A sermon for my people

At the risk of being patronizing, I wish to raise my arms and give a ‘quaint’ sermon of sorts to my people living away from their origins:

Even your version of God is referred to as the kind and the merciful. Even in your version of truth, you believe that we the humans are bearers of the divine spirit, as much as we reek of putrid clay.

Dear aliens of my kind – let’s try to be kind to each other. And know that kindness is not only limited to stuffing your guests’ faces with delicious curries and naan. It is not so much an act, but a state of being. Here are some tips: 

If you visit my home and exclaim every time how small it is especially compared to my home in Pakistan, please don’t ask me where the washroom is. That just shows that you are stupid, unable to find the only washroom in my tiny tiny home.

When you complain about not having cheap labour available for scrubbing your toilet(s), look in the mirror. You are the cheap labour – please gain some (self) respect for those who toil below a living wage.

You and I are various stereotypes in this country. You may be a practicing conservative Muslim (aka terrorist); I might be the ‘non-practicing’ kind who doesn’t ‘look’ Muslim, and is oh-so-brave. You and I are often mascots of ‘diversity’ in group photos or impact stories, and we will always be. The rage you feel every time that happens…hold it deep in your hearts and feel its burden and pain. And then, choose not to do the same – to your own kind or others.

When you see my face and tell me that I have grown so old since my immigration, or my skin has gone bad, or that I have gained weight, or lost weight, or am the same fucking weight  – please be assured, I know. And please take your disapproving eyes off my lovely cleavage. There are so many other things we can talk about or focus on. I can educate you about weed. You can tell me about how to cook the best biryani in the world. The options are limitless.

The best justification we have learnt in our religious culture is the power of intention (neeyat) – the so-called foundation of every action. Please also educate yourself about impact and don’t excuse your acts of unkindness with good or not-so-bad intentions.

Also, if my words (or cleavage) offend you and make you feel like I am tainting the good pieces of our mascot identity – please know, it is not my intention.

Muahahah.