Sunday Morning

I woke up Sunday morning in usual fashion. While waiting for my slumbering little people to wake up, wondering about breakfast, I laid in bed reading the news. Normally on Sunday mornings I read the news and then I get up and write on my blog. As soon as my eyes rested on an article about what had happened in Orlando I thought to myself anything about our lives I have to write today does not matter. So I rested the computer and took an extra moment in my daily morning prayers to pray for the victims of this senseless tragedy. It has taken me a few days to digest the gravity of that situation. And the more I thought about it the more I realized I do have something to say about it.

We are a family of faith. Our faith resonates in everything we do, and especially to how we treat other people. We teach our children love and tolerance and expect them to treat others with kindness. We do this not only through our words but also through our own actions.

When I saw the name of the of the shooter in this incident my heart froze, not out of fear, but because I knew the backlash of the hateful rhetoric that would soon accompany it.
 I am not a person who speaks openly of politics nor religion. However, on this day I need to take this opportunity to voice my opinion.
It saddens me to see the hateful things that people including leaders and politicians are propagating. Thoughtless comments, that due to ignorance and a lack of understanding, instill fear in others at a time when our beautiful country needs to be showing love and kindness.

One week ago an amazing pioneer (Muhammad Ali) lost his final fight and through his death the teachings of what he believed in was spread throughout the world. In a matter of days it took one xenophobic ignorant person, who does not represent Islam, to completely undo everything that was exemplified last week. For every hateful thing that has been said or written in the wake of this horrific and painful situation I have seen just as many beautiful stories of fellow Muslim-Americans standing in lines in Orlando for hours with the thousands of others, while fasting, to donate blood. Women wearing hijab, also fasting, who were walking down the line to give food and drink to those waiting to give blood. Let us not lose sight of the bigger picture of what we are facing as a nation. Let us not alienate another group of people because someone "claiming" religion committed a heinous tragedy. Let us not contribute to the xenophobia that lead to this crime. Instead let us unite to foster a solution and continue to show love and kindness to everyone irrespective of their race, religion, orientation, country of origin or beliefs.

May we continue to pray for the victims' of those that suffer at the hands of terrorists; their families and for our country as a whole. May God help us as a people to never loose sight of the qualities and inclusivity that has defined our nation.