Thursday, December 22, 2011

what aisha khan taught me


Aisha Khan was found alive and well and now all the speculation begins. I didn't realize when people were posting prayers for God to bring her back safe and sound, they meant only if she was a good little Muslim girl. I don't care why she left. I am just happy it wasn't because some drunk guy raped her and left her in a ditch or something equally horrific. I pray that she finds peace and resolution for whatever caused her to disappear in the first place.

Over the last week, the first thing I would do every morning is come online and check for news of Aisha. Most days, there were just more stories of searches being organized or a new media outlet picking up the story. But in addition to that, there was the outpouring of support from thousands of people who were praying for her safe return, who were offering words of support to her family, who were crying along with her father and mother and praying that Aisha was ok.

Whether Aisha left over something trivial or over something significant, it took great courage to come back in the face of all the media coverage and attention this case received. I'm not sure I could have done it. 

I hope Aisha can see that her life is meaningful, that there is a great web of people who cared for her without having ever known her. I hope that is something we all can see. Whatever pain or suffering that each of us is going through, there is still so much humanity in the world and if we seek that in people, we will find it.

You can be angry as you want that Aisha wasn't abducted. You can demand to know what really happened. You can feel like you were deceived. But not me. I am thankful for Aisha Khan. She reminded me that there is nothing more important in the world than my family. She showed me that compassion and beauty live inside of my America. She made me realize that sometimes the best outcome is the one that you didn't realize you were praying for.

6 comments:

  1. "I hope that is something we all can see. Whatever pain or suffering that each of us is going through, their is still so much humanity in the world and if we seek that in people, we will find it."

    Yes. One of the most beautiful things in life is that moment when humans recognize that each of us is an extension from the same "tree". What you said reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite television series:

    You think you're any different from me, or your friends, or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing. We're all living together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree

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  2. I love that quote Shukura. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. It's amazing how many people she brought together, in prayers, conversation, and unity. However, I still can't shake the fact that this has brought so much negative attention on the Muslim Community .. Women in Islam have a bad enough reputation. From a national and/or global view, this just made things worse for how Muslim women are viewed in Islam. THAT is what is upsetting.

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  4. I don't think this really brought negative attention to the Muslim community. I haven't read any articles that are like, wow, what a dumb Muslim. To the extent that people are bothered by her, it isn't related to anything Islamic. If it happens that there was abuse or something similar involved, that isn't necessarily a bad thing as each community should deal with social problems and it is better if they are out in the open, instead of pretending they don't exist.

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  5. As a police officer, my wife was really annoyed with the waste of resources more than anything else.

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    1. From what I understood her family wash't the ones who got the police involved. But I would agree, that at the point that she knew police were expending so many resources, and if she was in a position to do so, she should have come forward.

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