A friend of mine was flipping through my new issue of Muslim Girl a few nights ago. She came upon a photo shoot entitled, "Winterize Your Hijab", which showcases a model wearing different winter knit fabrics as headscarves.

She scoffed at the model: "She doesn't even look Muslim!"

"Why not?" I asked. "Because she's white?"

Akh, here we go again.

Now, the conflation of Islam with Middle Eastern people isn't new. To begin with, all Middle Easterners are not Muslim and all Muslims are not Middle Eastern. In fact, Arabs make up only 18% of the world's Muslim population, according to Reza Aslan, author of No God but God. But due to terrorism perpetrated by a few Middle Eastern people, and those oh-so-lovely film clips of angry, bearded brown men burning the US flag, the Middle East and Islam are often mixed up.

Looking within our own community, many Muslims themselves (those of both Middle Eastern origin and non-Middle Easterners) see Arab culture as a proxy for Islamic authenticity. This may stem from the fact that the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him)—who was an Arab—in Arabic. Naturally, there is value of learning classical Arabic and reading the Holy Qur'an in its original form. Knowing classical Arabic can also aid in reading the ahadith (a collection of the Prophet's sayings, teachings, and traditions), and reading about Islamic law and history.

Baladas Ghosal of openDemocracy.com defines this phenomenon as "[a] process of homogenization and regimentation - the "Arabization" of Islam - puts greater emphasis on rituals and codes of conduct than on substance…" But although getting caught up in rules and regulations often can make one miss the bigger picture, it's important to note that this Arabization is more of a cultural issue than a religious one.

Since the original Muslims were mostly Arab, everything associated with them - their culture, names, and family structures - has been associated with Islam. But this presents a problem since the vast majority of Muslims in our current world are not Arab. Passing off Arab culture as Islam in this regard is inaccurate, exclusionary, and disrespectful of other Muslims' cultures.

Converts to Islam illustrate the issue even further. If a Latina converts to Islam, for example, she may decide (or those at the local mosque may urge her) to take a "Muslim" name, like Fatima or Khadija (which are also Arab names). But why can't Lucinda be a Muslim name? What makes a name "Muslim"?

I know of many non-Arab converts who have taken Arab names upon their conversion. But why? What's wrong with the names their parents gave them? There isn't anything in the Holy Qur'an that mandates Muslims to have Arab names. Changing your name from Carmelita to Khadija isn't going to get you into Paradise any quicker. Changing one's name doesn't change one's ethnicity or personality. But having an Arab name makes one seem more "Muslim," because of the way Arab culture is seen as synonymous with Islam.

Another excellent example is clothing, which mostly affects Muslim women. The niqab (the face-veil) was rarely seen outside of the Arabian Gulf until recently. Most Muslims see the niqab as a byproduct of Arab culture. It is only recently that the niqab has been interpreted as religiously authentic instead of a cultural expression. A minority of women in Canada, the U.S., and Europe now wear niqab because they believe it is religiously mandated.

But sometimes brothers get in on the cultural dress-up, too. For example, Morgan Spurlock's TV show, 30 Days, featured a white West Virginian man living as a Muslim for 30 days. They showed him often in a kufi and "salwar kameez" which is like a long tunic over pants. As with the niqab, this isn't "Muslim" clothing, it's a South Asian cultural dress. But since Pakistan is sometimes erroneously considered part of the Middle East, it's considered authentically Muslim. This seems especially silly considering the fact that the majority of the Muslim men in the TV special were wearing "Western-style" clothes: jeans and T-shirts or button-up shirts.

What is troublesome about all this is that most Muslims who are non-Arabs complain that they're not seen as Muslims because they're not Arab (or ethnically Middle Eastern, in some cases). But when non-Arab Muslims take Arab names or wear Arab clothes under the guise of "Islamic authenticity," we're all reinforcing the idea that we're not really Muslims unless we have some link to Arab culture.

The internal projection of Arab culture upon Islam has spread outside the Muslim community as well. If you've ever watched a TV special on Islam, there's always 'oud (an instrument similar to the guitar or lute) or ney (similar to a flute) music playing, to make it sound "mystical" and Arab, and thus authentic. And there's always a gratuitous shot of the desert in there, just to make sure we think that Islam derives from the tribal culture of the Arabian peninsula's deserts instead of from Allah (swt).

The real danger is that Islam is getting buried under all this cultural expression. It is possible to be Muslim without being Middle Eastern, without having a name like Mohammed, and without wearing dishdashas (the long robe worn by most men in the Arabian Gulf states) or niqabs. We should reconsider why Arab-ness is, all of a sudden, next to godliness.

Well, Arabs know about Islam. If in doubt, just follow an Arab instead of your local imam. 9 times out of 10, you will find later in some book of hadith or fatwa that the Arab had it right. Most of the bidas (innovations) and hocus pocus houdini stuff in religion is usually found originating among the non-Arab peoples.

Arabs are special people, they speak the language of the book and should be elevated to a high place in the community, despite the fact that Arab guys are usually the worst when it comes to controlling whats in their pants. All the same, Allah (swt) did send His religion down among their midst, He could very well have chosen the Chinese you know. And Islam would be all over the planet had He done so, every home would have something made in Islamic Republic of China and no human being on earth would be wearing shoes without the name of Islam on them.

But Allah (swt) chose the hot pant Arabs. So live with it, duh.

wow hajibaba- youre an elitist racist.

41:44 And if We had sent this as a Quran in a foreign language other than Arabic, they would have said: "Why are not its Verses explained in detail (in our language)? What! (A Book) not in Arabic and (the Messenger) an Arab?" Say: "It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it (the Quran) is blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place far away (so they neither listen nor understand).

I can't believe how many of you fall for Hajibab's comments. This is a cross-dressing fraud who makes a living with outrage.

I think hajibaba is a plant trying to purposely cause conflict. I will not respond to him/her anymore.

I agree with everything the author says in this article with the caveat that terrorists have come from many countries besides the middle east, i.e. Pakistan, Chechnya, Phillipines, Afghanistan, etc.
I have often made the same argument regarding the name issue. I never understand the reasoning behind changing your name to an "Muslim/Arab" name, although I know many of my friends married to Pakistani men were also asked to change their name to "pakistani" names as well. I mistakenly allowed myself to blur the distinction between culture and faith when I first coverted, trying to wear Arab style dress and hijab to appease the community who misinformed me that this was the "correct" Islamic way.
There is nothing wrong with appreciating culture, but it needs to be clearly seperated from religion.
We have had a huge issue with the Islamic School in our city, the Arab immigrants want it to be a substitute Arab school teaching Islam, the South Asian immigrants want a madrassah style school. This has gone along way towards alienating our second and third generation Muslim youth.

You know very well that Pakistan is not part of the Middle East, culturally and geographically!

It is too late to divorce Islam from Arabia. That is like trying divorce Catholicism from Rome - there are far more non-white people that are catholic but who cares! White Italians and Americans contribute all the money and so wield all the power in Catholicism - ditto for Arabs. All of your 80% Muslims put together cannot match one hundredth the wealth of the 18% Arabs and that's that!

As for stupidity among Pakistanis trying to 'become Arab' get this: They chopped down hundreds of ancient trees Native to India and planted desert palms in their place! To make the country look more 'Islamic'! When Pakistan was created there were intellectuals in India who thought Pakistan would show the world a 'new' way of Islam as opposed to the Arab way...and now, all they are doing is desperately trying to say they are not 'Indian'!

As for the fool Hajibaba's assertion that if the quran had been sent to china instead of Arabia we would have all had something made in the Islamic Republic of China, how about 'If the quran had gone to china instead of Arabia maybe China would have been in the deep doo-doo that the middle east is in today!'

>> All of your 80% Muslims put together cannot match one hundredth the wealth of the 18% Arabs and that's that!<<

I think your name should be changed to dumbkopf. For some odd reason weisskopf has too much of a noble ring to it.

First and foremost, all the Arabs are not rich, probably more than half live in normal third world regions like Egypt, Syria and so forth. Secondly, the wealthy Arabs do not "wield all the power" like you claim. You obviously do not know a horse's xxx worth about Islamic politics. The salafi brand of Islam that is primarily supported by oil economy Arabs is just one of several players on the world Islamic scene. Islamic Groups like jamat-i-Islami and Ikhwan and Jamat-e-Tableegh are much bigger players across the world.

>>> the quran had gone to china instead of Arabia maybe China would have been in the deep doo-doo that the middle east is in today!' <<<

Probably not, because the westerners were not able to screw up the Far East as hard as they tried. The Chinese were too smart for that. Even Iraq-like attempts to takeover the Far East (i.e. Vietnam) went bust. Tch tch tch.

The Middle East is in doo-doo today because of people with names like "Weisskopf" and "Hitler" and "Stalin" and "Bush". The Arabs are good simple people, and if the Weisskopf-Hitler types had treated them fairly and tried to spread justie across the earth, we would not have the problems that we have in the Middle East today.

So laughing and scorning at the Middle East is like laughing and scorning at your own ugliness and immorality and cruelty and selfishness.

One of the better ways of combating this conflation is to make non-Arab Muslims a visible presence in society, while resisting pressure to "Arabize" oneself. I'm in a city with a large Muslim population, but Islam is seen less as a foreign import there- because the Muslims in this city are largely folk with at least 8-10 generations of American residence. They are highly visible, and contribute to the quality of life in the city.
That said, I prefer my husband's "Muslim" name. The name his parents gave him is a collection of diminutives, which is a bit awkward.

hajibaba- i have the feeling i would drive you absolutely mental if you ever met me in person!


Well, i became a muslim over 9 years ago-

im really white, with blue eyes- theres no disguising it.

i didnt have a husband (had never been married-my choice) and had no connection with any muslims when ibecame one -
it was a solitary process of prayer and reading.

id never been to a mosque- never sat in a room with a muslim-

when i did make it to the mosque- it was a culture shock to me-

but, it also happened to be the old jehovahs witness kingdom hall in pittsburgh- the central one- and i spent 3 solid years studying the bible with the witnesses there- several times a week for 3 years-
it was my home- ( i never did become a witness but theyre great bible students)

they sold it to the muslims, turning down 500,000 dollars form the university, accepting a mere 150,000 from the muslims as they wanted it to stay a place of worship (you gotta respect that)

it was so dirty and unkempt and neglected!
it really made me kind of mad-

i wasnt too impressed, but spent alot of time cleaning it- (without, i noticed, any other muslims helping- something i found very very strange and quite unused to)

the first time someone asked me when i was going to change my name ot a muslim one, i said,"what do you mean? an ARAB name?"

they said, "well, yes!" that was a howl- i said,"im a muslim, therefore my name is muslim.!"

then they went on about the beauty of arabic etc- and the loveliness of the meanings of the names.

i said, well my name is VICTORIA! can you think of a lovelier stronger meaning for a name? i could see if it was pig-licker or something-"
and this kicker-
"i became muslim I DIDNT BECOME AN ARAB!"

ive seen so many white women like me(well not rally like me)
and they become fake whatevernatinalitytheirhusbandis muslimahs

affecting pakistani dress, or moroccan- or whatever their husband is-
but worst of all is changing their names-

its like proclaiming, i reject the person i was before, and my roots, and my family-
it seems so hypocritical and a kick in the teeth to your family who named you to do that-

i LOVE who i was before i became muslim, and whoi am now-

just like all the hare krishnas, and african americans i the 70s-

it always creeped me out-
it seems like agreat pretense to me-

so i never did that- ive worn some interesting outfits, went throug a shalwar kameez stage for the comfort and colors- north african, several different styles- wore a sari for awhile in my life before too-but those were fashion statements and i didnt do it in places to show off- but for celebrations and fun-

when i was growing up, levis were my proletariat uniform-

ive never worn black (well, there was the art school period) as it is ill defined and depressing to americans reminiscent of death and funerals and all-


i feel embarrassed for women when they adopt a different culture to fit in with their husbands family and friends-

honestly, im a revert- but wen im around the evangelically spirited
kind of super muslimahs-

like they are trying to out muslim the muslims or something-
its just not real, or honest- like theyre ashamed of who they are or where they come from.

makes me sad for them in a way-

but anyone can do that- when i was a new muslim one time some richy rich woman came in flashing some fancy big rocks and i liked the color of one of her rings and commented upon its beautiful color- (you couldnt miss it- every gesture was designed to draw the eyes to them)

now im not an idiot without some sensitivity- but since i was so new i didnt have any knowledge of the cultural and social subtleties-

so of course, she offered to give it to me-

i was really touched, as i imagined she was genuine- and exclaimed over what a generous person she was.

now, it didnt strike me as unusual as ive done things like that quite easily in my life and never looked back or thought twice-

but her seconds hesitation told me volumes, and i immmediately realized that i was supposed to decline graciously- as it was just a phony showy game-

but i also immediately realized that they didnt know me except that i was new-

so i didnt give the expected reply-

but just waited with a smile-

i also didnt rescue her from her own insincerity- but just waited-

she pretended to fumble for awhile hoping i would stop her
until it became apparent

i told her with as much kindness as i could that in the future, she shouldnt say things to me unless they were true-

well i didnt make any friends that day, bu i have since so it works out-

one should be true to themselves-

this is the best dawa one can give- the example of their living faithfully and comfrotably in their own skin (and extension of skin, clothing)

otherwise you make others uncomfortable with what they sense as something not quite true or genuine

well ive gone on long enough i guess-
victoria
peace all

That is without a doubt one excellent post you have made Sister Victoria. I applaud you on your efforts to be proud of your identity without having to succumb to Arab cultural imperialism.

I know people that are so into "Star Wars" that they have adopted their own "Imperial" names, identity, occupations, etc. But it's all for show, right? Or, are they so insecure with their own heritage and native culture that they need to feel part of a more popular one?

I was born in America with a Muslim name, but didn't completely figure out Islam was the religion for me until I was 17. I don't who knows it or who likes it. I just wish they'd get the name right. It's always about the name, and that's just what I don't understand.

thank you sincerely danial-

i very very rarely express these sentiments (who would i express them to without some possible insult?)and was sure i would be abused for it-
its a nice surprise

tarikwithaK i think that may be more escapist fantasy than anything
(star wars etc...)

I agree completely.

Speaking of unnecessary Arabizing, there's no such thing as the "Arabian Gulf." IT'S THE PERSIAN GULF. Persian Gulf.

Salam:

While the problem discussed in this article remains an issue in our community, it would perhaps help to remember that throughout Islamic history, non-Arabs have been absorbed into the Ummah without the need to necessarily Arabize all aspects of their culture. In addition, some of our greatest scholars, for example, Imam Bukhari and Imam Ghazali, both of whom have been instrumental to Islamic scholarship, were non-Arabs.

Insha Allah, as Muslims become more rooted in Western countries, I think this will be less of an issue within our communities.

Here is an interesting article that talks about this by Dr. Umar Faruq Abdullah, an American convert to Islam, on this topic:

http://www.nawawi.org/downloads/article3.pdf

And here's one about the Arab/non-Arab divide:
http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2464/

Weisskopf ,

You wrote,

As for the fool Hajibaba's assertion that if the quran had been sent to china instead of Arabia we would have all had something made in the Islamic Republic of China, how about 'If the quran had gone to china instead of Arabia maybe China would have been in the deep doo-doo that the middle east is in today!'

Don’t forget that the first 700 years after the Quran was sent to the Arabs, the Islamic Empire was the most powerful and the most productive.

The “deep doo-doo” the Middle East is in now is because of the oil in their land. Ever since the end of colonialism the Americans and the Brits have been using military and political interventions to control the flow of the oil wealth.

The reason why so many things are manufactured in China is because the Chinese government allows the lowest wages in the world (even lower than Mexico). Also the United States and Britain wouldn’t dare attack a large nation like China the way they would the smaller nations of the Middle East,

lol @ scheisskopf

MRS.A! The jehova witness hall in Pittsburgh, Dar es-Salam! I was there when it opened. Wow, how cool is that? As a convert myself, I fell for the whole name thing, too. But now most of my convert freinds in the city I live in now did not change thier names. In fact, I'm the only one which has prompted me to reconsider using it in place of my given name. But, old habits die hard and people are too used to it stop now...

Halleluja. Makes perfect sense. If there ever was a female equivalent created of OmarG, it would have to be Mrs.A.

In his last major Sermon the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that no Arab is better than a non-Arab and no Non-Arab is better than an Arab and that what makes one person better than another is piety and good deeds. (Please correct me if this is inaccurate)

I hear of the "Muslim Name" arguement in our mosque also. It is usually first generation Muslims who are accustomed to Pakistani or Arab names. When I ask them to define a Muslim name, they are generally unable to.