As a prime example of how Muslims are under pressure to censor themselves, allow me to introduce you to the Shahada flag:
(the shahada flag image appears to have been censored as it's no longer appearing on the post so I have replaced it with the above link to a google image search of images along similar lines)
The Shahada is the declaration of faith that applies to every Muslim and is at the core of what all Muslims believe and the Shahada (which translates as "I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad [peace be upon him] is the Messenger of Allah) is what is written in Arabic on this flag. It is not a specific 'ISIS' flag- ISIS do not have a monopoly on the Shahada or this flag.
I introduce it to you here today as a statement that this flag is linked to the identity of all Muslims whether they support ISIS or not and I am not ashamed of it. There is a trend among many Muslims to feel the need to censor themselves, knowing that certain images and statements integral to Islam (such as this flag) are taken as a symbol of something media hysteria has blown out of all proportion and depicted as something we're expected to reject or condemn.
As a consequence, many Muslims have this tendency to keep quiet about things they should speak up about, to hide away such symbols out of fear of being stigmatised or labelled as if certain aspects of our beliefs are something we shouldn't uphold or be proud of.... or worse, they jump on the apologist bandwagon of trying to appease non Muslims with statements like "we are all peace loving, we are not like those 'extremist' types". Bit by bit in trying to prove themselves as "acceptable" Muslims, such people will not just stick to the facts or stick to telling the truth- they go a step further in attempting to "distance themselves" from images and statements such as those represented by this flag, even if it means compromising their values. This is gradually chipping away at our identity so we need to really be aware of this and stop doing it:
"Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the reward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do."- TMQ Surah Baqarah v85
I realise that line quoted from the Quran may make some people uneasy, but does that mean we hide it away and pretend it doesn't exist out of fear of how others may perceive it? Isn't this precisely the reason our Prophets (as) from Abraham, to Lot, to Jesus, to Muhammad (saw) and others were mistreated by their own people, simply because they conveyed the message even if it meant facing hostility from the people around them? And don't take this lightly- with the strength to carry the message came the ability to shake whole governments and societies. It is that powerful- that is why we are under so much pressure to conform, to fit in with what western governments and culture deem to be "acceptable" or "moderate" or "civil democratic" and to either keep quiet or reject the parts of our Islamic identity that aren't in keeping with that.
(permission to share)
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