Nationality Problem

[EndlessMD]

Salam Alaikom! Marhaba! Hej på er! Hi all!

I've encountered some nationality problems!

I'm fine with being mixed but what I'm not fine with is how people react because of it.

Here are few examples::

2 months ago I went to an arabic speaking husseiniye close to my home and alhamdollilah was met with much respect. Although I told people there I was mixed but they refused to believe me. They said (la inti mo 3ajmiyeh!!!! Stop saying that! You speak Arabic perfectly, you look like us, you're 100% Arab and you should be proud of your origin... come here more often....)

Well, I thought I should try another husseiniye! Because I like meeting people from all around the world. This time I went to a Farsi/Persian speaking one, and to my surprise they told me exactly the same thing.

(Baba to ke Irani hasti! Arabaro vel kon, hamishe beya inja.... Hamvatane aziz)

After those events I started 3 weeks practice in the largest hospital in my town and most patients (muslim and non-muslim) kept asking me the same question....

Dr, where are u originally from?

Even my mentor said (on the 1st day)::

When I read your name I thought this is another foreign doctor who can't speak Swedish well! But to my surprise you speak it fluently... next time don't highlight in your CV that you're a mix.

If you want to become successful, talk only in Swedish and no other language..... you're after all a swede who happened to have a multi-national background.

But honestly, why is it so important where I'm originally from?

I don't feel like I belong to a certain nationality. All that really matters for me is that I'm a good Muslim and I respect people from all different nationalities, racial backgrounds, religions.

Why don't they approve when I say I'm proud about being mixed.

[Guest]

salam,

 

what exactly is the problem? :mellow:

 

wasalam

[Laayla]

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum.

I know how you feel dear sister. People can never figure out where I'm from. They ask me if I'm Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, from the gulf, Yemeni. I guess it's two reasons, the way I dress and the way I speak Arabic. Back in the States, I would tell them I'm a citizen of the world. Nationality never meant anything to me. Alhamd'Allah, I don't have pride issues and I love all my shia brothers and sisters wherever they are from.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

[Gaius I. Caesar]

Salam Alaikom! Marhaba! Hej på er! Hi all!

I've encountered some nationality problems!

I'm fine with being mixed but what I'm not fine with is how people react because of it.

Here are few examples::

2 months ago I went to an arabic speaking husseiniye close to my home and alhamdollilah was met with much respect. Although I told people there I was mixed but they refused to believe me. They said (la inti mo 3ajmiyeh!!!! Stop saying that! You speak Arabic perfectly, you look like us, you're 100% Arab and you should be proud of your origin... come here more often....)

Well, I thought I should try another husseiniye! Because I like meeting people from all around the world. This time I went to a Farsi/Persian speaking one, and to my surprise they told me exactly the same thing.

(Baba to ke Irani hasti! Arabaro vel kon, hamishe beya inja.... Hamvatane aziz)

After those events I started 3 weeks practice in the largest hospital in my town and most patients (muslim and non-muslim) kept asking me the same question....

Dr, where are u originally from?

Even my mentor said (on the 1st day)::

When I read your name I thought this is another foreign doctor who can't speak Swedish well! But to my surprise you speak it fluently... next time don't highlight in your CV that you're a mix.

If you want to become successful, talk only in Swedish and no other language..... you're after all a swede who happened to have a multi-national background.

But honestly, why is it so important where I'm originally from?

I don't feel like I belong to a certain nationality. All that really matters for me is that I'm a good Muslim and I respect people from all different nationalities, racial backgrounds, religions.

Why don't they approve when I say I'm proud about being mixed.

Sorry to hear that, I don't think there's anything wrong with being mixed, don't get why people are fixated on that. I think it's cool to be mixed race and I accept you as my sister in Islam and humanity.

[EndlessMD]

what exactly is the problem? :mellow:

wasalam

It's a bit difficult to explain if you haven't been through it...

The people in my town are very cultural and nationality obsessed.

It's always a competition going on between the Farsi speaking and Arabic husseiniye when recruiting members.

For example:: If I decided to just attend the Farsi husseiniye the Arab community will no longer accept me...

That's why I stopped going to both...

and what's worse I've been hearing rumors in town about me being non-religious bcoz I don't attend any husseiniye.

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum.

I know how you feel dear sister. People can never figure out where I'm from. They ask me if I'm Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, from the gulf, Yemeni. I guess it's two reasons, the way I dress and the way I speak Arabic. Back in the States, I would tell them I'm a citizen of the world. Nationality never meant anything to me. Alhamd'Allah, I don't have pride issues and I love all my shia brothers and sisters wherever they are from.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

Shokran Sis for your comment, I'm so happy you understood my problem!

Such a nice word (a citizen of the world).... I'll use it next time!

Actually, I'm planning to move to a bigger city, inshallah I won't deal with this problem there.

Sorry to hear that, I don't think there's anything wrong with being mixed, don't get why people are fixated on that. I think it's cool to be mixed race and I accept you as my sister in Islam and humanity.

When I moved here I found it very odd..... it's like a war going on, especially among the Shia community!

Few days ago an Iranian brother wanted to marry an Iraqi sister! The Iraqi family didn't approve just bcoz of his nationality..... I'm freaking out! This town is weird!

Edited August 2, 2015 by EndlessMD

[Chaotic Muslem]

It's a bit difficult to explain if you haven't been through it...

The people in my town are very cultural and nationality obsessed.

It's always a competition going on between the Farsi speaking and Arabic husseiniye when recruiting members.

For example:: If I decided to just attend the Farsi husseiniye the Arab community will no longer accept me...

That's why I stopped going to both...

and what's worse I've been hearing rumors in town about me being non-religious bcoz I don't attend any husseiniye.

Shokran Sis for your comment, I'm so happy you understood my problem!

Such a nice word (a citizen of the world).... I'll use it next time!

Actually, I'm planning to move to a bigger city, inshallah I won't deal with this problem there.

Start your own Swedish Husayyniyah... call it something else, something swedish.

[EndlessMD]

Start your own Swedish Husayyniyah... call it something else, something swedish.

Hahaha CM! you're so funny....

I don't think it's possible! Swedish language is not used in husseiniyeh because 50% of the Muslim population living in my town haven't learnt the language yet....

[Gaius I. Caesar]

Actually, I'm planning to move to a bigger city, inshallah I won't deal with this problem there.When I moved here I found it very odd..... it's like a war going on, especially among the Shia community!

Sounds like a good idea, where will you move to?

[heliwave]

Maybe do what I did. I am a citizen of the world :)

See the notice on the front page of my website:

http://heliwave.com

Ali :)

[guest2k16]

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum.

I know how you feel dear sister. People can never figure out where I'm from. They ask me if I'm Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, from the gulf, Yemeni. I guess it's two reasons, the way I dress and the way I speak Arabic. Back in the States, I would tell them I'm a citizen of the world. Nationality never meant anything to me. Alhamd'Allah, I don't have pride issues and I love all my shia brothers and sisters wherever they are from.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

It could be the way you dress,  i use to always get people asking me where i'm from, half of the time they get it right, & they're just random strangers, i never see the point of it, honeslty. Why does it matter were you're from.

 

When i was in year 9 i always had people asking me if i'm Turkish, especially at school, I thought it was because i wore my hijab like them back then, so they were assuming i was turkish but then i realised even when i changed the style & started wearing different hijab, i still got asked if i was Turkish, to the point were i thought i'm no longer answering this question if random people were to ask.

 

& lets say if any girl was to wear her hijab for instance like iranian girls, were they'll have their fringe out, they would probably get asked if they're Persians, so i think the way you dress, could be why people always ask & then when you tell them you're from somewhere else, they wouldn't believe.

 

& to the OP, it shouldn't botther you what people think of you, this has happened to a lot of us i guess, but i do understand, being around curious people or having lots of people asking where you're oringinally from or your nationality or whatever it is, could be quite annoying.

 

Who cares if they don't approve? As long as you're proud to be mixed, whatever comes from them shouldn't matter to you, & there's actually a lot of mixed people i know have said the same thing as you.

[Hameedeh]

We live in an era when most people believe that discrimination is wrong, so perhaps some do not like to discuss race, nationality or religion. On your CV, it is fine to list a language that you are fluent in, if it would help you to get hired. However, if using that language would be a rare occurrence in the workplace, do not mention it on your CV. After you start working there, you can tell your co-workers that you know another language.