Maybe it is not good to hold things inside, but I have. And I must write about it. In the recent weeks I have watched as my religion has once again become the source of people’s hatred. I guess I should have saw this coming. But reluctance to see the truth and my dismissal of the inevitable has made the recent events against Islam, so shocking that I feel as if I am losing my faith in my country, America. The land from whence I came.
It all started on September, 11, 2001. I was an eleven year old African American Muslim girl attending a charter school targeted to African American children in my hometown of Philadelphia. Up until that day I had learned to hide my faith, pretending I was a Christian to better be able to assimilate with my peers. When our teacher informed us that there had been “bombings” in New York (we didn’t know about the planes yet) I was taken aback, shocked. I remember some of the kids in my class already forming the conclusion that the act had been committed by Muslims. One boy with a frown on his face even asked another classmate what religion he was.
I remember the days that followed how anti-Islamic sentiment resonated all across America. In one day Muslims had went from largely unnoticed to the new Nazis bent on the destruction of the Western world. New names like Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Afghanistan once unbeknownst to me became apart of my vocabulary, thoughts, and what people associated with me. I listened as kids at my school talked about how we should boycott the “Crown Chicken” restaurants in our neighborhoods because they were mostly owned by Middle Easterners. I remember trying to convince my friends that Saudi Arabia was in Africa so we couldn’t hate them because they were African. I remember when the war in Afghanistan first began and how when I spoke out against it in my social studies class by saying “but we’ll kill their children”, my teacher and a student said in unison “they kill our children”. As if two wrongs made a right. And the killing of another’s child is okay because our children have been killed.
But things eventually started to die down over the next few years. Until once again, Muslims were put in the spotlight with the buildup of the Iraq war. I watched as people were classified as unAmerican and supporters of Muslim terrorism if they didn’t support the war. How another 9/11 would happen if we didn’t strike “them” first.
Things eventually died down again after a few years. Until a man named Barack Hussein Obama was running for president and the “he’s a Muslim” rumors started and picked up steam. Now add in the Fort Hood shootings, Anwar Al Awlaki, the Underwear Plane Bomber, the Times Square bombing attempt, and other events that have happened over the past nine years that tied Islam with evil, world subjugation, fascism, terrorism, and murder. Not to mention the reports of stoning of women, the Taliban’s treatment of women, Female genital mutilation, and the burqa that tie Islam with female oppression. I began to realize that in my country Muslim=Bad!!!
Oh yes, Muslim=Bad!!! And according to Robert Spencer, Pamela Gellar, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, France, Daniel Pipes, Ann Coulter, and FOX News; Islam is bent on the destruction of anyone who isn’t Muslim and it must be stopped! I can’t even watch a video on YouTube or read an article on Yahoo News about Islam without reading in the comments section stating how “Evil” Islam is and how the Prophet Muhammad was a “pedophile”.
Now we have the Park51 community center being built and all hell has broken loose. I watch as protestors of Park51 carry signs with Sharia written in red (to signify blood) and listen to one protestor refer to my beloved Prophet as a “pig”. I hear of a proposed mosque in Tennessee being protested with one protestor of that mosque telling Muslim women who will attend the mosque that “our laws don’t apply to you”, in reference to freedom of religion. And let’s not forget a “Pastor” down in Florida who wants to burn Qur’ans on the anniversary of 9/11, even though he’s said he has never read the Qur’an.
All this I watch from a distance and experience in my own day to day life. Whether it’s the ugly looks I get because of my hijab, the shouts of “Bitch!” at me from passing cars, the once courteous owner of the deli I used to frequent who now gives me the cold shoulder, even the scared looks I get from the same people who look like me (African Americans) who know (and still know) what it’s like to be the “other”. I still cannot believe this is the America which I came from. Maybe I should have listened to my Mother early on when she told me not long after 9/11, that things would get worse for Muslims here, that most non Muslims will prove that they hate us.
This hate from the very people who I considered my brothers and sisters in that we all share in the American Dream is tearing me apart. I know I am a Muslim and that will never change. But am I an American? How can that be when its own inhabitants don’t want me? Because to them I am a fascist, terrorist, oppressed, brainwashed, murderer bent on their destruction and subjugation. It’s either you’re American or Muslim, but you can’t be both. American Muslim has become an oxymoron. And I feel like I’ve been given an ultimatum. I guess I’ll pick Islam and live in obscurity or move to another country, crying over my lost faith in America.

Note: I didn’t really edit this much. It really just came from my heart. So please excuse the lack of structure and any grammatical errors.

I know I have been gone for awhile. I do it a lot; go away, come back, go away, come back. That seems to be my pattern. Well it seems I am still going to be away for awhile. I’ll be back soon, If Allah Wills. But I don’t know when.
When I do come back it will be full force. I will be totally focused more on this blog and also will launch my YouTube channel that I promised. I just need to get my life back on track. Believe if you knew me you would see how much my life is spiraling out of control. I need to focus on me and me alone with no distractions.
If you leave any comments for me I will still respond to them as soon as I can. Also, if you are a registered to the blog or wish to, or if you follow my RSS feed, please just stick it out with me and I will be back as soon as it’s reasonable. Again I don’t know how long it will be it may be a few months or more, but I will definitely be back.
Take care of yourselves
Peace, Wiggy Wack <3 <3 <3

Just throw on a hijab and this outfit is Fierce!

I love visiting Muslim fashion blogs, my favorite are Hegab Rehab, StyleCovered, and Hijabs High. I love each blog for different reasons, they each have a different tone and style but they all cater to Muslim women who want to Glamify (I know it’s not a word) their wardrobe.

Now I love fashion with a passion. I may wish to start my own fashion label one day (maybe!). And as a hijabi, I am always looking for a Muslimah on the street who rocking. I mean she may be properly covered, but she is still as hot as a candle. It annoys me when I see Muslimah’s walking around in nothing but black , looking like their going to a funeral, everyday! Now don’t get me wrong I loooovvvveeee black. It’s one of my favorite colors and think it looks darn good on me. But for me to wear it everyday, there is no way in hell that is going to happen! There is nowhere in the Qur’an or Sunnah that says a women can only wear all black! And if it doesn’t state it in either one of those sources, I don’t have time for it. A sister can where any color she wants! As long as the outfit is in accordance with the conditions of hijab why does the color of the outfit matter.

Now that being said, I understand that in different cultures, different colors symbolize different meanings. In western culture, black is a symbol of mourning, so to wear it everyday and especially, wear nothing else in but color, covered from head to toe will undoubtedly attract too much attention. The idea of hijab is to be modest not stick out like a freak show. Now in Middle Eastern culture, black is seen as a color of modesty, I suppose. So a sister wearing all black is not seen as unusual it is actually preferred. Now it does irritate me that in Mid East culture black is seen as the only appropriate colorfor women. I think this is an extreme they can do without. But I am not her to critique anyone’s culture, especially one I am not from.

But as Westerners color is embraced as long as it’s not too over the top. Someone walking down the street wearing all the colors of the rainbow, will definitely get some funny looks. Westerners like to have a good balance of color, not too much or too little, not too bright or not too dark.

I have a variety of colors in my wardrobe, from white to black. I have every color of the rainbow and wear them each with style and fierceness. I love to mix it up. I would love to see more Muslimah’s do this and not be afraid to step out and try something new and different. Because to be honest I see too many sisters who wear hijab with no style, they look so plain, dark, and drab that it hurts. If they threw in a little bit of color their style would increase about twenty points.

I am not here to criticize anyone’s choice of clothing or colors, for that matter. What one wears is one’s own decision. I just want to open up people’s minds about the choices they do have. If you wear all black, I have nothing against you. A sister can wear all black and still look fierce. I just don’t believe that it is Qur’an or Sunnah to only wear black. And Allah Knows Best.

Peace, Wiggy Wack ♥

I have been thinking of the past a lot lately. You know, just analyzing different stages in my life. Well, this Friday I found myself watching the WWE’s Smackdown. You know the wrestling show. After watching some of this, I began to realize how much I used to loooooovvvvvve wrestling as a kid. Some of you may read this in disbelief, but yes, I used to be a bonafide wrestling Fanantic. I loved it!! The fighting, the trash talk, the drama, the excitment, the good guys, the bad guys. All of it, I loved and craved, I couldn’t get enough. At one point, my dream was to become a professional wrestler.

As time moved on and as I got older, I drifted away from wrestling to the point where I couldn’t stand watching it. You see when I was growing up, the biggest stars at the time were The Rock, Triple H, and Stone Cold Steve Austen, to name a few. My favorite was The Rock, I was so in love with him, I wanted to marry him. I also loved Shawn Michaels. I liked a few other people, but The Rock and Shawn Michaels were my ultimate favorites.

So over the weekend, I have been watching countless WWF (not WWE) video’s on YouTube. And I must say the magic that I saw as a kid, I still see know. All the action and fun still blows me away. It was just great for me to step back into the past again and relive my childhood passion. You may think I’m joking, but wrestling was what I lived for. I subscribed to the WWF’s magazine and would faithfully watch Smackdown every Thursday at 8:00 PM.

I know this is a weird post but I thought it would be fun to share. I know some people hate wrestling. Some people say it’s “fake”. But come on what on TV is not fake. I prefer the word “scripted” to describe wrestling. And I do see wrestling as a sport. I mean these wrestlers are athletes and do so many things that just tears their bodies up. No wonder we see so many of these wrestlers dying from drug overdoses of painkillers and steroids.

And even though I don’t watch it now-I just can’t get into the wannabe rapper John Cena, he makes my stomach hurt- wrestling will forever have a special place in my heart and memories. So here I leave you with a video featuring the best quotes and sayings from my main man The Rock:

Peace, Wiggy Wack ♥

	India Arie – Get it Together .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Eleanor Roosevelt said it best. You should never let anyone bring you down mentally or emotionally. In the past couple of weeks I have really taken this statement to heart and applied it to my own self. People will try their hardest to bring you down with them. But you have the power to let them do this or not. Choose for yourself that you will never let anyone do this to you.

You see, people who try to bring others down or make others feel bad are really unhappy with themselves. So in order to make their miserable existence more tolerable, they have to make others miserable. These kinds of people come in all races, religions, classes, genders, and ages. They prey on the weak and helpless. These people are haters. They don’t hate you, they hate what you have. They hate to see you doing good. Their engulfed by jealousy and hatred for you and others like you. So the only way for them to feel good is to hurt you. They live and thrive off of your suffering. Suffering that they love to inflict.

You have to make sure you are strong in mind, soul, and body in order to resist the venom these people spew. Never let these people succeed in bringing you down to their miserable state. So many of us don’t realize that we have so much going for us, that we let these people come into our lives and bring us down. They can be family, friends, coworkers, or strangers. Their abuse can last for years or seconds. You have to be strong and know who you are, so you can avoid their vicious lies. Don’t doubt yourself. As long as you continue to do good the Creator will protect and provide for you.

This is just some knowledge I wanted to share with you all. Please take Mrs. Roosevelt’s statement to heart and learn from it and live by it.

Peace, Wiggy Wack ♥

I know this post is so late. But I just wanted to tell you the African American literature I plan on reading this month. I went to the library, trying to figure out what books I should read.I  searched on the library’s search engine for books about African American women but that came to no avail. I ended up stumbling across a Black lit display the library had put out for black history month. I choose four books:

1. “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf” by Ntozake Shange

2. “Beloved” by Toni Morrison

3. “The Women Of Brewster Place” by Gloria Naylor

4. “The Souls Of Black Folks” by W.E.B Du Bois

I just started reading For Colored Girls… and I must say it is an interesting piece of work. I am not that good at reading poetry but this book is a joy to read. The librarian who checked out my books said she had read it and believed the poems came to life when you read them out loud. So that’s what I’ve been doing and I must say I think the librarian was right.

I really wanted to get books that focused on black women so that’s why the books I got are about and black women, with the exception of ” The Souls Of Black Folks”. I wanted to get the Frederick Douglass Narrative but I decided to get that the next time I go to the library.

I intend on writing a review of the books, so keep an eye out for that.

Well write to ya later.

Peace, Wiggy Wack ♥

For Precious Girls Everywhere

Before I give my review for the movie Precious. I just want to say I am so over these films (Precious included) that only focus on sad stories of African Americans. But that topic is for another post.

Warning This Post Contains Spoilers!

The movie is about a young girl named Claireece Precious Jones, who is sixteen and still in junior high. At the beginning of the movie we find out that Precious is pregnant with her second child by her father. Her mother is an abusive, sexually frustrated woman who hates her daughter because she is jealous that Precious’ father is having sex with Precious instead of having sex with her. The mother also sexually abuses Precious. Precious’ first child- who lives with Precious’ grandmother- has Down- syndrome, something that her mother likes to scold her about.

Precious begins attending an alternative school. And despite her mother’s insistence that she is dumb and should only be on welfare, Precious does well at her new school due to her teacher Ms. Bain’s help. Ms. Bain looks out for Precious and encourages her to push herself to learn. She stresses the importance of an education to Precious more than anyone else has done.

The movie follows Precious to where she gives birth to her second child and subsequently begins to raise the child in a halfway house (her mother attacked her and her baby, so Precious left home). Precious continues school and raises her child with the love and attention she herself never received.

After months of not hearing from her mother, Precious’ mother comes to visit her in the halfway house to tell Precious her father has died of HIV. Precious has herself tested for the virus, and thus learns she is HIV positive. Precious now mentally stronger does not look at it as a death sentence but concerns herself with her children and her goal to get her first child with her. The movie ends with accomplishing this goal, walking down the street with both children with her.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I will give this movie a 3.75. It chronicles Precious’ life very well, even though sometimes it is hard to watch. Precious is the product of a broken home and suffers from retarded reading and writing abilities, self hatred (in her desire to be light skinned and thin), and low self esteem. She has experienced the dreadful act of incest with both her parents thus destroying her sexual health. Her story is tragic and is an eye-opener to what some of our youth in the ghetto often face. Even in her pathetic state she finds some triumph, but her future is still uncertain.

The movie is somewhat stereotypical and I fear people of other races will see this movie and view it with condescension. “Precious” reminded me of “The Color Purple” in that they share similar stories and topics, such as, incest, abuse, lesbianism, color consciousness, and strong females. All in all the movie was well put together and entertaining. Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, and Monique made this film work. They each gave a great performance and did justice to their characters. Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz surprised me with their acting abilities and I applaud them. The rest of the cast also did well. There was no bad acting in this movie. I have to say Monique’s performance grabbed me and made me hate her character. She portrayed Precious’ complex mother exceptionally well and was well deserving of her Golden Globe award.

Well that’s enough for my review. If you haven’t seen “Precious” go see it. I must warn you that this movie is graphic and should only be viewed by those sound in mind and 18 and over.

Peace, Wiggy Wack  ♥ (Yellow was Precious’ favorite color.)

Now if you read my blog you know that I am a Muslim, African American woman who wears hijab. But I know much about the hair issue among my people. I can talk black hair with anyone. My own Afro-textured hair is a very important part of my life, something I have struggled with and eventually learned to embrace. Underneath my hijab I experiment with various natural hairstyles. And even if only family members can see my hair, I am still happy to be natural.

I finally watched Chris Rock’s Documentary “Good Hair”. On a scale of 1 to 5, I will give the movie a 3. I learned things about weaves, I had not none before. But it also made me cringe at other things. So I will give the pro’s and con’s of this movie and you can decide if you want to see this movie.

Pro’s:

1. It exposes the dangers of relaxers also known as sodium hydroxide.

2. Shows that Asians and Caucasians profit the most from the black hair industry.

3. Shows the ridiculous measures black women go through to keep their hair done.

4. Subtlety shows the deep rooted self hatred some black people have of their hair, to the point they would put poison on their hair to attain a beauty standard not their own.

5. Advocates black owned businesses

Cons:

1. Doesn’t sufficiently explore the rising number of black women wearing their hair natural.

2. Very subtlety makes Afro-textured hair seem inferior to straight hair.

3. Doesn’t get to the deep rooted reason why black women and men straighten their hair and prefer straight hair.

4. Doesn’t condemn the use of relaxers.

5. Too complacent.

6. Taking such a serious issue and trivializing it, esp. by making it a comedy.

7. Talks about silly things like “weave sex”.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I just wanted to mention a few things:

1. The coverage of the hair show in Atlanta was good but I think it took up too much time in the movie. More important topics could have been covered.

2. At the end of the movie Chris Rock states that he’ll tell his daughter, what she puts in her head is more important than whats on her hair. I have to disagree with this, because it seems he is letting the cycle of black self hatred continue on to the next generation.

3. Al Sharpton states that his relaxer is just as black as natural hair because it came from black culture. But what he is missing is that it came from a part of black culture that taught us to hate something that is natural to us and that Euro centric looks are more beautiful.

4. Raven Symone said that we (black people) want to fit in, as if being natural is too different. Well being different is what makes diversity beautiful. We shouldn’t  strive to look like everyone else.

I will conclude here, I don’t want to get too deep because then this post will end up a page long. So overall “Good Hair” was interesting and entertaining at best, but not much of the learning experience I had expected it to be.

Peace, Wiggy Wack ♥

A while back I wrote a post that touched on the topic of black self-hatred of nappy hair. I don’t know how popular the post is, but I suggest you read it.

Now, I am sure you have heard about the documentary “Good Hair” by Chris Rock. If you google it, there will be plenty of people who have written their two cents about the film. Some liked it, others didn’t. I have been wanting to see it since earlier this year, but when it finally came out I didn’t jump to go see it. Well, I am about to watch it now and when I finish I will write my own review on it.

Peace everyone. I just wanted to inform you all that in the coming months I will start posting vlogs on Youtube. It has been something that I have been thinking of for a while now.

I already have a Youtube account, but I only have one video on it. I really have become inspired to try out vlogging on Youtube and I think it will be fun! And who knows how far I will go.

I will make posts on a variety of topics. It will just be like this blog only in video. So, Insha ALLAH, next year around February I will debut Wiggy Wack TV. So stay tuned, I will alert you when I debut.

Note: I have put a link to my Youtube channel in the sidebar under the heading “Find Me On”.

Peace, Wiggy Wack ♥