And so the backlash begins.
On the news tonight they reported that the windows of Mile End mosque had been smashed.
I felt so angry and disappointed when I heard this. I mean I know backlash was sadly to be expected because imbeciles are so predictable but I was really really hoping that maybe just maybe it wouldn't happen. The Muslim community has made a big effort to publicly condemn the attacks and yet violence against them still happens. Two wrongs don't make a right, but even if they did, these imbeciles have attacked people who have nothing to do with the bombings. On the news tonight they showed pictures of a very empty looking Brick Lane and a very quiet Whitechapel market. Commuters may be being resilient in returning to use the tube today but many of London's Muslims it seems are scared to go out. And that is so very very sad.
posted by Katrina @ 8:55 pm
5 comments
5 Comments:
No, honey, I'm right here and petticoat lane market etc are filling up nicely. It'll be ok, promise.
For the two minute silence I went outside with everyone else but i chose to wear a headscarf which i don't normally do- to demonstrate that all kinds of people are muslims not just the type villified in the press. There were a lot of surprised faces when i got into the crowded lift - ive never downplayed or made a big deal out of my religion but anyone who is a close acquaintance of mine knows it's a part of me. Colleagues don't. I feel shaken- like i've committed some act of defiance- by going downstairs with a scarf on my head-and seeing the surprised faces, i definitely felt apart from the group as opposed to part of the group. I don't feel shaken by their reaction but by how I felt- wearing my scarf amongst non muslims- I suddenly appreciated what courage it takes to wear obvious religion based clothing or symbols.
Good on you Leafy, I'm kind of sorry I missed it - I've never seen you wear a headscarf!!! The surprised faces were presumably not because you were amongst non-Muslims per se but because your colleagues are used to you not wearing a headscarf and so today of all days must've seemed a strange day to wear one!!! Did you not get a chance to talk to people about it afterwards, didn't anyone ask you questions?
Yes I must imagine it does take courage to wear obvious religion based clothing BUT if you wore it everyday I'm sure you'd get used to it and not feel so self-conscious. I know it's not the same but even simply wearing my necklace with a miraculous medal attached I felt self-conscious at first and that people would assume I was Catholic - that it would be obvious. Now wearing the necklace just feels part of me and I'm not self-conscious about it. Having said that though it's quite interesting that unlike other monotheistic religions Christianity doesn't have such obvious clothing markers as other religions, no headscarf, no turbans, no kippah (Jewish skullcap) etc etc.
P.S. Alifya sweetie I'm sooooooooo glad you finally made it to my blog!!
I get asked quite a lot about my pentacle necklace (mostly i get asked "are you Jewish?" um, can you count up to six?), and i kind of like that, because it gives me a chance to give them a tiny bit of correct information to counteract all the hollywood horror movies. usually if i tell people it's about finding your place in the natural systems of the universe and learning how best to move within them they're really interested. I suppose you ccould look upon it as giving people with questions an approachable person to ask them of. Up the awareness I say!
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