Sunday, October 10, 2010

Where are the Ansaars??? Will you sacrifice a little to help us (New Muslims)

By: Adiba Islam
Problems faced by New Muslims, breaking the ice – The Reality!!!


Dont think this to be a copy pasted article... Unlike others, this is a real life experience of us (New Muslims)!!!!

Initial stage:

• People are very eager to do dawah. Some Muslims disappear once their objective is achieved. They forget to carry forward the help & assistance to the new Muslims that are most essential.

• A person comes to the truth and suddenly finds him standing in a battle field full of difficulties. At the initial stage itself, when the Faith is still not so strong he is left alone. some may fall even in the wrong hands and AlhamduliLLAH they come back to truth.

Learning & Following the deen:

• Then we keep struggling to find sources to teach us. Sometimes we are lucky but most of the times we are struggling. Some access to internet, some approach their friends here & there, some get help from some aapa’s or aunties/brothers, sheikhs who can teach (if they are lucky to come in their hands)

• Many times they wish to buy Islamic books and attend Islamic courses. They have great interest and passion to read & learn Islamic stuffs earnestly but they lack in finance. As they are hiding from their family and practicing ISLAM, a lot of them are just young lads studying in colleges, so they run out of pocket money.

Family Life (as Undercover & Open Muslim):

Most of the New Muslims in the initial stages hide & practice ISLAM. Because some are students, some are not settled, some are not married. And revealing can cause more troubles for them. They are living a life of dual personalities. This frustrates and breaks them the most.

We have to hide & pray:

• If you have a separate bedroom then you are lucky but most of us share rooms either with siblings or grandparents etc.
• In midst of our salah we hear nocks at the door and we have to break our prayer. Some times we even get caught while making wudu(ablution for prayer). It depends upon the facilities in one's house.
• We have to keep waiting till we find safe place at home.
• We loose the peace of our mind just waiting waiting and waiting
• Sometimes we are caught and we make the weirdest reasons.
• Its rare you get to offer prayer peacefully
• Sometimes standing soemtimes sitting sometimes sleeping, sometimes just with getsures
• Sometimes in store room, sometimes looking outside window, sometimes behind cupboards & pillars etc etc etc

We have to hide & fast:

• If you are working or can go out of home you are lucky.
• Those back home are testing the flavor of hardships
• Some of us we act/pretend bluff that we have eaten
• Sometimes we act as if holding the cup of tea in our hand as to we are drinking it.
• We sip it (not gulp it) and keep it held there until we can go n spit it out.
• We have to make constant reason of being unwell and not willing to eat.
• Dieting is good excuse but it doesn’t work always
• We cannot have suhoor always.
• The max we can have is a biscuit or chocolate and sometimes a glass of water is sufficient to work day long
• At work place/colleges ask us Questions : sometimes we are able to answer them but most of the times we bluff cz we cannot reveal we are muslims now
• We cannot make it evident that we are fasting and when it’s Ramadan everyone knows its Ramadan going on.
• While breaking fast we have to be content with a date until its dinner time.
• The month of mercy & ibadah is month of difficulties & questions for us
• Eid is Never like Eid.we never get the feel of celebration although we also fasted for whole month like you !!!

We Hide & wear hijab :

• Sisters use public toilets, train compartments, rickshaws etc to wear hijab and remove it before reaching home. Some times we feel very embarrassing to remove our hijab in front of other strangers.
• Sometimes people stare at us in trains as to what weird kind of people are we removing our abayas when we are out.
• We are unaware of how and where to find the hijab.
• We save money one by one from our pocket money and buy scarves and abaya as and when we can, so that we can cover our head and be chaste.
• Sometimes we find good friends who gift some to us but we are not always lucky.
• We have cousins, uncles, family friends who keep visiting us and during party time we are lost.
• They hug us, touch us its common for them. They don’t know we have changed.
• It hurts, by now we know who are mehrams and who are not but ofcourse our family doesnt understand the same.

Can’t read Qur'an- The book of ALLAH:

• Can’t keep Islamic books at home not even the blessed Quran.
• We don’t know to read Arabic. And we can’t go out to learn nor do we have so many funds to join Arabic classes.
• Sometimes people at home find us with the books/Quran and we had it that day.
• Initially We are unaware of what is authentic what is NOT.
• All Books are not so affordable.
• Sometimes we find good friends or organizations but we are not always lucky, sometimes we are scared & hesitant to ask. Other times we don’t know whom to ask help
• Its very difficult to hide Quran & other books.. everybody doesnt have acess to computer & internet, and they keep checking our mobiles too

Festival time:

• Eid is never like Eid: We never get the feel of celebration although we also fasted for whole month like you !!!

• Diwali / Christmas/ holi/ rakhi etc etc are a must to participate in
• We cant have the prashad we are caught very badly
• But we are helpless and ALLAH knows best what is in the heart.

All those things which are actually considered to be Rights of every Muslim in our country, we get to do them in bits & pieces. When we hide & practice we have to be careful they don’t catch us or trace us but when we reveal it to them !!!!!!!!!

Consequences when our reversion(conversion) gets disclosed:

When we reveal it to them openly: first they feel we are joking; when they realize we are NOT, we had it then.

• We are locked home arrest we can’t go out, we can’t meet. Talk, chat to anyone
• We are beaten
• Our mobile is snatched
• We get no food/water/basics
• We cry alone, it sounds easy – its NOT
• We cant offer salah
• We are forced to leave studies
• We are forced to marry non muslim (the sisters face this more severely)
• We are emotionally broken because of our family members and close friends too
• They attack us physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically
• We Don’t know what are we being punished for!
• If a child commits zina(fornication) parents forgive in this modern world, but if a child wants to become truthful and righteous, parents want to outcast and disown us. What a world is this????

If we manage to escape all this torture:

• We don’t have money
• We don’t have a shelter
• We don’t have sources
• We don’t have contacts
• We are left alone
• When we go to Muslims they doubt our faith and genuineness
• Non Muslims hate us and are ready to attack us (the political parties)
• We must be born in rich families but suddenly we find ourselves like beggars
• Ideally we are on ALLAH’s mercy but here we are on people’s mercy
• We are searching for jobs, house, and support.
• If we get jobs then We stay on rented houses but we are not always lucky
• Friends help us for a day or two, the sisters suffer the worst here
• We are scared our family will find us
• Lot of Emotional BLACK MAILS like suicide etc from our families, when they come to know about us following ISLAM...

Marriage:

• We don’t have parental support and guidance in such major decision
• We don’t know much Muslims
• We also need companionship but all Muslims don’t want to welcome us
• People doubt our faith & genuineness
• We don’t have references
• There is family pressure at back of our minds
• We don’t know how to get a suitable spouse
• If we are lucky and we find the right one then,
• We lack funds, our marriages are not like marriages
• We don’t have much people attending it, we miss our parents on such important day they are NOT with us.

Marriage of two reverts:

• We loose support from both sides of the families
• We don’t get love and acceptance, our dream marriage is a REALITY now
• Our husband was disowned by his rich businessman father and presently he is jobless
• So When we conceive a baby sometimes we skip our medicines for a month
• We don’t have money for sonography and doctor checkups

Marrying a Muslim by birth:

• Sometimes we find our dream home but we are not lucky always
• We are always on their terms as we don’t have any other back up or support of our parents
• We are not accepted as it would be otherwise
• We are differentiated
• We didn’t carry along a bag full of good clothes / jewelry or gifts for our in-laws


We loose our parents forever : Life here & hereafter

• We miss our parents/ siblings & families alots. The pain of seeing them running towards hell fire is worse than pain of loosing them

• This life will end one day but how will we see our very own father & mother in the fire of jahhannam on Qiyamah?? The same mother who was holding our hands for every little step we took & the same father who was protecting us always.

After accepting Islam we came to the Truth Alhamdulillah and the truth is that we have-

" An innocent dream…A long journey…destination focused…ways locked... But our hope continues"



Will you sacrifice a little to help us (New Muslims)?

We "DONT" need your sympathy!!!!


Rather we need your REAL HELP...

We know ALLAH is our HELPER, but it is the duty of the Muslims by Birth to completely provide all the necessary help for the New Muslims...

Have you not seen the support given for New Muslims during the times of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace, Mercy and Blessings of ALLAH be upon him)'s time?????

How many of you are really ready to fund and provide financial help to the New Muslims who are in need,viz yearly funding a New Muslim who is thrown from house or wat ever????

How many of you are ready to marry the New Muslim sisters & brothers(in case of brothers- u may have to leave ur Muslim families and go to their Non Muslim houses)... How many of you can provide legal help & support to us???

What help can u solely provide for us??????? AND HOW CAN U ?????

Will you yourself individually step forward to provide us real help?

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