I am a Muslim. I know that saying that invites all kinds of preconceived notions for non-Muslims... I can accept that. In my lifetime, Muslims have generally made a negative impression on non-Muslims, and its to be expected that they would be wary of me. The same as if someone comes up to me and says, "I am a Christian" Its not that I have anything against Christians, but if someone comes out and says it, you wonder why... what is the territory they are trying to own... pro-life? born-again? clean living? and is their point to be expository or exclusionary?

So I can imagine non-muslims going thru the same thought process, but the difficult part of this process is that I don't fit into any of their preconceived notions. I am not foreign, I was born and brought up in the United States, and consider myself American. I am not socially conservative, or anti-semitic, or anti-western. So, then, why describe myself as Muslim? what does it mean to me to be muslim?

Well, first and foremost, I believe it. That's right, as incongruous and unlikely as it may seem, I really truly believe that there is a God, and that he is the God described, as Allah, in the Quran. And before we get into the whole proof of God argument, let me just say, I don't rationally believe it, I have faith in it. And my faith is so strong, and so much a part of me, that it is pretty much unshakeable, come what may.

But that's not why I tell non-Muslims that I am a Muslim. In this country no one really cares what you deeply believe, only how you act upon it. And to all external views, i am no different than any other person of my generation. I don't drink, and I don't eat pork, but that's not so unusual either in this day and age.

For me, I like to tell people I am a Muslim simply to counteract their preconceived notions. To say, "you look at me and make certain assumptions, but you don't guess that I am a Muslim"

Now, an even more tricky situation is telling other Muslims that I am a Muslim.