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WCCO-TV Minneapolis, MN - Aug 7, 2005
Growing up Muslim and American
By Karen Leigh
(WCCO) The recent bombings in London brought back a familiar fear of uncomfortable questions and dirty looks for four Muslim teens living in the U.S.
"I'm thinking, 'Oh, here we go again,'" said Shabaz Gyagenda, 16.
"Going to the supermarket with your scarf on, or whatever, people look at you as, 'Oh, they're out to get us,'" said Yosra Khalisa, 16.
"It's a feeling that they don’t want you here, even though you're as American as anyone else," said Alaya Naim, 15.
"People will ask questions so I have to be prepared to answer and explain that Islam does not condone such actions," said Nafees Syed, 16.
"You have to be really careful," said Gyagenda. "You have to do a lot of explaining at school. Just a lot more stress and stuff."
There are an estimated 5 million Muslims living in the U.S. Some teens may feel stress because they're not perceived by others as individuals -- instead, they represent all Muslims.
"Now you know that people look at you, they scrutinize you now," Khalisa said. "They're like, 'Wow, that girl's Muslim, let's see what she does.'"
"It's not too fair, because, I mean, you're just a teenager, and representing a whole religion is kind of a big burden," Gyagenda said.
Experts say helping ease that burden means first lending a sympathetic ear.
"Talk to a lot of kids," said Soumaya Khalifa of the Islamic Speakers Bureau. "Find out what their feelings are. Help them to learn, to be able to answer questions and to offer them options."…..
http://wcco.com/seenon/local_story_219112439.html
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