS represents Islam, you've been Punk'd. And if you retaliate by mistreating Muslims and living in fear, congratulations on completing their own agenda for them.
"Allah" is no different from God -- it's a direct translation of the word itself. Complaining about "my" Allah makes you sound like an idiot. If you like cheese, you also like fromage. Isn't language amazing?
Jihad means struggle. Convincing myself not to order Asian Kitchen every third night is a jihad. Beheading innocent Christians is a sin.
There are plenty of beautiful people in this world who have opened a book and don't need to be told (again) that Islam does NOT preach violence, and that well over 90% of terrorist attacks have nothing do with Muslims. Continuing to expend mental energy being devastated over the many people who are blind to this is a waste of my resources. I, and all the Muslims that you know, have as much to do with ISIS as any other innocent citizen of this world, and I refuse to validate your bigotry by patiently attempting to convince you of this again and again. You've had your time to ask questions and do research -- if you still doubt this, you've chosen ignorance.
I hope to God we can save our time for those who want to work together on spreading love, taking care of each other and our planet, in unity and peace -- for Belgium, Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, and the dozens of nations suffering oppression and injustice every moment of every day.
But I'm finished explaining myself. Every Muslim in the U.S. has the same right to be here -- and be happy -- as anyone else without facing interrogation. I will always be a Muslim. If you don't like that, bummer for you. Also, I don't care about you.
Screw ISIS to hell.
If anyone killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind; and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of mankind...- The Quran [5:32]
Salam -- may peace be upon you.
Yusra Murad is a student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison studying international business and psychology. Her dream is to work in mental healthcare access, specifically in the Middle East and South Asia, where mental health is stigmatized and left untreated. She also writes for the school newspaper and enjoys playing pickup games of softball even though she knows she is horrible at it.
This post was originally published on Brown Girl Magazine. Click here to read more!