The city of love they say; of divine culture and cuisine
Where romance endures by the tower, that hosts the union of two souls
But because I choose to wrap a piece of cloth around my head
A cloth that empowers me, that reaffirms my identity
Instead of welcoming warm kinship, I get killed under this same tower
“This is not your home”
Oh to bear the melody of drones in my motherland; If only they would listen
And while they seek the luxuries of this world
I simply yearn for freedom
From oppression, bloodshed and war
They resist accepting our humanity
Claiming that we have created a false reality,
Counteracting western values
But we know what lies in our hearts,
Despite they’re twisted minds
We honour their wins and mourn over their losses
But in the end, it’s their will over ours
They choose to hate us
Not for what we do
But for what the media tells them
Explanation:
This poem was in response to the stabbing of the two veiled Muslim women in Champ de Mars, a popular park by the Eiffel tower. The woman accused of assault were drunk at the time they came across the two Muslim women at Champ de Mars. One of the Muslim women made a complaint about the other woman’s dog which provoked the drunken woman causing her to take out her knife and proceeded to violently harass the veiled women. The victims were stabbed multiple times and were at the hospital in critical condition. There is no doubt that this is a controversial topic which is why I hesitated before posting this but I felt a need to speak up on this matter. Muslims have faced countless discriminatory attempts that seek to link Islam with terrorism. This is true especially in European countries like France. I am avoiding the concept of politics although it plays a major role. I feel that many people have different perspectives and I wouldn’t be able to communicate the political ideologies that correspond with islamophobia in this short paragraph that won’t leave room for misinterpretation. With this being said, I solely am discussing society at large and how Muslims are attacked everyday for simply following a harmless religion that has no link to terrorism. The poem is in four stanzas. The first stanza explains how the Eiffel tower is famous tourist destination where thousands of marriage proposals are held because of the romantic and affectionate vibe the scene creates. But these hijabi women couldn’t experience the same atmosphere as they were being harassed. “This is not your home” was stated by an individual after the attack. Most of these individuals, not only Muslims, immigrate to escape war occurring in their countries. However, while they flee one form of oppression, they prepare to face another form of oppression from society. I end the poem by explaining how as muslims, we are rquired to prove our good intentions and character but it’s still not enough to counteract the negative views placed upon us. We don’t have much control over how society views us because hatred is spread at a rapid speed and with the help of media, it’s even faster. I considered many different styles of poems but ended up with a Free choice. I felt this allowed me to communicate my view blatantly without restricting anything I had to say. This poem is in its raw form, with not much editing besides grammar as I wanted to showcase a first-hand perspective on Islamophobia from a Muslim woman. On another note, I am grateful to say that I have not faced any acts of racism towards me. I might have got certain looks but nothing as extreme as what these hijabi women faced. I know many people may have different experiences living in Canada but as for myself, I believe Canda to be an accepting country. I am grateful to live in this country that embraces and celebrates diversity. A country that doesn’t tolerate ignorance and a country that prides itself on multiculturalism. A country where I feel safe and respected regardless of my appearance.