“Canceled”

“Canceled,” by Rahima Abdur-Razzaq

“Ah. Rahima is a Muslim name. Are you Muslim? Where are you from?” I find these questions to be invasive, it’s difficult answer them without exposing my life story or simply lying. “My father was Muslim, but he died, I’m from here but of Nigerian ancestry, and no I’m not Muslim. I don’t identify with the religion at all.” Little do they know, the only reason why I know which African country my ancestry traces back to is because my sister spit into a tube and sent it off to a lab, I don’t believe in any organized religion because I think that they are all full of shit. Last but certainly not least, my father wasn’t a “real Muslim,” but only one of those Nation of Islam ones that black men convert to after having served time in prison, (thankfully, he was never in prison though.) I always feel like a problem in a conversation like this, because my name is Muslim, I am of Nigerian descent, my father is dead, and he was Muslim. But having to tell everyone who asks me about my name is exhausting. So sometimes I lie, and just say that I am Muslim, but then I risk being looked up and down for wearing a crop top by a fully covered Muslim girl, and an African person in ear shot being disappointed in realizing that I am not first generation American.

The need to lie or be ashamed of the inner workings of my brain is tiresome. In a country where as a nation we are supposed to hear one another out and learn from the mistakes and successes of each other, a vast majority of us hold our tongue, fearful of offending a Gen Z teen with they/them pronouns. In consequence, I bring to you my opinions and questions about the world that I may get canceled for:

  1. I thought the “Barbie” movie was geared toward an audience of white, male hating feminists, that had to develop some form of oppression to have things in common with the masses.
  2. In a country whose first amendment is free speech, the only time I see that as being true is when you aren’t offending anyone.
  3. Experiencing abuse does not give you any right to abuse other people.
  4. If you aren’t married, you should not be financially providing for your significant other.
  5. As a woman, unless you never want to be married yourself, you shouldn’t have a child with a man outside of wedlock because that gives a man no reason to want to marry you.
  6. Yes, marriage is a contract.
  7.  Just loving a person is not enough to be with them.
  8. Your heart can lead you to some odd places.
  9. Before a man catcalls a woman, he should ask himself how he’d feel if his daughter or mother was being catcalled.
  10. Nothing is fair in love and war.
  11. Black people are not the only group of people competing for the most oppressed award.
  12. You should live below your financial means.
  13. The concept of working for someone for the rest of your life is weird.
  14. We’re currently living “1984.”
  15. No child should be allowed to choose their gender.
  16.  The world is not filled with as much hate as the media would like you to believe.
  17. Everyone should get a prenup before marriage.
  18. What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours, what is ours is ours.
  19. Biology is no longer recognized as truth.
  20. Men who didn’t have a father figure or had an unhealthy father, blindly follow Andrew Tate.
  21. Doing porn or Only Fans is not feminism.
  22. There’s nothing wrong with a woman wanting to be feminine and a man wanting to be masculine.
  23. As a man, if you think that I want you by looking into your eyes for two seconds, there’s something wrong with you.
  24. Dogging a woman is not being a man.
  25. Many religious people don’t follow their religion the way that their God intended them to.
  26. A person just wanting to have sex with you surely does not mean that they love you.
  27. If you’re a man hating lesbian, then why do you try so hard to embody the worst traits of a man?
  28. If you’re a gay man who hates women, then why do you try so hard to embody the worst traits of a woman?
  29. Salma Hayek is hot.
  30. Men lie about their height all the time.
  31. We only accept the amount of abuse that we’ll tolerate for ourselves.
  32. You’re not stupid, some teachers just don’t know how to teach.
  33.  Black men need therapy.
  34. Academically intelligent people have messy personal lives and nearly zero emotional intelligence.
  35. Infidelity is cowardly.
  36. America is nowhere near the end all be all.
  37. Everyone should have a passport.
  38. Being white and wearing cornrows is not cultural appropriation.

Am I the problem? You’ve just read some of my strongest opinions about the world, some you will disagree with and some you may agree with. While all our thoughts and feelings about the world are influenced by the people we meet, social media, the educational system, and even our own families, ask yourself if you truly do agree or disagree with these opinions. Because at the end of the day, it’s better to be hated for your real voice than to be liked for what people want to hear.