Faith in A Movement

By: Sabreen Tuku

January 13th, 2020.

I don’t remember how or why the topic came up, but suddenly group chats were blowing up my phone.

“Friday, April 24th is the Earth Day Strike?!” “That’s the first day of Ramadan!”

After I saw those texts, I experienced an anger I never felt before.

How dare they? How dare they plan a strike, one that we would eventually have to put so much work into, on the first day of Ramadan. How dare they expect us to strike and fast. To organize and fast. To run around dealing with last minute work and FAST.

How dare they claim to be an intersectional movement that works to ensure all marginalized voices are heard and yet they somehow forgot about mine.

We gave up our time and worked for this movement and they neglected us.

And we were now being asked to choose: strike or fast.

It felt like a slap in the face.

Islam teaches us to be organizers to stand up against the unjust. The Quran states “ O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor”(4:135). And that is what we do. We stand up for all marginalized groups, stand up against the systems of oppression in the world and the oppressors who hold the power. We do it because we have been asked to by God. We do it because we have grown to love what has been asked of us by God Almighty.

That is the same reason we observe Ramadan, because God asked us to and we love it. Ramadan is the month where we get to see our friends we haven’t seen all year. When we break our fast with our families, coming together every night. When our communities come together and pray, we become one. Ramadan is the month where we get to spend time on ourselves and the things we love.

Ramadan is the time of year I look forward to. It is when I volunteer, talk to family, meet up with friends, read the quran, and understand my religion a little bit more. It is when we give up not just food, but all worldly desires, from dusk until dawn, in order to reflect on the blessings we have the rest of the year. I should never be asked to choose between enjoying every moment of it and giving back to my community.

It is a month that we are entitled to, one granted by God, one that we only get one month out of twelve. It is our month long mental health day. And all we ask is that it is respected.

Most of the world takes a pause when Christmas or Easter come along. Schools and stores close, people take off work and travel to see their loved ones. People are granted the luxury of a break and time to be with themselves and those they love.

We are not asking for the world or even the states to take a pause; all we ask is that you respect that. You respect us.

For my fellow Muslims that are trying to navigate this month, as the next week goes by, remember that it is your right to celebrate this month in all of its glory.

And if you aren’t Muslim, recognize the right Muslims have to this month and allow them to celebrate it without the fear of compromising their faith. Allow us to experience this sacred time without having to choose between our obligations to our community and organizations, or our obligation to God. Because if I have to choose, my family and faith will always come first.

Make the space for us because we have been here since the first settlers stepped foot on this land and we will stay. Respect our existence as unapologetic Muslims.

Ramdan Mubarak, and may peace and blessings be upon you.

Sabreen Tuku is a 17-year-old climate and social justice advocate who organizes with USYCS. She has worked to bring awareness to the everyday Muslim with CAIR-WA and MAPS-AMEN, as well as educate her community on the intersectional climate crisis and the ways we need systemic change to save our futures.