Close to Home: Learn about Muslims in county and build trust

Of the 27 years I have lived in Sonoma County, I have spent the past 16 as an observant Muslim. The times I have been offended by reactions to my head scarf are few. In part, responses to my modest dress are mild because I smile and am outgoing and proactive with people who might be unsure or uncomfortable. Mostly it's because I'm white, blue-eyed and a native-speaker of English. Add to white privilege, I am educated and comfortable with several languages and many cultures.

Life in the North Bay, however, is not so easy for my friends from places such as Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan. Many Muslims are always on guard, watching how people look at them, expecting mistreatment or comments. The incidents of outright nastiness — the man in the post office who scowled and called me 'sick' — and the occasions of bias — looking past a Muslim woman to help the customer behind her — although infrequent are painful and cumulative. The Muslim community as a whole takes on a wariness, anticipating bias spawned by negative portrayals of Muslims in the news.

Living as a Muslim in Sonoma County means encountering people of deep understanding and people of ignorance. Mostly people are good-hearted, and some are confident enough to ask questions.

I encourage my Muslim friends to smile and be friendly, but that approach is my California culture, less easy for folks whose English is not fluent. Moreover, women — and men — from conservative Muslim families tend to not engage freely in respect for others' privacy and their own modest behavior. As a result, their reticence may be seen as lack of confidence or, worse, suspicious.

For me, it was funny when the lady in the grocery store line asked in that too loud, deliberately slow speech some Americans use with foreigners, 'Do you speak English?' I smiled and made chit-chat, explaining that Islam is the religion of a quarter of the world's population, and I cover my head in dignity for God and to make sure I am known more for my thinking and good deeds than my aging body. She was my age and would remember from our youth that no woman entered church on Sunday without her head covered.

And how many depictions of the blessed Virgin Mary are there without some sort of veil? Did she know Muslims believe Islam is a continuation and culmination of the Abrahamic tradition? That a book of the Quran called Maryam includes details about the birth of Jesus not mentioned in the Christian Bible? That Allah is just the Arabic word for God, like Dios in Spanish or Dieu in French?

To counter the prevailing image, I share my story of finding the beauty of Islam. I participate in the Interfaith Council of Sonoma County and our recent Muslim support campaign, 'Of One Soul.' This month we appeared before the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights to receive its resolution declaring Sonoma County 'shall be Islamophobia-free.' And tonight, we will host 'Across the Interfaith Table 2016' at Church of the Roses in Santa Rosa, where compassionate hearts will connect in discussion and share dinner. I will present sessions on the yoga of Islamic prayer and an explanation and demonstration of Islamic prayer. Workshops start at 2:30 p.m. and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. It's open to the public.

The day is not just about Muslims; Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Bahá'ís Hindus, Christians, Jews and people of little or no faith will gather and share about their paths and practices. Our goal is to generate peace in our community by advancing understanding. The more folks understand, the easier life will be in our beautiful county for people of all tribes and nations.

Aisha Jill Morgan is assessment data specialist for Santa Rosa City Schools and a speaker for Islamic Networks Group. She lives in Rohnert Park.