Hi! My name is Salama and...

I saw this video on youtube and wanted to share it with all of you as it brought back memories from my college days...



“Hi! My name is Salama and I am from Bahrain… an island off the Eastern Coast of Saudi Arabia (for those of you who don’t know where that is). Ummm… my hobbies include reading, dancing, and “role-playing”. I am planning on being an Economics major. My dream is to someday work for the United Nations focusing on third world development issues. And sooooo ummm…. I am glad to be here in Texas and look forward to getting my undergraduate degree from the university…. That’s about it for me… Thanks…”

“Thank you Salama… Welcome to Texas… Wow all the way from Dhaha-RAIN…How exciting… Isn’t that an oil city in Saudia Arabia? I had a relative working there at one point.”

“No actually Mr. Stratus… ummm… it’s Dhahran not Dhaharain and I’m from
‘B-A-H-RAIN’ which is an independent island located to the East of Saudi Arabia.”

“Oh…oh… slight mix-up there... Apologize… We better move on to the next first year student. We have many activities lined up for us after this icebreaker session. Yes you… please go ahead introduce yourself to the group…. ”

A flashback from my first day at the university’s orientation week more than fifteen years ago… it feels like yesterday… the estrangement… the confusion… the nerves… trying to stand out and yet pretending to “fit in”…

I can hear the echo of my own cracking voice as I introduce myself to the group… I realize now that I never mentioned in my introduction that I was a Muslim… that “I AM A MUSLIM”… It never occurred to me as far as I remember, but even if it did, would I have really wanted to highlight that part of my identity. After all, I was in a country that thrived on “freedom of this” and “freedom of that” so why would it matter anyway?

Today, I say it with regret that I should have begun with “My name is Salama and I am a Muslim…” A Muslim... from the root word meaning “peace”… meaning one who has submitted to no one and nothing but Allah… meaning one who is free in the real sense of the word as he/she can never be held hostage to anything in this world… meaning one who lives by the greatest curriculum set forth by the most amazing book on earth, the Quran…. meaning one who follows the teachings of the most compassionate human being to have ever lived, the Prohet Mohamed (PBUH)… I am a Muslim… I am a Muslim… I AM A MUSLIM…

Guess what? All those years ago at the icebreaker, I “happened to forget” to mention this… May Allah forgive me... But for those of you who will be asked to introduce yourselves at any point in time, it's never too late... Remember to say it loud and clear “I AM A MUSLIM”… stand tall and proud and say it "I AM A MUSLIM"...


وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (41:33)

41:33 Fussilat (Asad) And who could be better of speech than he who calls [his fellow-men] unto God, and does what is just and right, and says, “Verily, I am of those who have surrendered themselves to God”? -