I found out this morning that mine is really, really low. Like embarrassing low.
This is what I found out when I went to a 2 hour training this morning on the Muslim religion put on by two speakers from here in Portland. One is the president of a mosque in Beaverton. He was super intelligent and quite charismatic. And from Bangladesh. The other speaker was a woman who is an advocate working neighborhood association here in Portland. She is from India. I believe both also work for Intel.
As part of their talk they had us do a quick quiz. This is when I started worrying about my Muslim religion IQ. At first, I thought, I might really do better than others here in the room. After all, I hear about 50 songs a week with Allah in them. I'm a belly dancer, after all. I've certainly been around a lot of Arabs (musicians). I had a Moroccan boyfriend when I was 21 and living in Munich, Germany who cooked me cous cous and taught me my first ever belly dance moves. I even followed his Ramadan schedule for at least two weeks. Just, because he told me he thought I never would. I wanted to prove him wrong. Oh, and I went to the Gambia and Senegal for 2 weeks when I was 20. And they follow Islam there, too. I knew that, because they didn't sell alcohol anywhere in the country. Part of how the Islamic "law" is implemented culturally in that region. This seemed quite important to notice at the time, because I was 20 and turning 21 in the Gambia. And what else was I supposed to do on my 21st birthday, but drink alcohol now that I was, uh, legal????
Anyways..that's really a digression. The point is, I started thinking that I really probably know more than the average American about the Muslim religion. But I made the mistake of looking around the room before taking the test, and I noticed that there were actual Muslims in the room with me. I knew this, because they had this air about them that said, "we know what these presenters are talking about. We know it so well, that really, we could be up there presenting." When I noticed those folks, I faltered and then second-guessed myself.
But...I didn't do as badly on the test as I thought I might. I got about a 50%. Which, in some worlds is an F. But, in this case, meant that I actually knew at least a few things. Such as: Islam is the second biggest religion in the world. And that in 2010, it's predicted that it will be the second biggest religion in the US.
That's about where it stopped, however. My knowledge, that is.
What I found most interesting of all the from the questions I missed, was that in the Muslim religion (from the sacred text at least) women and men are equal. And they say Allah, because there is no gender associated with this word. No need to say God, or Goddess, or Gods. Allah is just everything... something that IS.
That was interesting to think about. All the different levels of implications of this. I learned many other things that I want to share right now.
But I won't, because what I really want to encourage you to do, is to find something out on your own about Muslims (especially the huge range) and how culture and the Muslim religion - text and ubiquitous rituals - interact (and especially the huge range).
I'm embarrassed to realize that - even though I've had experiences dating a Muslim man, traveling to Muslim countries, and dancing to so, so, so much Arabic music that references Allah - the first thing that comes to my mind before I even have time to interject when I hear "Muslim" or "Islam" is: fear, terror, oppression, jihad, terrorist attacks, and this mental picture of silent women with veils. In my every day life, when I see someone who looks like they might come from Egypt or Afghanistan or Algeria I think to myself, "quick! How do I let them know that I don't think they're a terrorist? That I don't think they're might be scary or terrible?? " And then I feel a awkward and weird, because of course, they're just person like everyone else I encounter. Which is...embarrassing to me.
But, not exactly my fault. I guess I had a real *moment* this morning when I realized how much space these one-sided stories and flat stereotypes from the media take in my brain right now. And this comes from someone who doesn't watch TV and doesn't listen to much on the radio outside of NPR. No matter what I do to try to keep myself from the US media, it penetrates my life and being and thought process.
So, I've decided to go check out the Mosque in Beaverton. The president of the mosque in Beaverton gives talks all year long to anyone who will come to hear. Especially Christians and folks who aren't Muslim. He's one of the more funny, compassionate, entertaining, intelligent, conscious human beings I've met in a while. And did his job well. He encouraged me to seek out my own information about the Muslim religion and to experience what it is like in my immediate community, the world that I interface with every day, and therefore, the world that matters most to me.
This is what I found out when I went to a 2 hour training this morning on the Muslim religion put on by two speakers from here in Portland. One is the president of a mosque in Beaverton. He was super intelligent and quite charismatic. And from Bangladesh. The other speaker was a woman who is an advocate working neighborhood association here in Portland. She is from India. I believe both also work for Intel.
As part of their talk they had us do a quick quiz. This is when I started worrying about my Muslim religion IQ. At first, I thought, I might really do better than others here in the room. After all, I hear about 50 songs a week with Allah in them. I'm a belly dancer, after all. I've certainly been around a lot of Arabs (musicians). I had a Moroccan boyfriend when I was 21 and living in Munich, Germany who cooked me cous cous and taught me my first ever belly dance moves. I even followed his Ramadan schedule for at least two weeks. Just, because he told me he thought I never would. I wanted to prove him wrong. Oh, and I went to the Gambia and Senegal for 2 weeks when I was 20. And they follow Islam there, too. I knew that, because they didn't sell alcohol anywhere in the country. Part of how the Islamic "law" is implemented culturally in that region. This seemed quite important to notice at the time, because I was 20 and turning 21 in the Gambia. And what else was I supposed to do on my 21st birthday, but drink alcohol now that I was, uh, legal????
Anyways..that's really a digression. The point is, I started thinking that I really probably know more than the average American about the Muslim religion. But I made the mistake of looking around the room before taking the test, and I noticed that there were actual Muslims in the room with me. I knew this, because they had this air about them that said, "we know what these presenters are talking about. We know it so well, that really, we could be up there presenting." When I noticed those folks, I faltered and then second-guessed myself.
But...I didn't do as badly on the test as I thought I might. I got about a 50%. Which, in some worlds is an F. But, in this case, meant that I actually knew at least a few things. Such as: Islam is the second biggest religion in the world. And that in 2010, it's predicted that it will be the second biggest religion in the US.
That's about where it stopped, however. My knowledge, that is.
What I found most interesting of all the from the questions I missed, was that in the Muslim religion (from the sacred text at least) women and men are equal. And they say Allah, because there is no gender associated with this word. No need to say God, or Goddess, or Gods. Allah is just everything... something that IS.
That was interesting to think about. All the different levels of implications of this. I learned many other things that I want to share right now.
But I won't, because what I really want to encourage you to do, is to find something out on your own about Muslims (especially the huge range) and how culture and the Muslim religion - text and ubiquitous rituals - interact (and especially the huge range).
I'm embarrassed to realize that - even though I've had experiences dating a Muslim man, traveling to Muslim countries, and dancing to so, so, so much Arabic music that references Allah - the first thing that comes to my mind before I even have time to interject when I hear "Muslim" or "Islam" is: fear, terror, oppression, jihad, terrorist attacks, and this mental picture of silent women with veils. In my every day life, when I see someone who looks like they might come from Egypt or Afghanistan or Algeria I think to myself, "quick! How do I let them know that I don't think they're a terrorist? That I don't think they're might be scary or terrible?? " And then I feel a awkward and weird, because of course, they're just person like everyone else I encounter. Which is...embarrassing to me.
But, not exactly my fault. I guess I had a real *moment* this morning when I realized how much space these one-sided stories and flat stereotypes from the media take in my brain right now. And this comes from someone who doesn't watch TV and doesn't listen to much on the radio outside of NPR. No matter what I do to try to keep myself from the US media, it penetrates my life and being and thought process.
So, I've decided to go check out the Mosque in Beaverton. The president of the mosque in Beaverton gives talks all year long to anyone who will come to hear. Especially Christians and folks who aren't Muslim. He's one of the more funny, compassionate, entertaining, intelligent, conscious human beings I've met in a while. And did his job well. He encouraged me to seek out my own information about the Muslim religion and to experience what it is like in my immediate community, the world that I interface with every day, and therefore, the world that matters most to me.
Photo (above): Studentenstadt (student city) in Munich, Germany where I lived as a 20 year-old.
3 comments:
I really enjoyed this post. In general, I continue to enjoy your blog. It's fun, huh?
So what do I have to say about this post, in particular? I'm reminded of a couple of our recent conversations. Talking about IQ at a Burgerville on 82nd. Talking about your grandparents and your parents. That was interesting, but of course that's not really what this post was about.
I was also reminded of a conversation we had, while we were hiking in southwest Washington a few weeks ago. It was getting dark, and we were talking about what different religions and world views have to offer. We talked about maybe going and checking out different places of worship. Honestly, it didn't really occur to me that that might include going to a mosque. In hindsight that seems strange to me now, but it's true. I was thinking about going to churches and temples and such, but not mosques. Anyhow, the point is, I think it's great that the training yesterday inspired you to go check out a mosque. Right on.
Oh, and I wanted to say something, too, about Muslim IQ. I bet you're right, that yours is higher than those of a lot of Americans. I really appreciate your honesty, though, in sharing what you think of when you hear the word "Muslim" or see someone who you think might be. There's a range, eh? Some people are more informed than others -- you and I are somewhere in the middle. You know, I am fascinated by Islam, as well, though. Going to Turkey when I was 19, and taking my shoes off to go into mosques, and hearing the call to prayer five times a day, and just being a minority in a place far, far from home -- all of that really made an impact on me. It instilled in me a desire to learn about and to try to understand different people and different ways of living. To be totally honest, I think 9/11 made me want to learn more, too, to try to understand how and why.
Good post, Tiff. Clearly, you got me thinking. And that's a good thing. ;-)
Tiffany, you are amazing. I am glad to have you in my life. I always love listening to you talk every month at talking circle. Your clarity, insight, and passion inspire me. Valerie
Tiffany,
Your blog entries are wonderful. You are so thought-full and insightful, I would really like to get to know you better.
Are your monthly talking circles open for me to come?
love, Jane
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