Freedom of Religion- ISP #3

In our North American society, the freedom people have with their religion, has become a prominent issue. In North America, everyone has the right to practice whichever religion they choose. However, this right does not mean that these people will not face discrimination for their religion. Many people that are Muslim see this type of discrimination every day. There are many cases in the news where people have been mistreated for no other reason then their region. In California, on April 22nd seven women were asked to leave a restaurant. It has been indicated that they were asked to leave only because of their religion (6 of the 7 women were wearing Hijab's). No other customers were asked to leave even though they had been at the restaurant longer then the seven women. This is just one of many examples of how the freedom of religion is still an issue in our North American society.

In the novel The Book of Negroes, Aminata faces a similar issue. Aminata is also a Muslim women, Since the moment she left Africa she has been warned not to let her religion show. When she gets on the boat on the way to the Appleby plantation she begins to speak with a man. When she tells this man that she is "a freeborn believer" he becomes very upset with her and says " 'You must never pray in that manner. It is dangerous, and the toubab will correct you with the whip. The toubab will correct us all' " (140). This is just the first of many warnings that Aminata receives about praying. To Aminata her religion makes her feel connected to her homeland and her family. After she gets off the boat Aminata tries to pray to comfort herself, she then says, "But in the toubabu's land I couldn't pray by myself. Praying inside my head felt lonely and futile. As nights came and went, thoughts of Allah faded." (123) This is an issue that still affects people today. They start to feel disconnect from their religion because staying connected causes too many issues; it seems easier to let go. Aminata would often try to pray when she was scared or hurt, but whoever was with her would tell her to stop immediately. She was not allowed to practice the religion of her choice, and she would get punished if she did. Eventually Aminata found a man, Mamed, who was a believer like her (173). This discovery helped her build a new relationship. Her friendship with Mamed lead to Aminata learning how to read. The ability to read made her much more valuable to her future owners. Perhaps finding friendships such as this could help people in our society feel safe and more welcome to practice their religion freely. Freedom of religion was an issue then and it is still an issue now. There are laws against judging people based on their religion, but it still happens. People may not risk being beaten based on religion such  as Aminata did, but they might find themselves to be excluded or mistreated.

Work Cited

"Hijab Discrimination: California Muslims Sue over Religious Intolerance - Firstpost." Firstpost 
           Hijab Discrimination California Muslims Sue over Religious Intolerance Comments. N.p.,
           2016. Web. 05 May 2016.

 Hill, Lawrence. The Book of Negroes. Toronto: Harper Perennial, 2011. Print.