It's Time Step Out of Your Jahiliyya (Ignorance).

I remember my 17-year-old self sitting in a classroom, working to get my A-levels at a new school.

I wouldn’t say the school system in Germany is overly complicated, but here’s what you need to know: you can complete high school at one type of school and then switch to another to earn your A-levels.

There are two main types of schools for this: one is considered more relaxed and accessible (Gesamtschule), and the other is viewed as more challenging or “sophisticated” (Gymnasium).

Being the perfectionist I was (or still am), I aimed for the latter.

The only problem was that the school I attended had a majority of either white students or white-washed Muslims.

Don’t get me wrong, I made great friendships there and learned a lot during my years.

But it wasn’t until one day in history class, sitting in front of my white, elderly teacher, that I experienced something I couldn’t quite process at the time. He said to me:

“Ms. Ahmed, you can wear the hijab, and you can wear it however you want. It’s just… here in Germany, we aren’t as used to it, you know?”

Slap. 

It felt like a slap in the face. I had no idea that I was being perceived that way. At my previous school, with a majority of Muslim kids and a high number of people with migrant backgrounds, I had never experienced what I now know as discrimination—or worse, Islamophobia.

My hijab? It’s ‘new’ in this country? 
My hijab is a problem? 

Honestly, I was so focused on maintaining my grades and keeping up with the workload—especially as the first child in my family to pursue higher education—that I had never even thought about myself in that way.

That day, I looked around the class for the first time and noticed that I was the only girl wearing the hijab. Looking at the rest of the school, I realized that my friend and I were the only hijabis in the entire school.

The students weren’t as welcoming of Islam anyway, but I wouldn’t say that it was because they were inherently bad.

They didn’t know much about Islam either. In fact, I remember hearing a dawah guy in Germany give a speech in which he mentioned a study about Muslims and non-Muslims living together, and how this impacted the non-Muslims’ knowledge of Islam.

_{(For my German readers: Its called “United Konferenz” on YouTube, they talk about business, entrepreneurship in connection to Islamic values. Check them out, their content changed my life!)}

One significant result they noticed was that there were three countries with the least knowledge about Islam and Muslims in general.

These three countries were the German-speaking ones: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

You know why?

He also shared the story of an elderly German man who accepted Islam. When they asked him about his journey, he said:

“I have lived here for 17 years. I never knew that the building across the street was a mosque.”

Now, this also has historic reasons. Especially in Germany, there’s a long history of workers coming over from Turkey mainly with the intention of staying for a bit and then leaving again.

They were rather secretive about their religion too which is why mosques weren’t that public but in random residential buildings.

Islam started to become a “problem” in Germany when mosques were built and muslims started going to universities and getting into businesses.

But we plan, and Allah plans.

Let’s continue with the story.

I lived in a city in NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia), a state with a large Muslim population and many people of migrant backgrounds.

Yes, racism existed, but it was subtle, almost invisible—hidden in everyday interactions. Only in recent years and more during my studies have I learned about terms like anti-Islamic discrimination and what they mean.

But why am I sharing this? 

In that same class, we talked about human rights: their development, their importance. One thing Germans are really proud of is their laws and democracy. My teacher, who was also involved in politics, often got carried away with his opinions.

The problem was that he had this deep frustration with Islam. And as the only visibly Muslim person in the class (there were Muslim boys too, but they weren’t singled out), he directed his frustrations at me.

_{(You will also find studies proving that muslim girls are more targeted than boys usually, because they are “more visibly Muslim” because of their hijab.)}

“Islam doesn’t have human rights in the Quran, which is crazy!”  
“And why do women have to wear the hijab? Isn’t it kind of misogynistic, Ms. Ahmed?”  

I didn’t know all these fancy words back then. What the hell is Misogyny?

There was so much I was ignorant about because I never heard of these terms before. But who can I blame, my family didn't know better. “People like me” are considered uneducated in their view. We are from the “ghetto”, we oppress women and are violent.

But I was focused on other topics too. Like school maybe? When did teachers become so insensitive in targeting Muslim students for misconceptions about Islam? Since when is this acceptable? But activism wasn’t that far back then.

Yeah, that was clearly racism. Also white privilege. But let’s continue.

I remember one day he went off about our beloved Prophet ﷺ.
Honestly, I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I was furious. I had to hold back tears, overwhelmed by a deep frustration.

Frustration with what, you ask? 

Frustration that I didn’t know my own religion. I didn’t have the answers to his questions. Gosh, I couldn’t properly talk because I didn’t know the words they knew.

It was inevitable: doubts started creeping into my heart.  

Is my religion really what he says it is?

I had to dive deep. That’s where my journey began—and it hasn’t ended since.  

I’ve literally relearned my religion twice. The first time was during my A-level years.

I’ll share more about the second journey in future newsletters in schaa Allah.

But today, I have a different message for you:

Learn your deen. 

I don’t mean the basic islamic topics like Aqidah, Sharia Fiqh. Yes these are extremely important. And I’m not saying you’re not already trying or you shouldn’t focus on these.

I mean the uncomfortable topics too. The questions people ask in their head and sometimes out loud. Learn about the misconceptions of Islam.

But for those who aren’t even studying Islam, ask yourself: What’s stopping you? 

The Prophet ﷺ literally told us that learning our religion is an obligation.

Knowing the answer to these misconceptions starts with learning the basics of our deen but there are also topics like misogyny. People make a lot of claims and we have to rewire our brains to respond.

Muslims are losing their faith.

For those who already study their deen: once you’ve established the basics, start expanding. Get uncomfortable. Learn how to answer the difficult questions about Islam.

Tell me why women wear the hijab and men don’t. 
Tell me why Islam allows the hand of a thief to be amputated. 
Tell me why there’s a man preaching and not a woman. 
Tell me why women are asked to obey their husbands. 

Most Muslims haven’t thought deeply about these questions, and that’s okay. Many of us are born into our religion, and it’s natural to accept it without question.

But we need to learn the uncomfortable.

I’m here to help. I understand these topics aren’t easy for everyone. But for those who face these questions—whether from themselves, family, friends, or colleagues—
I encourage you to take them head-on. 

Let’s not be like that girl in history class, holding back tears and keeping her head down because she didn’t know how to respond.

And this isn’t about justifying the teacher’s behavior—that’s a different story altogether. I mean let's be real: Who asked for his opinion anyway? Let me tell you that baseless claims don’t get anyone far in life. But I wish I knew this sooner.

This is about taking responsibility for our legacy as Muslims.

During a time when our deen is heavily attacked from every corner, now is the time to step up.

“But where do I start?” you might ask.

Simple: identify an area.

- Women’s rights?

- Sharia laws?

- The history of Islam?

- The attributes of Allah?

- The life of the Prophet ﷺ?

- The Quran and its alleged contradictions?

Start with the area you’re most interested in and learn. Personally, I’d recommend beginning with Islamic history—it connects you to so many other areas.

Today, we have countless opportunities to learn, read, and spread knowledge.

Let’s strive, and let’s ask Allah to revive Islam through us. If not us, then who?

We are the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ.

The Prophet who transformed an uneducated society in just a decade.

The Prophet who was sent as a mercy to mankind.

The Prophet who cried for us, saying, “Ummati, Ummati!”  

What have we done to deserve those tears?  

Now is the time to break the cycle of doubt and frustration. 

It starts within yourself.

That’s all for today. Until next time,

I leave you

في امان الله (_{in the care of Allah.)}  
❦ Dunja ❦