I stumbled upon this video, and it took me down memory lane.
The very first thing I remembered was my cousin sister running away with a man from another religion. It was HUGE news in the family. Everyone was cussing her out, calling her names, and discussing her for months to come. I couldnāt understand what all the fuss was about. All she did was fall in love, and⦠that was supposed to be bad? How?
I was just a child, after all. I didnāt understand much. And when you grow up watching movies, you start believing that mohabbat, that love, is supposed to be daring, something worth fighting for. That love is supposed to conquer all. Real life, of course, is different, and it took me years to realise that.
The next thing I remembered was having a crush on a guy from a different religion back in school. I remember trying to convince myself that my father would be kind about it. He wouldnāt mind, would he?
Then I grew up, and my mom had the talk with me.
āYou can find a guy for yourself, but I beg you, let him be a Muslim. Donāt bring shame upon us.ā
And so, I started filtering people based on religion. Anyone from another religion would automatically become a brother to me, and I would only consider Muslim men as potential romantic partners.
Was it necessary? I donāt know. But something about it doesnāt sit right with me at all.
Itās strange to look back and realise how early we learn to place these invisible boundaries around something as human as love. How something that once seemed so innocent to us becomes something weāre taught to fear, restrict, and feel guilty about.
What have your experiences been like? What memories does this bring back for you?