Jain Spirit 2002 06 No 11

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 40

YOUTH
I WAS CORNERED AND HUMILIATED
Rakhee Shah shares her recent college experience
of being forced to convert to Islam
THAVE OFTEN HEARD OR READ ABOUT | Muslim. They stated that beneath the lungs
PEOPLE converting to Islam. I recently in our bodies there is a network of veins that
had a taste of this experience in one of illustrates Allah's statement. I refuted this my classes, when two Muslim boys by saying that each individual has a unique harassed me and forced me to enter into a and complex pattern of veins and that it is debate about religion against my will. impossible to have the same illustration in
Following a brief introduction, they each one of us! They backed it up by saying questioned me on my whereabouts and that a discovery 'so great' would be kept made a rude comment to me about being secret from the world. Then they talked Indian and from Kenya! It was like just about the moon having a line through its because I'm Indian I should be from India! middle as evidence of their religion being I never thought there would still be so much the only true one'. They went on to claim ignorance nowadays. Can people not that their God several hundred years ago practise their religion wherever they are? It had pointed a finger towards the moon, was their next question that caught me off- splitting it into two halves and that when guard. I was questioned as to why I was men first set foot on the moon, this was Jain, was I forced into it or was it of my own proved once more by their discovery of a accord? I guess they sensed my frustration line through the moon. I remarked, "Is this towards their behaviour and so they pushed not a myth too!" it even further by accusing my beloved religion of being fake and full of myths and tales!
"I was forced to At this point I tried to leave, as it was no good for me to waste my time on people who are so obstinate! However, they decided to block my path and not let me leave until they finished convincing me. I Next they started accusing the carvings was forced to sit down and have an on Hindu temples that illustrate sexual acts awkward discussion regarding religious and to that they added a sarcastic remark beliefs. It seemed to me that their speech about the Kamasutra. Since I did not want was well rehearsed and used many times to stoop to their level, I did not retaliate to before.
this remark. They carried on to insult me They started talking about various about our belief in re-incarnation, to which issues that they emphasised as evidence they sarcastically stated, "God does not regarding the trueness of Islam unlike the have a short supply of souls!" They also rest of religions, and explained why the insulted the concept of karma, as they whole world should be Muslim. I tried to believe that the only way a being can get control my anger and with the basic punished is by God reproducing their sins knowledge I have of our religion, tried to on them in the same manner they had support my beliefs and to point out to them committed in Heaven. that religion is not a war to be won!
They had the nerve to accuse They argued that everyone has some Ramayana and Mahabharata as being sort of imprint in their bodies stating Allah's entertainment stories and made up. They statement that makes all human beings laughed at the fact that Hindu men make
women cross a fire to ensure their purity, and that the priests relate to sadhvijis as their mistresses! To that they also added that Muslim blood was the purest, by stating that if a Muslim and a non-Muslim were both to cut themselves and then compare their wounds after a few days, that of the nonMuslim would have a pungent smell, and that of a Muslim would be fragrant. To this I argued about their marrying within their families leading to a higher prevalence of genetic disorders and refuted to their point of Muslims being the healthiest. By then, I had had enough of these accusations on my religion and took my leave. I had to stop myself from stooping to their level. They had the nerve to ask me the following day whether I had done my research and made up my mind to be one of them!
I feel that young people should know about their own culture and be able to defend themselves. Otherwise, they can easily become defenceless and vulnerable. I would hope that mine was an isolated experience, but somehow, I don't think so. I do know that Muslim preachers actively target college campuses.
defend my culture.”
We need to hold on to our own culture if
we are to resist conversion!
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Jain Spirit • June - August 2002
Jain Education Intemational