Brothers and Sisters - by Romana Mirza

In the broader Muslim community, whether that's at my local mosque or in far away Muslim lands I travel to, one Muslim greets another as their brother or sister. We are siblings in faith. It's actually common, very common. I could meet someone in one moment and the next be calling him "brother" to get his attention. Of course if I remember his name I'll say "brother Omar" or only "brother" if I've forgotten his name which is more likely with me. The same is true for him. When addressing me Omar will say "sister" or "sister Romana." As a Muslim I connect to the deeply held belief among Muslims that we all come from one source and that we are siblings.

What I have always loved about Islam is that it embraces all the Abrahamic faith traditions. The scripture that Muslims follow refers to "the people of book" numerous times. Those people are the people of the Abrahamic faith traditions: Jews and Christians. I have always considered followers of the Abrahamic traditions my brothers and sisters. The Orientalist ways of Western news media and the entertainment industry, politics and other structural institutions has ensured that post 9/11 the impression of Islam in the West is not one of indifference, as it was pre-9/11, it's a different story now. Vilified and ostracized, held to account for egregious acts of violence, to be Muslim is a sentencing and yet — you don't know me but I'm your brother.

Photo Credit: Photo by Anton Mislawsky on Unsplash.