people group circle silhouette on sun sky collage
Source: Huffington Post
PhD Student in Islamic Studies, Writer, Contemplative
If you grew up in rural Ontario, you would probably agree that cultural diversity wasn’t a core feature of your early life. This is certainly the case in the picturesque village where I grew up, a strongly-bonded community where families have lived for generations. While there were periods of my life when a family from India or Morocco might come to live in town, these periods were always short and extremely rare. Even today, if you spot someone in town wearing traditional attire, it’s safe to bet that they have taken a short stop off the highway to refuel.
I attended school with the same class of students from the first grade until high school graduation. In many cases, our parents and grandparents grew up together as well. Considering how intertwined we are, it’s only natural that a great deal of empathy exists in my community. For small town folks, empathy and kindness grow out of deep historical, familial, and community relationships. When donating to the local Food Bank or snowsuit drives, you usually know the families who will benefit from your charity. The familiarity between people in my town corresponds to a sense of shared destiny and responsibility towards one another.
In my first year of university I was suddenly living in a culturally diverse setting. I shared my dorm with a roommate from Hong Kong and friends from West Africa, St. Lucia, Equador, and Pakistan. It wasn’t long before I realized that compared to the students from cities, I knew very little about the cultures and religions practiced by my new friends.
What I lacked in exposure I would soon make up through my desire to know my neighbors. My small town upbringing kicked in, and I knew that to have meaningful relationships I had to learn about the values, customs, and ideas that inspired my friends’ lives.
From an introduction to Holocaust Studies to Buddhist Philosophy, I explored the world by reading sacred texts and histories. I learned about the virtue of honor and its metaphysical, moral, and social significance in East Asian traditions. I was exposed to Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism and became aware of the religious diversity in India.
I felt most out of place in my introduction to Islam. Not having grown up with Muslim peers, I had no point of reference. Aside from fleeting glimpses at the media, where I saw images of exotic clothing, languages, and customs, I knew nothing about the religion. That year I learned the major tenets of Islam and its important figures, rituals, and texts. Things that were once incomprehensible to me – headscarves, the prohibition of alcohol, and the demanding commitment of the five daily prayers- became significant topics to engage intellectually.
Categories: Culture, Islam: A Religion of Peace, Religion, Religious Values, The Muslim Times