10 Fears Every Western Muslim Faces

August 21, 2014December 12, 2014 by Corbin ♥ 26 Comments

by Theresa Corbin

Let the count-down begin!

10. Swine-o-phobia:

The fear that pork is in everything. Can present in the middle of the grocery store or restaurant. The Muslim will start breaking out in a sweat, and find him/herself checking and re-checking the label or menu because he/she has started imagining that pork is in everything!! This paranoia is only made worse when the Muslim realizes pork is often hidden in soup, candy, vegetables, biscuits, lip gloss, gum …

... You start to feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump: Pork salad, pork medicine, pork natural flavoring, pork cheese ... — … You start to feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump: Pork salad, pork medicine, pork natural flavoring, pork cheese …

9. Forgot-a-fast-a-fright:

The fear of forgetting about one’s fast. It is often associated with Ramadan (the month of fasting) but can occur at other times of the year like Shawwal (the month when fasting is recommended). It is common among those who work too hard, are obsessive, and/or have ADD. It happens when the Muslim is fasting, distracted, and surrounded by fast food ads and/or people who are eating. The Muslim may start murmuring to him/herself, incoherently: No snack for you! (yes, a Seinfeld ref in this day and age. deal with it!)

ooops, I did it again ... forgot I was fasting. — ooops, I did it again … forgot I was fasting.

8. Foot-sink paranoia:

This is a fear of getting caught in a public bathroom with one’s foot in the sink while making wudu (ablution for prayer requires that the Muslim wash feet, hands, face, top of the head, ears, and arms up to and including the elbows). The Muslims will often dart his/her eyes around the restroom like a deer looking out for a predator before he/she puts his/her foot in the sink.

7. Fake Expert-o-phobia:

The fear that Bridget Gabriel or someone of her ilk will run off at the mouth, again, about how Bismillah (meaning: In the Name of God, usually said before meals) is a war cry or some such ignorant nonsense. The Fake Expert-o-phobia keeps the Muslim up at night worrying if coworkers/friends/onlookers will flip out when said Muslim declares war on his/her meal with a little prayer of Bismillah. The Muslim will either hide from news programs that promote this kind of nonsense or obsess about it and watch it on replay to dissect and make fun of on social media or his/her blog … often with memes.

Hi, my name is Brigitte Gabriel. I only have a high school diploma but Fox News calls me an expert.

6. The Gifting Panic:

This panic presents itself most often in an office environment around the middle of December. The Muslim will do anything to avoid that awkward moment when he/she has to face the fact that he/she has not and will not get his/her coworkers anything for Xmas. The Muslim suffering from the gifting panic will avoid everyone and everything until the holiday is over. He/she may even go to such lengths as duct taping his/her office door shut, blocking cubicle entrance with a shower curtain, or developing a new telepathy technology. But the Muslim will still fear that someone, somewhere, somehow will sneak an Xmas gift in before vacation begins.

5. Prayer-anoia:

This fear is a lot like the foot-sink paranoia, but with greater concern for violated privacy. The phobia is an intense fear that a stranger will discover the Muslim’s secret prayer area at work/school/in the mall while he/she is using it. The Muslim will take great pains to make sure he/she is not discovered in a compromised prayer position (bending over or prostrating). Because of this, the Muslims may hurry through the prayer and have little focus, often stealing deer-like glances out the side of the eye to make sure no one is coming, as is done with the foot-sink paranoia.

4. The Creepy Smile Prospect:

This fear involves the Muslim who is identifiably Muslim – by beard, hijab, name, or kufi – having to smile his/her way through hostile environments. The Muslim will often start the day with an “I come in peace as the good will ambassador of Islam” smile. But he/she fears said smile will turn to a joker smile when forced to confront not so nice stares. The Muslim’s tangential fear is that the creepy smile will become permanent if he/she keeps his/her face like that for too long, like his/her mom always warned.

3. The Hijab Spill Trepidation:

This fear is often suffered by hijabis (women who cover their hair for modesty) who do not want/need any more people staring. It often presents after meals that were thoroughly enjoyed to the point that the hijabi did not realize what food was being splashed/dropped/smeared where. She will come out the other side of a meal constantly checking the front of her hijab for remnants of said meal. The fear is exacerbated by the fact that food will always find its way to a prominent place on the hijab.

food-saver-3,000 — I’m saving it for later

2. Escalat-terror:

The inexplicable fear that the one’s loose clothing (skirt, thobe, abaya) will be ripped off in one fell swoop of the perpetual motion of an escalator, revealing the Muslim’s unsightly PJ’s. The Muslim will tip toe to the very middle of the steps and hold on tightly to the clothing articles that are most likely to be devoured by the hungry, escalator monster. The fear is only made worse by googling escalator + accidents.

1. Islamophobia-phobia:

This is the fear that the Muslim will be grouped together with international crime rings like ISIS or Al Qaeda and hated by all he/she meets. The phobia is often brought out when some “Islamic” group on the other side of the universe acts like a fool, and the Muslim is assumed to be like them or asked to answer for said groups crimes … to everyone … everywhere he/she goes.

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Letter to Palestine: An Appeal for Prayer

August 9, 2014November 2, 2014 by Corbin ♥ 4 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

To Palestine from an American citizen,

Please, in this time of extreme oppression you are suffering, pray that the American people come to know, come to understand what they support when they support Israel.

Many Americans are ignorant of the fact that you live in occupied cities, Gaza being entirely walled in.

Many Americans have no idea that you cannot move, build, live, breathe without Israeli approval. They don’t know that Israel controls the amount of food and water you receive. They have never been told that innocent civilians are arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the Israeli government en masse, or that one Palestinian child is murdered every third day by Israeli forces even in times of “peace”.

The American people are being led to believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, but Americans are never told that you have no resources, no army, air force, or navy.

The American people are being told that Hamas is using you as human shields and therefore Israel has cause to kill you and your children. But when Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN investigated this claim they found no evidence to support it. And the American media “forgot” to mention it.

Palestinians, pray that the American people learn the truth. Pray for the American people because those who know the truth are marching in the streets for you.

New Orleans stands with Palestine protest on Aug 1. Protester holds her sign to show support.

Because the more Americans understand, the less the media and the elected officials will be able to get away with promoting and funding your oppression and murder.

The more they learn the more people will come out of their homes and march in the streets to show their solidarity with you.

The more Americans know the more they will make our leaders see that support of Israel is a crime against humanity and not in is our name.

Jews, Christians, Muslims and Atheists gather to send to Protest.

The more Americans know the more they will realize that we are not free until YOU are free.

In my home town I attended a rally, where thousands of people of all faiths came out to protest the crimes that are committed against you. We took to the streets to make more people listen to the truth, to send our love to you, to make our representatives see they do not represent us, to show them that sending our tax money to Israel make us sick!

Please pray that more Americans learn the truth and that their knowledge leads to change.

Ramadan Giving: Stop Hunger Now

July 18, 2014June 30, 2015 by Corbin ♥ 1 Comment

Written by Theresa Corbin

We have fasted long hours in hot days here in the Northern Hemisphere. And the time will come when the Southern Hemisphere will have to do the same (lunar months and earth’s tilted rotation, ain’t it fun?!). During this time we have gone hungry and thirsty for good cause and we become better people for it. But what about people who go hungry and thirsty for no cause?

Ramadan should teach us many things. One of those things should be empathy and compassion for those who go without. It’s simple. Many of us have more than enough. And many of us can help lighten someone else’s burden. So why not go for it when their is so much reward in it?

“(The righteous are those) who feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of God, saying: ‘We feed you for the sake of God Alone; we seek from you neither reward nor thanks.'” – The Holy Quran, 76:8-9

And so I introduce to you the next in our Ramadan giving series …

Ramadan Giving: Stop Hunger Now

What do they do?

Stop Hunger Now is a global humanitarian aid organization that has been fulfilling its commitment to end hunger since 1998. Every year, Stop Hunger Now provides millions of nutritious meals and other life-saving aid to children and families all over the world. Stop Hunger Now collaborates with existing development efforts in vulnerable communities to provide meals to places such as schools, orphanages, nurseries and medical clinics.

Why is this important?

Because when people get involved- things change.

Recommendation: Watch on mute. The song is pretty terrible.

How can we help?

Click the links to find out how you can host a packaging event, join the movement, volunteer, or donate money or products.

Follow us (upper right of the page). Email us (islamwich@yahoo.com). Like our face with your face on Facebook (facebook.com/islamwich). Tumble with us on Tumblr (islamwich.tumblr.com). Pin with us (pinterest.com/islamwich). Follow us on twitter (@islamwich).

Like the post, share it, pin it, comment on it, and/or do whatever social media magic it is that you prefer. Find out more about us in the understandably named “About” page and browse other posts in “Table of Contents”.

Ramadan Giving: I Found Islam

July 4, 2014June 30, 2015 by Corbin ♥ 9 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you an update on giving in Ramadan.

According to my most recent Google search, charity is as follows:

char·i·ty — CHaritē — noun

1. the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.

2. an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.

In Islam we know it as that thing that we get reward for, especially in this holy month. And we know this:“No wealth (of a servant of Allah) is decreased because of charity.”(Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2247)

I know, I almost forgot what is was too! What with all the buying food for suhoor and iftar (the meals before and after the fast) and the preparing for Eid, it almost slipped my mind.

But fear not, we can catch up with our Ramadan giving part 2 …

Ramadan Giving Part 2: ifoundislam.net

What do they do?

We are a global effort to help new Muslims worldwide in a variety of methods. -Shannon Abulnaser

ifoundislam.net’s function is simple enough. The site and its founder, Shannon Abulnasr, help reverts/converts to Islam. But it is so much more than that. The site and all its Facebook groups give converts a place to share, to discuss, to have community, to understand the religion of Islam, to ask for help and guidance from scholars, to read about others’ experiences, to make converts aware of all the resources available to them.

Why is this important?

Shannon Abulnasr says

There is such a huge demand on us to keep everything running smoothly, but we need the support of our Ummah to continue to grow. We reached a growth spurt, and that is what triggered our need to do fundraising. We are at our max capabilities as volunteer work. Some things just cost money So please be generous during this month of Ramadan….your good deeds are multiplied. New Muslims need your ongoing support!

This site and its groups are important because taking the shahada (statement of faith) is just the beginning. And because saying mashaAllah (God has willed it) when you hear someone converted to Islam is not enough. Because everyone is born with the fitrah (an innate disposition towards virtue, knowledge, and the oneness of God) but no one is born with Islamic knowledge of prayer, fasting, purification, etc. Because even if a convert does not face Islamophobia, it can still be lonely to be the only Muslim in their family, town, state, region.

I found Islam is a service and a resource that most mosques do not provide. It is a service and a resource to a growing number of new Muslims who are being ostracized from Muslim communities because they were not born in the right part of the world.

This site and its groups are so immensely important because saying shahada is just the spark. If we don’t, as a community, make every effort to provide fuel for that spark to help grow faith in converts, that spark can go out. What will we tell Allah when He asks us about our brothers and sisters who left the faith because we didn’t provide them with support?

A convert from Georgia, USA says, “Asalaamu Alaikum, I wanted to let you know that our Brothers and Sisters at I Found Islam, Now What? was and is a great help to me in a time when I had no support. Even though I do not speak much I found the articles to be very beneficial as I learned and grew in my deen and as a person. Brothers like Hossam Ed Deen Allam and Sister Shannon Abulnasr helped me in a time when I was shy to ask for help but unknowing to them By the Grace and Mercy of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala they shared with me websites articles and of their time to help me Alhamdulillah for the Brothers and Sisters At I found Islam,…..and the other groups and pages. May Allah always keep them guided and blessed Ameen Love you All for the Sake of Allah Asalaamu Alaikum.”

Ifoundislam is so important to the growing community of new Muslims. But we can’t leave all of this work and responsibility on the shoulders of a small group of volunteers.

How can you help?

Donate. Click here to go to the site and you will see the donate button on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Share this post to reach as many people possible!

Ramadan Giving: 1-888-315-NISA

June 27, 2014June 30, 2015 by Corbin ♥ 20 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

315NISA With Ramadan upon us (what’s Ramadan? Click here),
Muslims need to start thinking about how we will increase our good deeds. Savvy Muslims know that good deeds get more bang for their buck in Ramadan. Specifically, we need to think about how we will invest our charity (since Allah promises a serious return on our charitable donations, I like to think of charity as investment banking).

So going forward, during the month of Ramadan, we islamwiches (not to be confused with islam-witches) will be sharing our charity investment ideas with you in hopes to draw attention to some great efforts that need our support. Let the giving begin!!!

Ramadan Giving Part 1: 1-888-315-NISA

What do they do?

1-888-315-NISA (also 315NISA.com) is a Muslim women’s helpline in North America.

The helpline is operated by counselors who provide completely confidential and toll free support to Muslim women in crisis who feel they have nowhere to turn.

315NISA.com says, “Our principle is to be non-judgemental in our services. Our services allow for people to open up to our trained counsellors without worry. Our purpose is to assist in supporting, helping and creating a plan of action for the best possible solutions. We are there to listen when no one else is.”

Why is this important?

As 315NISA’s statistical research shows, many Muslim women feel uncomfortable or simply refuse to use resources outside of their religious and cultural spheres. Even when rape, domestic violence, depression and other serious matters are experienced by Muslim women, they feel silenced by familial, cultural and baseless religious pressures.

If our sisters are not seeking help, what is to come of them? They will likely (and many already have) face dire situations.

After reading the Statistical Research Report published by 315Nisa.com (you can find it here), I realized how serious the need for this type of resource for Muslim women is. Not because the report proved something to me, but because it reminded me of all the sisters that have come to me with similar problems. These sisters were looking for compassion, understanding and advice they knew they would never get from their families or religious leaders (a sad indictment of the state of our ummah (Muslim community worldwide))

The statistics reminded me of the sister who felt suicidal because she had been the victim of repeated sexual assaults at the hands of her stalker. She knew she could not divulge this information to her family because of their backward cultural understanding of honor and a woman’s virginity. This sister needed this service.

I was reminded of the sister who confided in the members of her mosque that a man in the community had raped her. Their response was not to comfort her and seek justice, as it should have been, as it is prescribed by Islam. Instead they accused her of wrong doing and made her feel like a pariah in her place of worship. This sister needed this service.

I was reminded of the sister who told me about the abuse she and other family members received at the hands of her father-in-law. Her father-in-law WRONGLY claimed that it was his Islamic right to do with his family as he wished. She understandably questioned whether she wanted to be a Muslim if it meant being at the whims of a man’s temper. This sister needed this service.

These problems are universal. Women from every culture, country, and color face these issues. But the problem in our communities is that women who face serious issues like these feel silenced. We cannot stand for this. We have to open up the dialogue and help our sisters. We must fix our problems. 315NISA is a starting point.

How can you help?

Give a sister in need this number 1-888-325-NISA so she has a place to turn.

Ask if you can post this number up in your Masjid.

Donate. Help 315NISA get the resources they need to keep this effort alive.

Fill out a contact form and see if you can be a resource to them. Offer your skills to them, I know they are in need of a professional video editor.

If our sisters are in need, it is our duty, it is our responsibility to provide for them.

If you are a Muslim woman in North American and you feel like you need someone to talk to about any challenge you face, please call 1-888-315-NISA. They are available during the times below and will have online chat available very soon, inshaAllah.

10am – 10pm Eastern

9am – 9pm Central

8am – 8pm Mountain

7am – 7pm Pacific

Halal New Orleans Recipe Round Up

June 19, 2014August 30, 2014 by Corbin ♥ 62 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

Since Ramadan is about a week away, it only seems fitting to talk about food. What follows are from articles I have written for Aquila Style -a magazine for Modern Muslim Living- and a previous islamich post. SOOoooo Yes, I am totally about to quote myself …

The southern USA has a rich tradition of unique cuisine.

This culinary uniqueness reaches a fever pitch in the port of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is as if New Orleanians decided to represent their melting pot of different cultures in a literal cooking pot […] New Orleans is a fantastic destination for any hungry traveler or foodie looking for fanciful fare.

However, as is the case with most southern cuisine, the New Orleans food experience can be a gastronomic “landmine” for Muslims.

Most recipes either use parts of the pig or have some pork added for “flavour”. And when you do find a dish that looks pork-free, you will often find that there is alcohol added.

As a convert living in southern USA, who grew up on New Orleans food, I have had to tweak my mother’s recipes into home cooking the halal way. From gumbo minus the ham hock stock to bread pudding without the rum drizzle, New Orleans and American southern food doesn’t have to be passed up because of its haram components.

New Orleans is famous for its gumbo

[…]Unfortunately for the Muslim who takes a trip to New Orleans to try this stew, gumbo is almost always made with pork. Whether it is in the stock, a ham bone thrown into the roux for flavor, or pork sausage as one of the meats added to the stew, pork is almost always an ingredient in gumbo.

But there is no reason why Muslims should miss out of this robust multi-ethnic dish. Gumbo doesn’t need pork – shrimp, chicken, crab, or even fish can replace that part of any gumbo.

Click here for the recipe.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

BBQ Shrimp (deceptively named because it has nothing to do with barbecue sauce or grilling) is usually cooked with beer. I did a little research and some creative cooking, and discovered that the recipe could be adjusted for the halal palate.

Click here for the recipe.

The All Important Crawfish Boil

crawfish1

Even though the crawfish boil usually entails some un-halal aspects, those can easily be switched out for their halal counterparts. So, if you have access to crawfish, even if it isn’t live or from the Gulf of Mexico, you need to think about having a boil. You will first thank Allah, then thank me.

Click here for the recipe.

Bon Appetit!

In conversation with an American Convert to Islam, Part II

May 14, 2014June 30, 2015 by Corbin ♥ 1 Comment

Part II of my interview with Saadia Haq.

See Part I here

Follow us (upper right of the page), email us (islamwich@yahoo.com), like our face with your face on Facebook, like the post, share it, pin it, comment on it, and/or do whatever social media magic it is that you prefer. Find out more about us in the understandably named “About Us” page and browse other posts in our brand spanking new “Table of Contents”.

The Human Lens

Thanks for joining us back, with Theresa Corbin; the founder of Islamwich blog-site and an American convert to Islam. We continue our conversation on her life as a Muslim and in particular women rights in Islam, her rights as a Muslim American woman and use of hijab etc.

Saadia Haq: How easy or difficult is for you to take on certain aspects of practical life as a Muslim, e.g. the daily prayers, fasting etc.?

Theresa Corbin: Since I converted in the beginning of Ramadan, I was instructed to begin fasting right off the bat and that was extremely hard for me considering my untrained stomach did not take it well. But luckily it was in a month where the days were relatively short, so I didn’t die lol. The salat was only difficult for me to institute in my life because in most places in the West, if…

View original post 1,585 more words

Let the count-down begin!

10. Swine-o-phobia:

9. Forgot-a-fast-a-fright:

8. Foot-sink paranoia:

7. Fake Expert-o-phobia:

6. The Gifting Panic:

5. Prayer-anoia:

4. The Creepy Smile Prospect:

3. The Hijab Spill Trepidation:

2. Escalat-terror:

1. Islamophobia-phobia:

Sharing is caring:

To Palestine from an American citizen,

Sharing is caring:

Ramadan Giving: Stop Hunger Now

What do they do?

Why is this important?

How can we help?

Sharing is caring:

Ramadan Giving Part 2: ifoundislam.net

What do they do?

Why is this important?

How can you help?

Donate. Click here to go to the site and you will see the donate button on the upper right hand side of the screen.

Sharing is caring:

Ramadan Giving Part 1: 1-888-315-NISA

What do they do?

Why is this important?

How can you help?

10am – 10pm Eastern

Sharing is caring:

The southern USA has a rich tradition of unique cuisine.

However, as is the case with most southern cuisine, the New Orleans food experience can be a gastronomic “landmine” for Muslims.

New Orleans is famous for its gumbo

Click here for the recipe.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

The All Important Crawfish Boil

Click here for the recipe.

Bon Appetit!

Sharing is caring:

Sharing is caring: