Fatima Barkatulla – How To Respond To Islamophobia

			There Islamophobia and then negativity, then that means we have to step off our Islam, we have to
increase our obedience to Allah. If you're not praying, you need to stop praying, you need to decide
which side of the fence you're on. If times have gotten tougher, we have to redouble our obedience
to Allah. okay not to be thrown off track, because that's what people want us to do. That's what the
islamophobes wants to do. They want us to be paralyzed, and to think, what's the point? You know,
look at these people with all their resources and their media, and that was my little action gonna
do, they want us to think that we have to redouble our efforts in terms of our obedience to Allah
		

			fix up our relationship with Allah. Number two,
		

			we have to redouble our efforts in doing good in the communities around us. You know, maybe this is
a wake up call from Allah Subhana. Allah is telling us, you haven't been doing what you're meant to
be doing. Do you know your neighbors, we're supposed to know them. We're supposed to get out of our
shell and get to know them. If somebody is going to get off of their seat on the train, maybe you if
there's somebody who's going to go out of their way to help somebody, let it be you. When people
think of the kindest person they can think of let it be you. When they think of the most generous
person, the most helpful person, the person who wouldn't hurt a fly, let it be you that they think
		

			of let it be a Muslim that they think of and realize that just because the islamophobes have a loud
voice, it doesn't mean that they represent the majority of people out there. Pamela, we live in a
wonderful city. We live in a city full of people who we've grown up with, they've grown up with us.
So far, my friends from school and I haven't met for like 20 years or whatever, 15 years, they were
sticking up for Muslims on their social media platforms, saying, Oh, we went to school with Muslims.
They're not like this. And they were actually, you know, defending us. Why? Because they got to
spend time with us. Yeah, we weren't insular. We got to be with them. And that's what we got to do.
		

			Got to reach out to people. We can't afford to be insular. We can't afford to be just in our little
ghettos. We're supposed to be people who extend the hand to Muslims and Muslims, because we weren't
good for them. At the end of the day. I went past this lady The day after the Paris attacks, and she
was an older lady. And she looked really angry. And grumpy. She's a white lady. And she looked
really angry. And I was about to walk past her. And I thought to myself, I wonder what she's
thinking, you know, she sees me, lady. She's thinking, you know, immigrant.
		

			And as I was walking past, I tried something that I'd read about a time saying to myself,
		

			I want nothing for you. But goodness, Angela, and I wish you nothing for you, but happiness. And I
kept saying that to myself. She was coming to me at a distance.
		

			And so it must have emulated in some way on me. I don't know how, because as we were just about to
pass, she broke out into a smile. And I was really shocked because this is the day after the Paris
attacks. And she didn't know Michelle no reason to smile. She broke out into a smile. And as I look
past her, this is London. This is London. These are Londoners. So don't listen to the media. That's
not what London is. That's not the London is that we've grown up with, and that we experienced it
today.
		

			Number three, we've been given these powerful words to memorize from our last panel, Donna, these
are the times to use them. A prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told us when we go out of our
homes, what should we say Bismillah with our culture, our will our home and our pool water in La
Villa. Are we saying this when we're going out? You know, Bismillah In the name of Allah, to Allah,
I have put my trust in Allah. When I hold on afterwards. There's no change. There's no power and no
change except by Allah. are we teaching this to our kids? These are the precautions we need to take
on and teach our kids. What about the other two hours that one of us should know lahoma India with a
		

			bigger meal and a will of Allah. Oh Allah, Allah, Allah. Allah. Allah Allah. And this was amazing.
llama India becoming a will of Allah, Allah I seek your protection from being lost, or from causing
somebody else to become lost. being led astray. Oh asila was alive. See
		

			protection from tripping, or tripping somebody else up, and I seek of protection from oppressing
anyone or from being oppressed. And the last one
		

			that I show ignorance or that anyone should be ignorant towards me, this is exactly that all we
need, right? And our times when we're going out,
		

			we need to memorize these and teach our kids these and say, has
		

			to be included in that blessing group of people Allah
		

			mentions in the eye of the bride. So, in essence, sisters to round up, my message to you is that
actually, you are the women of this oma, the mothers of this woman, the Sisters of Miss Alma, who
have a huge influence on the mood on the culture of the society around us, our community as Muslims
on the next generation of Muslims.
		

			And we forgotten the power that we have we forgotten. And when we forget the power that we have and
the influence that we have, it makes us small minded. It makes us insular. It makes us forget that
there's a world out there that needs us needs our voice and needs our actions. We forgotten that
Khadija was our ancestor. We forgotten that a smart was our grandmother and Ayesha is our mother.
And it's time for the heroines of this oma to step up to the plate and show their courage and their
resolve. Because Jelena Jelena is not for angels, gentle is not for people who never feel fear, or
never waver. We all have times when we feel fear and we waver but we can gather ourselves off we can
		

			dust ourselves down
		

			because Jelena is who the courageous
		

			by setting up a small village