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Hi there, Today I am writing this blog for advice and help on how I, a 20-year old white girl, can become a 'better' Muslim. I was raised in a white family; none of whom believe in God. Whilst they are usually very understanding, due to the way that media is here, my immediate family are somewhat scared and intimidated by Islam. But I don't want to argue with them, or confront them. I really wish to educate them and let them watch through my own evolution that Islam is not something to fear. I have nobody around me that is Muslim, and I am not really sure where I can find information to educate myself that isn't biased (not to be rude, just a general thought based on my experience with the internet). I am very new to Islam, so I would like to learn as much as possible before I then try to educate those around me. What can I do, and what would you recommend for me to do that would enable to me to learn more about Islam and how to include it into my every day life? Thank you for your time, I really appreciate any feedback you can give me. This is something very close to my heart.

Watch this share it is important that all muslims have their basic human rights to practice their religion. http://ctv.news/IAkDkzTN.S. woman claims potential wedding venue violated her religious freedoms A Dartmouth woman claims a local hotel is infringing on her freedom of religion by not offering appropriate food for her wedding reception.

Alhamdulilah, I was granted an opportunity to study in the West (in Canada specifically) and it will be the first time I will be on my own for an extended period. So I have been reading up on the region I will be staying in,especially on how Muslims are treated there and if there is any xenophobia or islamophobia(I will be a visible minority since I wear a hijab and I found myself falling down in the rabbit hole and reading horror stories on violent attacks, murders,assaults and prejudice in the street and in the work environment. This search was not limited to my future area but encompassed almost every western country. From my uneducated opinion based on reading articles on the incidents I found three major types of incidents: The first is when a crazy psychopathic terrorist attacks a mosque or a gathering of Muslims (yes I decided to label them terrorists because for me a terrorist is someone who wants to kill you and torture you and justifies and rationalizes it by whatever "code" or "reason" he follows). I noticed in almost every case that that was the last straw in a long line of verbal and minor (compared to a mass shooting) attacks on the same community. For example a week before the attack on the Canadian mosque the same terrorist left a pig's head and blood on their doorstep. Think about it, violence is a process especially extreme violence. It does not start from nowhere. Its build up bit by bit. It starts by racist and islamophobic posts on social media (In every incident I read about the terrorist was quite open and unapologetic about his islamophobic views on social media )which are encouraged by the media and his own community. And then the next time he meets an identifiable acceptable target i.e most likely a woman wearing a hijab he will permit himself more leeway and overstep his bounds. Which brings us to the second type of incident :Where the terrorist knows an "identifiable acceptable target"/potential victim in his daily life. For example a neighbor or a colleague at work.The gradual attacks are even more evident in these cases since before the most likely lethal final outcome there will be an almost constant harassment and bullying. And then I found the third type of incident :where the victim doesn't know the perpetrator and is blindsided by the attack. According to one article and my own humble opinion (I resorted to articles because I havent found a survey or statistics on the attack's pattern from the muslim community) the attacker is most likely but not always a young adult white male and the victim is a young woman wearing a hijab.Also the attacks most likely happens in a fringe zone i.e a place of transit like a public transportation station or a parking space or a less frequented side street. As for the time I am sure there is a direct correlation between a surge of attacks on Muslims of the west and terrorist attacks by daesh in the west. Now logically speaking I realize I was being a little paranoid and that there wasn't a witch hunt going on unbeknownst to the rest of the Muslim world but there must be a basis of truth in this phenomenon. If so dear Muslims of the west if you would be so kind to answer my questions (also any feedback and criticism is welcome as I said this is my uneducated humble opinion) Jazekha Allah: -How does it affect you in your daily life ? Are you being prejudiced against in your work environment (especially if you wear a hijab)? Is the issue being addressed in the shia community of the west ? Have they found out a way to teach you on how to disengage or even better how to avoid and prevent it from happening as in schooling you on how to be vigilant and the telltale signs and the ideal situation for attacks to happen? Is there something specific for our kid's safety ? Is there a legal framework by Muslims and for Muslims to deal with prejudice and the aftermath of attacks ? Also Do you have any advice for someone in my situation and any feedback is welcome. Rahmatou Allah for all those who lost their lives in these incidents and I do believe we should honor them by working toward preventing them.

So I've come across an article on The Washington Post (through Facebook) and I realised this issue of racism/stereotype didn't only effect Muslims but minority groups in general. I thought it may be worth sharing this article to help brothers and sisters who've faced similar prejudice. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/10/14/a-black-doctor-wanted-to-save-a-mans-life-first-she-had-to-convince-the-flight-attendant-she-was-an-actual-physician/?postshare=7061476578657562&tid=ss_tw Know that you're not alone

People nowadays don't say they want but rather they prefer: Like: -I prefer Hijabi as wife -I prefer my husband wears beard -I prefer basketball(over football) ... So while some of these are harmless there are more harmful ways of saying prefer, like: -I prefer Sayed/a as husband/wife -I prefer white/black over black/white people -I prefer my own culture etc. I mean, come on what does prefer even mean? Like an easier way to hurt people? Just say what you want, directly. Not like: I prefer Hijabi as a wife, but I want Hijabi, no compromise. If you really want that or don't say anything at all. Or I prefer Sayed/a or my own culture/nationality. If you want to be like that, just say it directly, instead of clothing it into the "prefer" language.