Fearless not Feared

By Abdullah Sufi

When you look at me, what do you see?

Do you see Al-Qaida? Do you see Bin Laden?

Do you see memories of when Saddam was Hidin’?

Tell me, what do you see?

Do you see ISIS on every crisis? Do you see Boko Haram burning children & their moms?

Do you see the Taliban thinkin’ we’re evil so they kill our people, dropping bombs every place that was once peaceful?

 

When you look at me,

Why don’t you see the creativity of Yasiin Bey,

Or the willpower of Muhammad Ali that got him through each day?

Why don’t you see the humor of Shaq? Or the love & compassion of Khadija or Fatima?

Asalaamulaikum, Walaikum Asalaam,

My kindness is my Islam.

Why don’t you see the mind of Malcolm X?

Will you ever see me as him? I don’t know. What will be the outcome next?

You crucified him in history as violent,

Omitting the peace he found when Elijah tried to keep him silent.

 

Why don’t you see that man named Nas,

Or that taxi driver lost in New York, working two jobs,

Or the mother who swam across the sea for her kids,

So they can live a peaceful life, not seeing the bloodshed she did.

Why don’t you see the determination of Hajar,

The strength she had to run across the desert for her son in search of water?

 

I throw the peace sign up when you’re around,

You reply with almost the same sign except with the index down.

You seek to encage me, or enrage me maybe,

But you couldn’t even phase me or mentally enslave me.

I am the product of those before me facing greater trials,

Figures who made it through the fire to inspire in situations most dire.

You saw US stand with Ahmed, raise our hands up at Ferguson,

Keeping our faith in Allah (SWT) when life was worsening.

 

I was hugged by thousands on February 10^th 2015 when I was shot too.

Comforting my brothers and sisters when our hearts stopped too,

But now the hearts of all those who are part of me beat in rhythm,

Blood pumping through our arteries to drown out the venom.

 

We are drops of an ocean

in case you haven’t noticed.

Vibrating through Malala,

As we pray to Allah.

That’s who you should see, dreamers standing against the noise,

The vibration of Musa, Isa, and Muhammad Peace be Upon Him speaking for those without a voice, when the world didn’t give us a choice.

Standing tall for those who can barely crawl,

Running despite you cutting our legs to make us fall, but we still stand proudly through it all.

Eyes blurry from all the pain but we see crystal clear,

Because we are the fearless, not feared.

 

Abdullah Sufi is a Pakistani American with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Emory University.