Religion Convert

I was assigned to write an article for Aquila - a new magazine for modern Muslim women in Asia recently. I was asked to write two articles, but due to the ridiculous tight deadline they gave me, I had to drop the other one or I wouldn't make it at all.

Anyway, I was happy to take up the challenge since the issue I had to write was interesting; i.e. Muslim comedians. I had to go through YouTube blogs to see the videos of these amazing comedians and found that some of them were really such quality, honest comedians! My favourite is Baba Ali. I am not going to explain it here thoroughly but when it does come to print, I'll put the writing on this blog.

However, while in the process of making the article, I was online on facebook on the other tab, and an old acquaintance was congratulating me for the Good Friday.
I haven't talked to her in a while and I was still in the research period to build the article, so chatting with her was not a disturbance.

It started to disturb me, however, when she knew that I was writing for Aquila, she said:
"Sorry to ask this, but have you converted to Islam?"

I said, "Did I have to? If tomorrow I wrote about Balinese Hindu, would you think I'd converted to Hindu?"

She replied, "Well, no, but last time I checked, you were still Christian."

Me: "AND?"

She: "Well, why would a Christian write about or for Muslims? You know that they are anti-Christians!"

Me: "Says who? You? Obviously you don't know too many Muslims."

She: "Most of the Muslims in Surabaya are anti-Christians!"

Me: "That proves it again that you don't know anything about them. I have a lot of Muslim friends, since I should remind you that unlike you, I'd always gone to public schools before university that 90% of the students were Muslims. And hardly 5% of them had extreme belief in their religion. I must even say that over 50% are moderate and the rest doesn't even practise it at all. And even the ones who do practise it (praying 5 times a day and fast without interruption during Ramadhan) do NOT hate Christians."

She: "Really?"

Me: "Of course! It is so unfair for you, or anyone else to stereotype Muslims as such just because of what a few of them did. Give it some thought and DO mingle and befriend some of them. You'll see that what I say has a lot of truth in it."

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If you think the way she does, it is time for you to go out and find some Muslims and see if they are Christian haters like what you think.