Greater thoughts in younger heads
I was born and brought up in a conservative middle-class Muslim family. I attended religious classes from a very young age. I was familiar with the basic beliefs and concepts in Islam, but not sure how much I follow them. Still, I hated dogs just because my religion taught me it is Haram. Haram means something you should never do, and if you do you will be punished severely for that in hell after death. So I hated the dog and was even scared of them.
Years passed by. I got married and became a mom. Now my daughter is 5 years old and has daily thousands of doubts. One day she asked me, why don’t we keep a dog here. The young girl in me shouted,” NO… YOU CANNOT KEEP A DOG”. However, the grown-up me didn’t make an immediate reply.
I knew according to my religion you cannot touch a dog as it is a big sin. But I don’t want to say that to my daughter. Feeding religion into a 5-year-old was not really my idea. I understood that I cannot convince her, saying it is not acceptable to our community or family. Still, I have not answered her question because saying a YES will be like cheating her, and saying a NO is not possible because I have no grounds to convince her. So I simply keep ignoring that question.
But that was a big change in me. A big question that I should answer myself. Why did I hate dogs for years? Why did I fear them? My daughter taught me to think differently. Why should I follow years old religious custom just because I belong to a community or at least I was born into that community.
Freedom is a privilege to many even today. How to get dressed, whom to choose as a partner, and what job to do all depends on what religion or community you come from. It is pathetic that you can’t have a pet because you were born into a family that won’t approve of it. When I see people who have broken the chain of this toxic habitat, I dream of a day that I join them. Hopefully……
