Islam for Americans
by Khadija Anderson
1. means god in Arabic
99 names
no eyes
no ears
Al lah
Al lah
AL LAH
alif lam lam alif
Allah is not male
NOT male
not a man
or he
or HE
or anything that
you
can imagine
2. Does your husband make you wear that?
I am a
wrapped piece
of candy a
swaddled jewel
I am perfect
woman under
my packaging
you may not see
my effusive gold mahr
my fruitful awrah
3. Does your religion make you wear that?
the woman
who does not
cover her hair
should have it
shorn
~ Corinthians 15:6
4. Tessellation
Middle Eastern Art Scheherazade veil sheikh
The Alhambra calligraphy Afghanistan burqa
Palestine hashish Morocco pyramids violence
hooknosed Arabic sword mosque haram thief
sand nigger Sinbad jihad camel whore infidel
Iraq belly dancing terrorist Aladdin barbarian
Sahara couscous hookah Rumi rag head bitch
5. last words
I see a woman covered
in a long dress, headscarf
and face veil
salaam aleykum, I say
and as she looks at my
bare head, tank top
and tattoos
she replies,
wa aleykum salaam sister
* * *
Glossary:
mahr: The gift a new husband gives his wife as part of the marriage contract, traditionally gold
awrah: That part of the body not allowed to be seen by anyone but your spouse and close family
as salaam aleykum: traditional Muslim greeting, “peace be upon you”
wa aleykum salaam: the return greeting, “and peace be upon you”
* * *
This piece originally appeared in qarrtsiluni on November 6, 2009 and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Khadija Anderson, mother, Muslim, and Anarchist (not necessarily in that order) returned to her hometown of Los Angeles after eighteen years exile in Seattle. Khadija’s poetry has been published extensively online and in print journals and anthologies. Her first book of poetry, History of Butoh, was published in 2012, and she runs a monthly social justice poetry series in Pasadena, CA.