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I put up a FB post earlier today that mentioned my wife, Priya. Some comments on the post lead to a discussion about her name being Priya and if it qualifies as a "Muslim" name. I wanted to share some thoughts on that. (Thread)
And to be clear, I don't feel defensive at all. I think this is a good learning opportunity.
For starters, anyone who reads this assuming that my wife is Muslim only because of her marriage to me, you are very wrong. Priya has practiced Islam longer than I have and well before she and I ever met.
In regards to her name, the question here to me isn't necessarily what makes a name Islamic but moreso what makes anything Islamic?
Dr. Umar Farooq Abdullah, a contemporary Muslim scholar living in the United States, wrote an article entitled "Islam and the Cultural Imperative" that does a great job explaining how cultural diversity is embraced and considered within Islamic Law and its application.
You can find that article here http://www.nawawi.org/?p=192 . In it, he writes:
"For centuries, Islamic civilization harmonized indigenous forms of cultural expression with the universal norms of its sacred law.
"For centuries, Islamic civilization harmonized indigenous forms of cultural expression with the universal norms of its sacred law.
"It struck a balance between temporal beauty and ageless truth and fanned a brilliant peacock's tail of unity in diversity from the heart of China to the shores of the Atlantic. Islamic jurisprudence helped facilitate this creative genius."
"In history, Islam showed itself to be culturally friendly and, in that regard, has been likened to a crystal clear river. Its waters (Islam) are pure, sweet, and life-giving but -- having no color of their own -- reflect the bedrock (indigenous culture) over which they flow."
"In China, Islam looked Chinese; in Mali, it looked African. Sustained cultural relevance to distinct peoples, diverse places, and different times underlay Islam's long success as a global civilization." (end quote)
The word Sharia technically refers to Islamic law, both civil and criminal aspects of it. In a literal sense, the word shariah translates to "a path to water".
If one were to conceptualize any body of water, from the largest of oceans to the smallest of raindrops, it can have many paths to it and, thus, is approachable in a multitude of ways. So too the sharia is meant to be approachable in a multitude of ways.
Obligations are very few in Islam as are prohibitions with a lot of grey area in the middle to account for the diversity that exists in the human race.
We are different in our backgrounds and we should be entitled to stay true to what makes us uniquely us. Embracing Islam does not necessitate having to commit a cultural apostasy of some kind.
Priya's name is not un-Islamic just because it's not Arabic. So too the languages we speak, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, what we do for a living and what we consider to be socially normative can be reflective of the culture that we were born into and still be Islamic.
What would make something un-Islamic is if it violates something that God has set guidelines on, not a cultural norm elsewhere.
My wife was born in Chennai, India and her name is part of her cultural heritage, one that she should stay connected to and one that I hope our children build an appreciation and respect for as well.
I think there is a beauty in the fact that she and I can share our faith while she being Indian and I being American.
When I was younger, I would have gotten frustrated if someone asked me how my wife's name is Priya. In retrospect, I believe that reaction was a shortcoming on my part. In wanting to convey an appreciation for diversity, I failed to understand the concept fully myself.
I would ask myself how the questioner didn't understand her name being completely fine from a religious standpoint, but I didn't ask "How" within the frame of understanding or compassion.
Moreso the "How" was asked in a subtle frame of arrogance - one that was rooted in a feeling of offense and demanded understanding for myself and my wife without fully understanding where the other person was coming from.
It assumed a lot on the intention of the questioner.
Don't get me wrong - some people are jerks and annoying to deal with. But everyone isn't always. We only know the things we know and all of us have things that we don't know or can know differently from how we have known it. That includes me, you and everyone.
Can I see why someone would have difficulty understanding how Priya can be a Muslim name? Sure. Much of the world has only seen the name Priya in relation to South Asian culture.
In large part through key moments in Bollywood cinema, such as Shah Rukh Khan having the name Priya tatooed across his chest.
Or some will understand it through the realities of partition. Or having never really interacted with someone who converted to Islam.
Or some will understand it through the realities of partition. Or having never really interacted with someone who converted to Islam.
Or having never really interacted with someone who is not Muslim. Or knowing Hindus and people from India only through certain frames. And now when they read a post about my wife Priya, they are going to fall back on what they know and are familiar with.
The beauty of a faith that claims universality and appreciation of diversity the way Islam does is that we all have opportunity to gain from each other so long as we're comfortable with the idea that we're all not going to be the same.
Islam is not better in one part of the world or another simply because it exists in one part of the world or another, but can exist nonetheless in every place without it having to be uniform in its manifestation.
Embracing the diversity that exists in the Muslim community is actually something that would prove to be advantageous.
Many of the negative stereotypes that are associated with Islam are easily applied because people see us as a monolithic, homogeneous community.
It's easy to say that "All Muslims are violent" or "All Muslims oppress their women" or "All Muslims" are anything when our diversity is not acknowledged or promoted.
All Muslims are not the same. We are every skin color and race, speak most every language that exists, come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and have many facets to our respective identities.
But if Muslims don't acknowledge and embrace this, why would anyone else?
But if Muslims don't acknowledge and embrace this, why would anyone else?
