A Mothers Tears of Joy

Please enjoy this article, shared from www.hijabitopia.com!

Elif writes below about the joy she feels as she learns that over the summer her beautiful daughter Jannah has decided to make one of the biggest and most beneficial decisions of a young girls life. Elif is one of 3 sisters, raised by her amazing parents to love allah above all else. Her mother, a teacher and hafiz of quran and her father, the imam of Richardson masjid, raised all of their daughters to be strong, pious, intelligent leaders of women in islam. elif in turn is passing that torch, spending her nights helping her daughter memorize quran, teaching her daughters about the beauty of islam and most importantly the strong chaste role of women in islam. Jannah practices memorizing quran while most other girls her age are watching tv after school and now at her mothers surprise and amazement read below as jannah makes another grand leap towards allah on her own free will. there is nothing more important and rewarding than raising your daughter the proper way, always having time for them, and putting education of allah and society before things like television, toys, and whatever else most parents throw their children in front of, just to QUIET them. always remember, children are given to parents with a blank slate, clean and pure, and what they become is completely molded by their parents. If you want your children to follow islam, have strong independence, and make the right choices as muslims...you must raise them within this type of atmosphere now...not later after they have developed their own bad habits, or yours. Raise them close to Islam now, for their own sake and for yours. congratulations elif, on being a successful hijab wearing woman, with amazing pious daughters who dream to follow in their mothers footsteps straight to allah.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

Tears of Joy

Tonight I'm awake. 



I'm awake in New York, the city that never sleeps.

It's unlike me to stay up so late, but I'm overflowing with emotions. It seems impossible to put my head down on the pillow and fall asleep. I have no control over the tears that fill my eyes. I have no control over the excitement, the joy and the worry all at once.


In New York, schools start tomorrow. I feel like the young child that I once was, staying up with excitement the night before school starts. Worrying about new friends, new teachers and a new year of homework, tests and projects.


Yet, I'm not that child. I'm a mother whose daughter will start school tomorrow. Going on to 4th grade. 


I'm up because I feel like tomorrow will be the beginning of a new life for my daughter. I'm up because I don't know what tomorrow and the days to come will bring for her. 


My 9 year old daughter, Janna has decided to start wearing Hijab!!! She decided to start wearing it on the first day of school!


Why am I so shocked? I'm shocked because as a mother I can't remember how and when she grew up. I remember her as a baby, I remember her as a toddler, but as a young girl so determined to start wearing hijab? I thought that day was far away.


Interestingly, I'm also shocked about her decision to start wearing the Hijab so young, so soon! 


This summer in Dallas, she asked me so many questions about the hijab, read books and articles. She heard me speak with my new convert friends about Hijab. I discussed with her when a young girl becomes responsible for her actions in Islam, and when it would be required for her to start wearing hijab. But I still didn't think she would start so soon.


I've asked her over and over again. Had long mother and daughter talks. Long discussions, with lots of questions to see if this was just a phase. But every time I got the same smart answers. 


She said " I want to start wearing it at the beginning of the school year mom!" in a tone that merely translated into "Duh! Don't you get it mom? If I become responsible in the middle of the school year, that would be way more difficult!"


Well, I got it alright. But it just didn't register. During all of the discussions I had with my friends, about beginning to wear hijab, Janna would eavesdrop into our conversations, while she seemed to be playing. Afterwards in a casual tone, she would ask me questions about wearing the hijab.

When she first told me she wanted to start wearing it, casually sitting at the breakfast table, I sat there not knowing what to say. Just sat and listened. "Aren't you happy for me Mom?" she asked. 

"Well, of course dear, but do you realize that this isn't like getting a new pair of glasses that you are excited about every single day till it wears off? Do you comprehend what you are committing to? This is a serious decision you know! I just want to make sure this is not a childish phase you are going through."


She would roll her eyes at me, like I was the one being childish. 


But of course, she was right!


Think about it. When is it too early to follow Allah's orders? Is piety for the elderly? Isn't it more precious and more rewarding when we are young? 


You might think, she's just a kid, what does she know? To that I say that she is a courageous kid, who loves Allah and wants to please Him, and only Him. She is a mature girl who knows that she will soon need to take this step and is taking control and making her own choice with the timing.


I'm awake with tears, because I'm so proud of her. I look at her and think, WOW, when did you become so mature and smart. I want her to enjoy this journey. I want her to know that each and every struggle will make her a stronger Muslim. Being the only hijabi, the only Muslim girl, in a school of 500, standing up for what she believes, in order to only and only please her Lord, is what makes her special!

May Allah keep all our children on the right path, and let them become good, strong Muslims.

With lots of tears of joy, I'd like to welcome my own daughter Janna to HijabiTopia!!!

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Elif Kavakci and her daughter Jannah

Courtesy of QueensImage Photography
http://www.queensimage.com/

To Wear…or Not to Wear?…That is the Question.

 
The following is an article from my dear friend Elif Kavakci.  I thought this was a great article to share during the blessed month of Ramadan.  You can check out more of Elif’s articles on her blog:
click to see:
 
 

 
I wanted to share with you a few thoughts...  First of all, we formed this blog so that it could provide a support system and a fun environment for hijabis and those who choose to dress modestly. 

Over the years, through my writing, I have been able to reach millions of readers.  Before I started writing for HijabiTopia, I was a fashion writer for ZAMAN - the Turkish daily news, and then transfered over to Kadinhaberleri.com, where now I have a weekly column.

Also being an Islamic Fashion designer, I've had many ladies contact me about changing the way they dress, and leading a more Islamic life style.

Writing has allowed me to get to know so many new faces, and beautiful ladies, some who wear hijab, some who are in search of how to wear hijab, and others who know exactly what to do but can't take the first steps.

It has been fun to share experiences and support each other through spiritual changes in our lives.
I will now share with you some of my thoughts on hijab. For those of you who may not personally know me, I am not an extremist Muslim, and could never be one. I like to follow the sunnah of our Prophet (peace be upon him) about having balance in my religion. So therefore when I tell you my thoughts on this topic, I don't want you to think that I am some fundamentalist. I'm just sharing my thoughts on the way I feel.
I feel very passionate about hijab.  Alot of Muslims will state that it is an option to wear hijab. I am not one of those Muslims. I believe it is Fard (obligatory), because it is clearly written in the Qur'an that believing women must dress Islamically.

When people say it is a choice, it makes my blood boil. There is no question! To wear or not to wear hijab is not an option. If you love Allah and want to please him, you wear it. If you don't wear it, that is a decision you make as a Muslim, not a choice.

Now having said that, you are probably thinking "she hates all non hijabis, she sounds so extreme". Absolutelly not. I have many friends, those who wear hijab and those who don't.  Those who are Muslim, and those who are not.  I love them all equally. Whether they wear hijab or not does not affect my friendship with them.  But my closest friends are always the ones whose lifestyles, goals, and dreams are closer to mine.  I am encircled by those friends.


I'm not going to tell you that wearing hijab is easy! Untill it becomes a complete part of you, it's difficult to carry. Yes, we get hot! Yes, it gets itchy. Yes we would love to just tie our hair in a pony tail, throw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops and walk out the door. But do we, NO! And why don't we? To please Allah!
This Ramadan, I would like for you to think about that. If you haven't started wearing hijab, just imagine yourself in hijab. Imagine how happy it would make you feel to submit to an obligatory rule from the Qur'an.
Ramadan uplifts our spirits. It's the same kind of feeling when you wear hijab, except it's on a daily basis. Imagine what you would feel like in the beauty of hijab. When you close your eyes, try to get beyond your image, and how other people might react to it,  try to think of Allah, and try to think of all of us who are right there with you. Just like when you fast. You do the act  yourself, but millions of Muslims are doing it as well.
I could go on and on about this topic. We will have many discussions, and I would love to hear your comments, and your stories, whether you wear hijab or not. We love to have you as readers. Anybody and everybody is welcome.


Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

“Journey into America”- The Challenge of Islam

I want to take a moment to share my thoughts (humbly) on this unique and ground breaking book, just released in July.  If you are reading this blog (I’m honored), stop whatever it is your doing and enlighten yourself with the first “good read” for all who desire understanding and acceptance of society, faith, and culture in the beautiful U.S.A.  After reading this I truly felt “proud to be an American” as well as a sense of pride in my faith of Islam (if the two could ever be bridged).  As a matter of fact that’s what this journey is all about, bridges…

Check out Ambassador Akbar Ahmed talking about his new book, "Journey into America" on The Daily Show!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Akbar Ahmed
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party I was lucky enough to be involved in this “Journey into America” when my dear friend Elif Kavakci (blog: HijabiTopia) invited me to photograph for an interview she was doing for Turkish publication, Zaman News. The article featured an America girl who was on an anthropological study of Muslims in America and also life in Muslim countries. Hailey was her name, and the curious tendencies of human beings are her game.  Hailey is a star pupil of the famed Professor\Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, of the American University in Cairo, and traveled with him and the rest of their group across several Muslim countries and then across her own homeland here in America.  Elif Kavakci interviews Hailey Woldt   After photographing Hailey for Elif’s article, I was invited for dinner at the Kavakci home, where Hailey in turn would like to study into my own humble brain for the secret life of an American convert to Islam.  The Professor also attended and it was truly an inspiring evening to top all dinner invitations (in my book).  Elif Kavakci, Hailey Woldt, Nicole Queen The next day I met Hailey and Elif and the Professor, along with another star student manning a small camera, at a high end mall in Dallas.  Hailey wanted to perform a sort of anthropology experiment where the three of us would dress in all black conservative garments, looking like what most Americans view as extreme Muslims, with simple black scarves around our hair, and heavy black abaya’s.  This was an experiment she had tried before in a small town on her own (braver than me!) and was able to see a lot of shocked reactions from people, based on merely her clothing.  Honestly, I told Hailey “Hey this is Dallas, people aren’t shocked to see Muslims shopping in the mall, the mall is always full of Muslim women blissfully shopping. Elif and I only know this because it’s what we have heard…LOL”.  We continued on anyway just to see if we could catch a few uncomfortable glances from passersby, curious at our choice of garments.  Later that day I met with Hailey at the hotel they were staying at nearby and we engaged in conversation on camera, for their documentary, “Journey into America”. Which later, was further inscribed into the pages of this challenging novel, “Journey into America-The Challenge of Islam” I’m not going to spoil it but this book is not your “run of the mill” political or social writings… “Professor Akbar Ahmed turns his intrepid approach to cultural dialogue and inter-faith understanding onto American society, in this brilliant follow-up to “Journey into Islam”. His insights should be required reading for anyone grappling with national security, national identity and national cohesion in today’s complex era.” Colonel David Kilcullen, author of Washington PostBestseller and Economist Book of the Year, The Accidental Guerrilla “I have not read a work as insightful, erudite, and innovative on the challenge of American identity since Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Akbar Ahmed sets a new paradigm in the ongoing debate on defining American identity.” Melody Fox, Berkley Center at Georgetown University   In this book, you will follow the adventures of a group of enlightening students, as they themselves discover what it’s like to be a Muslim in the U.S., post 9\11. You had me at Chapter 1…it’s exciting right off the bat.  Un-Expectantly adventurous and even a little frightening, but only enough to keep you wanting more.  Here is a small preview: Muslim Odyssey "I had walked into an ambush. An aggressive sniper was positioned directly in front of me, with two equally effective sharp-shooters to my left and the obvious leader of the group facing me from the back row. Having been in charge of some of the most battle-hardened tribes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I knew something about war tactics.  One lesson I had learned was to keep cool under fire.” Showdown in a Mosque “Where does one begin a search for American identity and it’s Muslim component?  The answer seemed obvious: in the nation’s heartland.  But what could be learned about America’s founding principles of freedom of speech and religious tolerance in a nondescript, almost shabby mosque in Omaha, Nebraska, where I now was?  Especially in the midst of a verbal ambush by an African American man wearing a typical Arab red-and-white checkered headdress, or kufiya, who looked as if he had come straight out of an orthodox mosque in Saudi Arabia. Hearing my call for interfaith dialogue with Jews and Christians, the man stood up in a startling breach of mosque-not to mention Muslim- etiquette to challenge my interpretation of Islam.  “Good Muslims” could not talk to nonbelievers, he almost shouted.  The salvos continued, despite my well-founded explanation: Muhammad, the holy Prophet of Islam, had himself paved the way for such dialogue.  He had urged Muslims persecuted in Mecca to migrate to Abyssinia, a Christian country, because he anticipated they would be well received there once the natives of that land had met them and learned about Islam.  But, the man in Arab headdress snapped back, the Prophet had really intended those Muslims to convert the Abyssinians by force.” “The next day the team interviewed people about Omaha’s Islamic center and community.  The four who had challenged me, they learned, had posted a fatwa (pronouncement) in the mosque before 9\11 calling for the killings of Jews and Christians and praising the deeds of Osama bin Laden. All four were converts to what is known as Salafi Islam, in the United States, a fundamentalist version of the faith influenced by Saudi Arabia. It purports to be an unadulterated and “pure” form of Islam that is incompatible with any modern Western ideas.” I was honored to discover that excerpts from my interview with Hailey are featured in such an amazing collection of societal history.  I would have never had the pleasure of meeting Hailey and the Professor if it wasn’t for the selfless act of my dear friend Elif, mentioning to the group that I was also an American who had become Muslim…and that I had a story to tell.  I learn on a daily basis what true friendship actually means, it’s an ever changing definition, and one of my favorite addendums is “A real friend is excited to promote the smallest attributes in their close friends, even placing them before their own much more grand achievements.”  I thank God every day for my new “Friendship Philanthropists”, without I might have never seen it’s true meaning.  Below are a few passages from my feeble attempt at sharing something in this amazing book.  Once again I am so thankful to my dear friend for opening the door to conversation with Professor Ahmed and his star pupil Hailey.  Thank you to the Professor for hearing my words and illuminating them with such understanding and clarity. Muslim Converts:  Shame and Honor in a Time of Excess “Religious Conversion is a dramatic event in anyone’s life, no less than it was for Saint Paul on the road to Damascus.  It changes everything. Fashion photographer Nicole Queen of Dallas had arrived at just such a turning point, paradoxically, at the pinnacle of her career. She was standing next to Justin Timberlake, one of pop music’s icons, with cameras flashing.  The glare seemed to illuminate the world of vacuous celebrity that Nicole was part of.  Wasn’t there more to life than this?  At the suggestion of a Muslim friend, she watched motivational videos on YouTube and was impressed by Yusuf Estes, a white Muslim convert from Texas who was once a member of the Disciples of Christ Church.  Shortly after, Nicole converted to Islam. “One of the reasons for her conversion, Nicole explained, was the excessive behavior of women who appeared to be without shame or modesty, especially in front of a camera: “Girls took off their tops, exposed their breasts, they were making out with each other-and they aren’t lesbians, but if a camera’s there "I’ll do it if you put it on TV.”…Do you think their parents are proud of that?…They want to show that stuff because that’s what people want to see.  How low can a girl go?  That’s what sells here.  They know what everybody likes; everybody likes to see the lowest point that someone can go.  People just want to make a dollar out of it; these are the morals of our nation, whether we want to face that or not.” “For Nicole, conversion to Islam allows her to reaffirm her American identity. Once the heat and noise subside, it is American converts like her who can play an effective role in interpreting mainstream Americans and Muslims to each other.  By doing so, they are ideally placed to counteract the idea of a clash between the two.” Reading this treasure takes you on an indescribable journey that truly awakens your mind, clears out cluttered thoughts, and focuses much needed attention on the gripping relationship of Americans and Muslims.  I truly home you will embark on this contribution to the vibrancy of American Islam. Click below to get your copy of: “Journey into America-The Challenge of Islam”