Christina Aguilera has a song entitled, "Beautiful," and very few other songs have shot straight through to my heart. The song brings to the forefront the struggles of being a Muslim in America, especially one who has been born and raised American. Like I said before, ever since I first stepped foot on the school bus at the age of five, I faced dislike for my skin color. The first time I boarded the bus and sat next to another child, he frowned. I had never met him before. Another time, two girls said in unison, "I don't want to sit next to Hesham!" Yet another time in the first grade - and this I will never forget - one of my schoolmates pushed me, with red-blooded hatred in his voice and eyes, and screamed "Go back to your country!" This is my country.

As I grew older, this hatred persisted, although it did die down as I entered high school. Yet, the sneers about my skin color were replaced with ridicule for my religious beliefs. I tried to stay true to the teachings of Islam: I did not date; I did not drink or do drugs; I did not go to parties or clubs. As a result, I stuck out like a sore thumb. The fact that I did not date was the source of much of that ridicule. I remember being surrounded by my classmates - with astonishment in their eyes - and being questioned about why I had not had sex yet. I was waiting for marriage, like my Lord and my Prophet told me. These childhood experiences, I speculate, are very similar to those of a good number, perhaps a majority, of Muslims born and raised in America. They contributed to a process of alienation from the greater American society, which was truly unfortunate, because Muslims need to be actively and inextricably engaged in their country's affairs.

Since the attacks of September 11, I had to endure more pain: seeing Islam demonized by pundits and "experts"; having my loyalty and patriotism questioned solely because of my faith; witnessing an horrific act of mass murder in the name of the faith I love and cherish dearly. This is why the song strikes such a nerve for me. The chorus goes: " I am beautiful/No matter what they say/Words can't bring me down/I am beautiful/In every single way/Words can't bring me down." I wish I had this song growing up ... words can't bring me down. Words such as "camel jockey," "sand ni**er," "towel head," "brownie" can not and should not bring me down. Yet, the song has more meaning than just comforting an ego bruised by silly suburban children.

It is very hard being a Muslim, especially nowadays. Every day, there is more bad news associating Muslims and violence. More terrorist attacks, more be-headings with the shahadah tacked up on the wall, more videos and threats by Al Qaida in the name of Islam. On top of this, there are near constant attacks on Islam from members of the right wing in this country. Islam is "evil," "violent," the Qur'an espouses "violence against non-Muslims." Whenever we try to explain that this is not the case, we are accused of lying, trying to "whitewash" the true dark nature of our faith. I know what they say is not true, but it gets tiring to defend against the same charges over, and over, and over again.

Enter in Aguilera's lyrics, especially the first stanza, which embodies how I feel: "Every day is so wonderful/Then suddenly, it's hard to breathe/Now and then, I get insecure/From all the pain, I'm so ashamed." Every day, it's "so wonderful" to be Muslim: to follow the faith of Abraham and the Prophets; to worship the One God and serve Him; to pray, fast, and give charity for His sake. I am so blessed and grateful to have had the opportunity to visit His Holy House in pilgrimage. Then comes the bad news about Muslims, and, unfortunately, there is a lot of bad news to report. Every time a terror alert is issued, my stomach hurts. Not just because I do not want more innocent Americans killed in a senseless act of terror, but because American Muslims will have to contend with an unfair backlash from their American neighbors. I hear the lyrics "I am beautiful, no matter what they say" and I am strengthened.

I remember that God has blessed me by making me a Muslim. I remember that, in the end, God will be there for me. I am reminded not to worry about the charges of others, as the Qur'an also told me. The chorus reminds me to keep going on the path, God will be there at the end, welcoming me into His fold, as he told me: "(To the righteous soul will be said:) 'O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter thou, then, among My devotees! Yea, enter thou My Heaven!'" (89:27-30). All I have to do is strive to stay straight on His path.

When I think about these issues I am reminded of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Prophet is dear to my heart. I never tire from reading about and listening to his life story. Every time I study his biography, a new aspect of his gentle and wonderful nature, his wisdom, his forward thinking, his sheer beauty, is revealed to me. He suffered so much to bring the message of Islam to me; He suffered so much because he cared about me, even though he would never see or get to know me in his lifetime. Thus, when I hear him called by the most demeaning words I get upset. I know that these are words of hate and human sickness that does the greatest injustice to one of the most beloved by God and sent as a mercy to the worlds.

The lyrics of the song are, "You are beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring you down." I am reminded that he is beautiful, no matter what they say. The Prophet was called worse things by the Meccans during his lifetime, yet this did not take away from his power and beauty. Even his worst enemies could not speak ill of him when pressed to be honest about him. Even some of his worst enemies, Umar (R) and Abu Sufyan (R), eventually became his followers. "Words can't bring you down," O Messenger of God.

The song continues to uplift: "No matter what we do/No matter what we say/ We're the song inside the tune/Full of beautiful mistakes/And everywhere we go/The sun will always shine/But tomorrow we might awake/On the other side." God will always be with us, as long as we stay true to Him. He will help us and He will come to our aid, because He loves us. We just have to have hope and keep the faith. Just as God has reminded us in His Holy Book.

Some may object that I find such solace from the song of an American female singer. They may say that the only sources of solace should be God's Word and the Prophet's hadith. Of course this is true. God's word and His Prophet's wisdom is supreme. But the Prophet has also taught us that "Wisdom is the 'lost animal' of the believer. Wherever it may be, the believer belongs to it." This means that we must find the wisdom to live our lives in accordance with God's will wherever it may reside. And I found such wisdom in a song by Christina Aguilera.

>>>Some may object that I find such solace from the song of an American female singer. They may say that the only sources of solace should be God's Word and the Prophet's hadith.<<<

I would actually object that you could not find solace in tons of Islamic nasheeds and poems and things (of very similar nature) penned and sung by many hommies like yourself from South Africa to Black America to Londonistan to even Malaysia. What a shame.

Would you have, in the old days before radio came along, allowed Ms. Aguilerra into your home, in her tight pants and revealing bustline (I assume), to sing personally her breautiful song to you and your family??? I wonder. But yet, you allow her into your home / car whatever via radio. Interesting.

After a quick cursory google of this Christina Aguilera, Holy!, I just answered my own question. You WOULD NOT allow this woman into your home in front of your wife and daughters, I assure you, ho ho ho. But thanks for "introducing" us to her ;-)

Asif Khan, who are you to judge another? That is not your duty on this earth. I am not Muslim and I pretend to know nothing of your faith, but from one human being to another, never make it your place to do the work of God, when his work is never done.

As a woman, I find that song incredibly moving. We are comforted in mysterious ways in this world. Of course if anyone wants to limit the inspiration they receive, they are free to do so.

I find Christina Aguilera to be objectionable in every sense. She, like her Britany friends, prostitute themselves for profit and fame, expose ass and tit without shame. I say this only to point out that words have context. Christina Aguilera singing about something must be understood for what she stands for, and may not have the transcending message that the superficial may believe. It's hard to separate message from messenger, and sometimes it's dishonest to do so. Art is ambiguous, true, but Christina Aguilera has nothing to do with art. For she has plenty of other songs that suggest what angers the fiber of creation, an abject disregard for all things sacred. I personally can't get past that, and, frankly, don't want to because art is too imporant to turn a blind eye to.

Hover your cursor over the picture above for a special message from the editor :-)

Hmmm, editor . . . I didn't know that was possible.

LOL! Shahid, you know how few people know about HTML's title="" attribute for images...you're now among the few and the proud, the HTML hackers, lol.

As a matter of fact, hover your cursor over any picture on an alt.muslim article and you'll see a special message...

Good Morning to all,

I enjoy listening to Christina's singing. I think that she was a beautiful voice. I can't see her while I'm listening to her CD in the car. I couldn't care less how she chooses to dress. It's her body and her choice.

If it bothers you, just "lower your gaze." Remember that part of hijab ?! Hijab does not just apply to women. Turn the TV off and walk away. How hard is that?

She is not a muslim, so she does not have to conform to our laws. If she WAS a muslim, then I could see getting upset over her dress - BUT SHE'S NOT.


She has overcome a lot of bad things in her life. She is a lot more functional than she should be. She was raised in a home filled with domesitc violence and poverty, and she has to deal with being a non-Spanish speaking, half Anglo, Latina.

I found her most recent album to have quite a few meaningful songs. As a victim of domestic violence myself, I can relate to her songs, and to what she went through.

Those who were raised in a non violent home cannot even begin to understand how it effects every single aspect of your existince. Each day is a new fight to have a normal, functional life.

Unless you went through what she went through, you have no room to talk. You just don't have a clue. Period.

"There is nothing more filthy than the mind of a virtuous woman [or man, as it may be]." - Marion Zimmer Bradley, early feminist sci-fi author

Morning, Chic,

You don't have to be hit to know it hurts. And I'm glad you find solace and commonality in her songs. But she doesn't sing for you alone, but a public that comes from all experiences. It could be that she'll take a different path that will shame us all someday. But I comment on the now. She's no example, no matter how hard she had it. Many have had it worse than her but somehow kept a dignity that she currently thinks lowly of. This isn't about gaze down, etc. This is about offering an opinion about a person who makes a lot of money by disrobing. Without the disrobing, it is very unlikely that she would would have signed on with a talent agent and a record label. That business is even more "filthy" than the virtuous woman, to quote you.

I see her lack of modesty as about her choosing to express her control over her own body - thumbing her nose at her father.

Domestic violence has nothing to do with anger - it is about the offender maintaining power and control over his or her human property. Violence is simply the most effective method of maintaining control.

I went through that phase too at her age, alhamdulilah, I embraced Islam. She is still quite young, perhaps she will grow out of it.

Perhaps because I grew up in the LA area, I don't see the entertainment business as being that big of a deal.

She's a consenting adult. She's not a muslim. She's not my relative. Her behavoir is Not My Problem.

Don't like her? Don't listen to her. Too easy.

If it bothers you, lower your gaze or walk away.

What's all the fuss about?

CM, while not directing this to anyone in particular (really!), you should know that in the mind of every Muslim there is a little Saddam; dictating to others seems to be a permanent part ofthe Muslim psyche. Some are just better than others at controlling it, I suppose.

Frankly, I'm not sure what you mean OG nor Chic. There's an article here in which people are welcomed to chime in. So it's simple-minded to say drop your gaze or change the channel. I don't watch porn, but I still can dislike it and dislike what it does to people, for example. There's no "fuss" or anything. Just commenting.

Technically, the article is about the- lyrics -of the songs she sings.

Omar, as always, I feel ya'...

"The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible" come to mind...

OmarG, maybe the experience of living in open-bay, open-latrine type barracks for extended periods of time mellows one out regarding the gray areas of life...you get your nose rubbed in the fact that everbody is different and everybody thinks that his or her way is the One True Way...either adapt or get kicked out...

Aside from her look, does anyone else besides me enjoy her singing?!?

Her tunes sound OK. I usually don't understand the words they sine however; the lyrics go by so fast and with too much other sounds. The only lyrics I actually hear are those in Country Music. The lyrics to Toby Kieth's "The Taliban Song" are pretty good ...

Some say that music and musical instruments have the effect of softening peopleÌs hearts and creating gentle feelings. This is not true, because it provokes physical desires and whims. If it really did what they say, it would have softened the hearts of the musicians and made their attitude and behaviour better, but most of them, as we know, are astray and behave badly.


Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the view of Imaam Ahmad, his son ÎAbd-Allaah said: I asked my father about singing. He said: Singing makes hypocrisy grow in the heart; I do not like it. Then he mentioned the words of Maalik: the evildoers (faasiqs) among us do that.
How can a Muslim who has made Hajj and quotes Quran and Hadith possibly think that any type of music especially from the khuffar has a "good Message" and the prophet(saws) did not mean listen to kufr when he made his statement Wisdom is the 'lost animal' of the believer.

The article is not even on the singer but the lyrics, I believe. Guess most of us, in pulling the ears only, got busy with the head! LOL.
Just listen to the audio song only and maybe the lyrics will hit home and some may find solace in it. No harm in that! Thats what the article was about in the first place!

Hello and a good day to all,
Allah said in Ali Imran 3:190 - Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men of understanding. ñ

Wouldnít you think that Christina Aguilera and her song as one of Godís creation dwelling between the heavens and the earth? I believe that we surely can gain wisdom from her songs. I mean, they are inspired from Godís creations, right?

Allah continued further in the same surah, verse 110 - Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in God. If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors. ñ

An ingenius formula is instilled in between the lines in this verse,
To be the best man among men = We take in the right + We disregard the wrong.
I have faith that most of us are able to use our wisdom and listen to whatís really important and put aside the things that might bring harm to mankind, true?

Peace be upon all of you.