The Garden of My Imaan by Farhana Zia

Author:Farhana Zia [Zia, Farhana]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781561459735
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Published: 2013-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

“I’m thinking about running for my homeroom rep,” I said at dinner.

“That’s great, Aliya,” Baba said. “Getting involved is so much better than standing on the sideline.”

“We need more of our young people getting involved in politics,” Mom said. “We need bright kids speaking up for us.”

“Mom, it’s only grade school.” I didn’t quite see how the Glen Meadow Student Council was going to solve the problems of American Muslims. All the council did was stuff like fund-raisers and spirit days.

“It doesn’t matter that it’s just school,” she said. “The important thing is that your voice would be heard, no matter how big or small the issue.”

“Yes, yes, you should do it,” Badi Amma said after Amma explained everything to her. “When I was your age, I was captain of the basketball team.”

“You played basketball?” Zayd asked.

“Yes.” Badi Amma laughed. “And I was such a tall thing, everyone said, ‘Oh oh! All is lost! Lumbu has the ball, Lumbu has the ball!’“

“What’s lumbu?” Zayd asked.

“Tall person,” Badi Amma explained. “It is Urdu for tall person.”

“But you were in high school then, Badi Amma,” I said. “You told me last time.”

“It doesn’t matter, the age. But it matters that I was captain and I threw the ball in the hoop.”

“Yes, Badi Amma,” Baba said, looking at my great-grandmother with a big grin. “You are absolutely right!”

“She certainly is.” Mom turned to me. “Age doesn’t matter and the issue doesn’t matter either. What does matter is that you put yourself right in the middle of things with your head held high.”

“Yes, yes,” Badi Amma agreed.

Then my mother told me about Iqbal Massih, a Pakistani kid who spoke out against child slavery, and about an eighteen-year-old who got elected mayor somewhere in this country. I think she was trying to inspire me.

But more than anything, I wanted to feel good about myself around Juliana.

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