30 days have come and gone:
the amount of time that most self-help books proclaim to ‘work’ getting one
into a new habit. No coincidences here. Well, like a good student I have been
taught to make lists of pros and cons, do research, draw meaning, come to
concise conclusions, invite debate and that’s what I propose to do in this
closing segment.
The GOOD:
I have a huge sense of pride in accomplishing
my task fully.
I was given ample
opportunities for soul-searching and meaningful dialogue with peers and strangers
alike. My sense of community got reawakened as did the need to participate more
actively in the pursuit of interfaith, inter community activities.
I learned how to cook a
variety of delightful dishes and opened up my palette to new and exciting culinary
possibilities.
Made new friends from across
the globe, in places I never had any: like Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan, Indonesia to name a few.
Reconnected with old friends
and found our bond to be strong, even after many years of absence from each
others lives.
Downloaded the Quran App, and
however imperfect the translated text may be, the audio incantations are
soothing. They reminded me of the time spend at my grandmother’s house during
summer holidays, when I would often be woken up with that same haunting sound
from a nearby mosque.
The script if beautiful to
look at too!
The ‘BAD’:
I saw my whole routine of
existence disrupted and all of my insecurities, fears and ‘locked in’ ideas hit
me in the face more than once. Fasting will do that to one.
A rampant debate with myself
erupted about whether I was still honoring my culture and upbringing while
adhering and observing the traditions and tenants of another.
I came on a ‘head to head’
collision with “pork abstaining” persons about the current validity of their belief,
having been raised to fear no meat! (I am trying to appease myself with the thought that if every person on the
planet ate every type of meat, there would be a lot more species in the
endangered species list)
My internal feminist-watch
committee argued constantly about my scarf wearing days, and whether I was with
my participation in some way condoning something I am against, namely the
repression and inequality faced by most women in the Muslim world.
I had a painful realization I
am a “victim” to my own prejudices, ignorance and substance addictions
(cigarettes!), Judo-Christian ingrained fears and confusion about how to be
free of it all.
The FUNNY:
I misplaced my keys, glasses,
wallet etc on a regular basis as a temporary form of dementia took over my
‘over-organized’ life with comical, often frustrating, and overall hilarious
results.
I got to understand the daily
use of the term ‘Inshallah’ in a very funny context: loosely quoting comic Rame
Salame here: ‘Maybe Attending’ on Facebook is the equivalent of Inshallah for
the average Middle Eastern person :)
On my second visit to the
mosque, after carefully preparing what I was going to wear, how soon I needed
to be there and how to properly say ‘Hello’ in Arabic, I forgot to put on
panties!
Thank god the skirt is long
and there is no body scanner at the entrance…so much for being appropriate and
respectful.
Choked on dates and Ayran
almost daily.
Learned what the actual
meaning of the word ‘Jihad’ is: in short, struggle. I can now launch an
“Autocorrect App” for both Mac and Android devices to prevent people from using
the term incorrectly ( meaning “war against” or “terror attack”) and make millions
of dollars to fund my own personal Jihad against IGNORANCE!
Postscript:
“Not that I know of!” is the answer
to anyone wanting to ask me if I am converting to Islam.
“I may” is the answer to
whether I will be doing Ramadan next year.
“Undecided, Inshallah!” my
answer to whether this was successful.
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