Who Are The Real Enemies of Islam?
The latest incident of violence involving a Muslim will undoubtedly stoke a heated debate as well as a backlash. As I heard the earliest reports of the shooting, I distinctly remember the sinking feeling that he would have an Arabic name. As someone who has an Arabic name and was born Muslim, I find myself in a perpetual state of cringe. As a child growing up in the inner city, the name Khalid was unheard of. People would often ask the origin, how its spelled, or if I was Muslim. I also endured my share of ridicule for not having a traditional. Names like Rayshawn , Darnell, Tyrone and Derek were considered normal. Then in the 1980's and 90's during the age of hip hop, rappers took upon Arabic names like " Rakim " and Queen " Latifah " in order to convey some sort of consciousness, or knowledge of self-whatever that means. As a result Arabic names became popular and names like Malik , Jabril , and Khalil were more common to the average American- this was h