OLLA MOKHTAR
campus editor
olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu
“Now bow your heads in prayer.” A paradigm in schools, sports games and conferences across the very nation that preaches the separation of church and state.
In the historic Christian society that we currently have, it is very normal to encounter dozens of denominational churches and places of worship, in fact according to Pew Research Center just over 70% of people are of a Christian faith.
The fact that the overwhelming majority of the U.S. is Christian is not surprising. The majority of my friends and the surrounding community are. But, what is not only surprising and hypocritical is the usage of the phrase “separation of church and state” while having prayers in sports games, national anthems and award banquets.
It seems that it’s okay as long as it’s the Bible we’re talking about.
Because let’s be honest with ourselves, if any other religious minority were to pray in public and as frequently as Christian prayers are, then hate crimes would be more rampant then they already are. However, we live in a society whose “norm” is Christian values, one religion should not have precedence over another even in social settings.
The U.S. can do better and so can the American people.
As a woman who wears a hijab, I am constantly bombarded by people that want to “pray over me” and give me a complementary Bible. I’m not blind, I know they have an agenda in mind but why isn’t the same concept of “separation of church in state” implied in the Establishment clause acted upon in public?
The experience was and will always be one of the funniest things I had to go through as a minority but it needs to stop. Unless I explicitly ask someone about their religious beliefs, respectfully, keep it to yourself as I keep mine to me.
Having to constantly say “No, I’m okay” to people that give me Bibles was a part of being a Muslim American I did not expect to see.
The climate since religious persecution has become tremendously calmer but I would expect the same sympathy given to them to be given to me when I’m just going about my day, to be left alone. Especially as the constitution makes an effort to be independent of a religion, maybe not try to convert me?
Despite this, I know that not everyone thinks with no consideration of people who aren’t Christian. Most people are very tolerant and don’t care about what someone wears or follows. But to the ones that feel the need to ask forgiveness for me, I promise I love Jesus as much as you do and you don’t need to prove it to me.
On another note, I am very thankful, as a college student, to have the overextended Christmas break. A month full of nothing but staying indoors and roaming the streets finding beautiful house decorations is a part of my childhood.
Considering my bias towards more free time and living in a Christian society, I think being given more time to rest during the weekends, christmas themed lattes and drinks and cute house lights is a good start into being more inclined towards a community without the inkling to assign a religion to me.
