Greek Muslim: Myrto – my journey to Islam

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

Questions were racing through my mind.  Does this makes me a Muslim? What is a Muslim after all? And is it easy to become one? And what happens after that? What if I regret?

It was minutes after my shahada (my declaration of the Islamic faith), a few weeks ago.

It took me almost 9 years to believe there is actually a God and choose Islam as the way to worship Him.  But why was that? Having a very hard life so far, full of personal traumatic experiences of which I could not be responsible for during childhood, puberty and adolescence, a person does not have the right to make his own choices by law, I was led to disappointment.

I almost completely rejected the presence of God or of any Divinity in my life.

Although I was completely dissatisfied by the behaviour of the clergy in Greece and still having the words of the burial service which says “rest your servant ignoring all sins,” I decided to start reading about religion.

Feeling tormented, tired and a bit desperate to find answers to my questions, I choose to read religion initially and then philosophy and history of sciences instead of trying to find my way through fortune tellers or tarot readers, drugs or alcohol.

No matter how hard someone tries to numb himself so he doesn’t feel any pain, the pain will always be there, waiting to be confronted. Being deeply ethical and raised with the traditional values of a middle class Greek family , values of honesty, pride and dignity, I did not want to be part of any religious or philosophical group just to satisfy my needs for warmth and affection. And I definitely, loved and honoured my Greek cultural identity and I did not want to imitate or fake any other identity or nationality.

I started researching Christianity and mainly the Orthodox Dogma, then Judaism and Buddhism and finally Islam. I started gradually believing in God, my faith becoming stronger with time. At some point I started having questions about the Trinity, questions for which I found the answers in Islam.

What I realised is that Islam is the religion that closes the circle of Divine revelations. Islam means peace and Muslim means the person who offers himself to God and God only, with no remorse or personal benefit. Allah is not a new invention, it’s just the Arabic word for God, the half moon is not a symbol of blood bathing and revenge but is a reminder that Muslim people calculate the time based on the moon rather than the sun.

At this point I seriously started to consider myself as a believer rather than an agnostic. In the meantime, I moved to United Kingdom, to further educate myself though postgraduate studies. I do not know if it was a sign but while I was in UK, I kept meeting really nice people, the majority of them being Muslims, and I ended up marrying one of them.

I continued reading more and more and was becoming focused on Islam this time. Though not only reading, watching documentaries, attending Islamic lectures, going to Islamic museums, attending Islamic classes.

And there comes the questioning. Do I want to be part of a religion that has so many different variations of interpretation of its Holy Book? Would I want to be part of a group that would be a religious minority in my country? Would I want to be part of a religious group where most people, of the ones I have met at least, are paying attention just to the rules of worship and not the worship itself? Or would I want to be part of a religion which is used by its own followers to inspire hate and hostility?

I got again disappointed but this time not by the religion itself or the philosophy itself or from the Quran but from the followers. And then I realised that I cannot blame the religion itself since I found the answers to my questions, from its followers. I decided to start living as a Muslim for a period of time, to see what it takes and see if it is really so hard. As it is stated in Quran, men and women were created equally having their own free will.

But what does it mean to live as a Muslim? Wearing an abaya and niqaab? Praying 10 times a day? Fasting strictly during Ramadan? Staying at home and having loads of children? Avoiding any kind of joyful experience just in case you do something forbidden? Certainly not, in my opinion.

Islam is not a strict system of rules or a kind of imprisonment. Doing good deeds every single day, trying to avoid bad actions, praying as much as you can, fasting as much as you can, showing love and compassion and always fighting peacefully to improve yourself, progressing and evolving in knowledge day by day, trying your best every single day, this is what it takes to be a Muslim.

I realised that I could live as a Muslim, I just changed the way and the frequency of my prayers, I stopped completely eating pork or drinking alcohol and I wore a headscarf. That’s all. So after this so long journey, I decided to have my shahada done admitting firstly to myself that ‘There is no god but Allah (God), and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah (God).

Written by:

Myrto Z.

Athens, Greece

Islamophobia’s injustice: a deadly double-standard

Read in Greek/Διαβαστε στα Ελληνικα

Source: Alarabiya.net

By Radwa Khorshid

Five years on, the Western media still frequently makes reference to what happened to the Dutch film director Theo van Gogh who was killed by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch Muslim of Moroccan origin, three months after the release of van Gogh’s Submission 10-minute movie.

Focusing on the topic of violence against women in some Islamic societies and using Quranic verses unfavorable to women projected onto their bodies in Arabic flew a Muslim fury at the movie, which is seen by Muslims as “an offensive and provocative one.”

Boyeri was accordingly sentenced to life without parole. Of course I do not defend this 31-year-old youth whose crime is neither tolerable nor acceptable; but I have a point to make about Europe’s Islamophobia.

The charges by the prosecutor against him included the following statement:

“The defendant rejects our democracy. He even wants to bring down our democracy. With violence. He is insistent. To this day. He sticks to his views with perseverance. This calls for a strong response. By literally placing him outside our democracy.“

And yes, according to the European Court of Human Rights “the idea of freedom of expression has an essential role to play in a democratic society, helping to foster the development of an open, tolerant society in which human rights are respected.”

Let’s now recall another recent scenario that took place in a European courtroom where a three-month pregnant veiled mother, Marwa al-Sherbini, was stabbed 18 times to death by a German 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W, who was “driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims,” according to a German official.

Axel W and Sherbini, an Egyptian living in Germany, were in court for the former’s appeal against a €750 fine for an insult to her headscarf, hijab, in 2008. Attempting to rescue his wife, Elwi Okaz — who was present with their child — was shot when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom. Okaz is now in a critical condition in hospital with an unpredictable future, whether dead or survived.

In Europe, the continent of freedoms and democracy, the hijab is still unacceptable by many Europeans, though, as a dress code for Muslim women, the hijab neither insults nor provokes others.

Sherbini’s mere crime was wearing the hijab and reporting a discriminatory act she faced, thus becoming a “terrorist” and deserving death — at least in Alex W’s eyes.

A few Western media outlets reported the case and referred to the murderer’s “hostile toward foreigners.”

With no purpose for raising any doubts about the German legal system and the way Dresden court, where Axel W is currently in custody, is dealing with the situation, German veiled Muslim women should now investigate into the death threat posed by any Islam- or veil-hater and call for safety procedures to follow.

It is not all about Muslims’ sympathetic attention given to Sherbini’s story; it is about the culture of accepting Islam and Muslims in Europe and the escalating Islamophobic trends towards Muslims and the veil.

According to a study conducted by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), 59 percent of European Muslims nowadays believe that Islamophobic and discriminatory actions against them have become part of their “normal everyday existence” thus “nothing would happen or change” if they report such incidents to authorities.

Scanning through the two European death tragedies (Van Gogh’s and Sherbini’s), one can easily realize the difference in the way and magnitude of coverage adopted by the western media towards the two incidents.

Van Gogh’s killer was identified days after his crime, and was described by the Western media as a “radical Muslim,” “terrorist” and “extremist.” The whole genealogic tree of Boyeri made the media headlines for months.

In incidents like that, Western media gives the green light to any related fact that would spark a venomous attack against Muslim communities in Europe and thus guarantee a special outcome.

I am not accusing the Western media of stirring debate against Islam and Muslims, as it’s not their fault only. It is a culture and will remain a culture unless positive official and unofficial steps are taken.

Dialogue to bridge this gap is an effective solution. Objective media coverage is another one. But justice is the pre-condition for all of this and it must prevail. Muslims in Europe should continue to report discrimination and Islamophobic incidents, seek their rights and fulfill their obligations, and make their voices heard.

* Written for AL ARABIYA. Radwa Khorshid is the editor of IslamOnline.net’s European Muslims section and travels frequently to Europe. She holds a bachelor of law from Cairo University.

20 questions: Greeks, Muslims and racism

Source:  Ta Nea Newspaper

Translation © Greeks Rethink

Board Member of the Muslim Association of Greece, Iman Sotiria Kouvalis is Greek and embraced Islam in 2000, following studies in comparative religion. She is the founder of www.greeksrethink.com, the only meeting on line place of Greek Muslims everywhere, as well as those who are interested to know a little more about Greek Muslims and get possible questions answered.

Question 1: How serious is it for a Muslim to rip the Qur’an?

When someone rips the Qur’an, it shows disrespect to the sanctity of God.

Question 2: Do you justify the reaction of the Muslims?

The best way to resolve this matter is through the courts of justice and this is the path we will follow. As for those who react violently, this is contrary to our concept of religion and humanity.

Question 3: Was it politically motivated?

Political groups used isolated pockets of the most distressed immigrants to demonstrate in favour of broader problems, not just the ripped Qur’an.

Question 4: Did these political groups respect the Muslims of Athens?

Just a few immigrants came out with their supporters in the missed march, blackening the image of 10’s of thousands of Muslims who are either Greek citizens or are harmoniously intergrated in the Greek society.

Question 5: Did the Greek authorities respect the Muslims?

In general, they respect the Muslims. The incident with the Qur’an was something that had never happened before, nor was the police officer aware at that time of the seriousness of his action.

Question 6: How can the attack on the Qur’an be repaired?

The police could and still can issue a formal apology to the Muslims of Greece for their error.

Question 7: Are there Muslims who believe the incident was a “war against Islam.”

Any Muslim who tries to act as such on his own accord will be condemned by the majority of Muslims worldwide.

Question 8: How many Muslims live in Greece?

More than 1 million.

Question 9: How many Greeks are Muslims?

Apart from the Greek minority in Thrace, there are many Greeks who have embraced Islam and are either living in Greece or abroad.

Question 10: Why did a Christian woman embrace Islam?

Many Greek women accept islam and they feel liberated. They enjoy all rights given to them by God, including the right to be respected and honoured.

Question 11: What is the role of women in Islam?

Women and men in Islam have equal rights, but different roles. First and foremost is the commitment to God. After that, her primary role is like any woman, to care for her family. Then, if the woman wants, she can study or can be trained to work. Women in Islam are encouraged to study.

Question 12: Compared with Christianity?

Historically, when Islam established women’s rights in 7th century, as the right to property, inheritance etc., such rights were unknown to the world, including Christians.

Question 13: Is the headscarf compulsory or an option?

The headscarf is compulsory as stated clearly in our religion.

Question 14: Why do you wear the headscarf ?

I am happy when I wear headscarf as I obey God’s will. There is great wisdom behind this. I feel liberated, honoured and respected.

Question 15:  Is the burqa obligatory for  a Muslim?

The burqa is a garment worn only in Afghanistan and is not compulsory. Islam requires that women cover their  head, body and hands [arms] with modest clothing. They may wear what they want providing  they respect the initial conditions.

Question 16: Where is the issue of the mosque being stuck ?

In the cogs of bureacracy, lack of interest is given by the government to handle and resolve the matter.

Question 17: Without a mosque which mysteries can’t the Muslims  perform?

Islam has no mysteries in the sense that there are in Christianity. The mosque, however, is the core of Muslim life and a place of tranquility. Without a mosque, a believer can not pray on a Friday which is compulsory and to live a life full of spirituality.

Question 18: Without a Muslim cemetery where can the Muslims be buried?

Either they get buried in their countries of origin which is a  hopelessly a slow and costly process. The Greeks and those who have no homes to be buried, such as the Palestinians,  they get buried in a cemetery of Thrace,  which is also a slow and costly process.

Question 19: Where do marriages and baptisms take place?

In Islam, we have no mysteries such as marriages and baptisms. The name is given to the child at birth. The marriages are either in a register office  if one of the spouses is Greek or in the embassies of the country of origin.

Question 20: Is there  racism against Muslims?

Your everyday Greek citizen has no racisim against his Muslim neighbour.