Source: Faith in Memphis.com
By Yasir Qadhi
What tests my faith in Memphis? What gives me faith in Memphis?
I’m still relatively new to the Memphis scene, having arrived here last summer. Although I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, I had been living for quite a while in New England during my graduate studies. Neither of those two experiences, however, prepared me for the uniqueness of Memphis.
I remember when I first announced to my family and friends that I’d be moving to Tennessee. Quite a few of my friends raised a quizzical eyebrow, and one explicitly prayed for my safety (this was during the anti-mosque-building campaign in Murfreesboro). Another jokingly remarked, “A Muslim cleric taking up residence in the buckle of the Bible Belt –- what is this, the plot of a new TV reality show?”
And I must admit, the first few weeks in Memphis were filled with surprises. Never have I seen in another American city the sheer number of churches that exist in Memphis. It was as if every street corner had a grand church. And it’s not as if these churches were empty – parking lots are full come Sunday morning, when life itself seems to slow down to allow everyone to attend services. In fact, during my first few months here, for the first time in my life, I was invited to attend no less than half a dozen different congregations (sometimes by complete strangers who introduced themselves to me at grocery stores or in banks!). This was a side of America that I had not yet experienced. Don’t get me wrong here, it wasn’t problematic – it was novel: this was not like the liberal New England that I had grown accustomed to, or the multi-cultural Houston that I had grown up in!
As time went on, however, it became clear that while a healthy percentage of Memphians are church-going Christians, that same fact also gave them the good sense to appreciate and embrace faith. Not any one particular faith, but simply faith. The fact that my particular faith (Islam) is an integral part of my life actually fits very well with the values of many of my neighbors and colleagues.
Embracing and respecting one’s belief in God and the practices that accompany that, regardless of whether my own set of beliefs and practices are the same or different than my neighbor’s, is encouraging and provides a very wonderful feeling of unity through faith. Back in Connecticut, being public about one’s religious views was somewhat awkward, at times even frowned upon by others. In Memphis, it’s a part of life.
The lack of knowledge about non-Christian faiths, including my Islamic faith, can sometimes be testing. I often run into very well intentioned, God-fearing individuals, who know nothing about other faiths aside from what they hear on the news. It is a humbling experience, and always reminds me of the obligation to educate others about the other faiths that exist in our city and across the world. ‘Islam’ simply means ‘submission’ to God, and derives from the same root as the word for ‘peace’. ‘Allah’ is not the name of some strange, foreign deity, but rather the Arabic for ‘God,’ the same God that Adam, Abraham, Noah and Moses believed in. And while I am a Muslim, no, I am not an Arab (80% of Muslims are not Arab). Yes, I am ethnically from India, but no, I’m not a vegetarian and I absolutely adore a juicy steak. No, I do not worship Muhammad. Yes, as a Muslim I love Jesus and believe in his ministry here on Earth as a prophet of God (this one really raises eyebrows). And that’s just the beginning!
But, when all is said and done, I can truly say that it is a blessing to be a person of faith in Memphis, where religious values are not just tolerated, but upheld and appreciated.
