Battle of Valentines.

"Haha, you know what, I don't blame us man. Come on, all we have seen/heard since childhood is just battles. Remember our Islamiyet Olevels paper? Just a few bunch of battles that helped us spread this faith? We love battles. Except for the one within, we love all sorts of battles outside."

There is a field. Field where we position. Position ourselves, our beliefs, our customs, our identities, our list of hate, our list of love, what we promote as hate and what we promote as love.

If we are expressing our opinion, our thoughts about anything we are willingly and intentionally choosing to be positioned in the field. By expressing, we are maturely taking the decision to become the ambassadors of what we are saying. Expression comes with responsibility. Whether you express in a group of friends over coffee or in a conference.

Despite the world telling you otherwise, you are being judged and positioned in the minds of other people. Constantly. Every moment. Our attempts to fake a certain identity doesn't last long. Hence, in this field, when we express, whatever we express, we are cautiously choosing to establish an ideology or support an existing one.

When somebody points at hijab and asks if I am doing so out of oppression, I don't defend the terrorists who sold that impression to the world. But yes, I use the opportunity to position my stance against it. It is like the world giving you a minute to make/break/reinforce their current image of my faith.

I was clicking pictures at the Diwali festival on Trafalgar Square few months back when I was stopped by an old lady. She tapped on my shoulder and gestured towards my scarf.

"Are you wearing this because its cold?" She asked. Fragile, old 70 something lady dressed in long skirt.
"No." I smiled.
"Are you a Muslim?" She then asked.
"Yes" I responded, feeling a bit uneasy.
Before I knew it, she hugged me tight and happily said "Enjoy my child. God bless you! I love muslims who celebrate diwali with us!"
Out of excitement and surprise, I ended up sharing all my fascinations with festivals, celebrations and happiness.

And that is when I realized. Those three minutes, how crucial were those moments to define my stance, to express who I am and where I stem from.

We all get such moments. To pierce through the wrong stereotypes attached with our identity. Be it an identity as a woman. Be it an identity as a girl clad in scarf. Be it an identity as a mere student.

While scrolling through the newsfeed and recalling messages from last year, I am amused at the amount of time/energy we spend at defending religion against 14th February.

Not celebrating it out of personal choice is one thing. Not celebrating it, taking out the sword of Religion and then preaching the rest not to is another.

If you ever have to see the insecurity and epitome of defense mechanism in action, then witness the ambassadors who suddenly remember to propagate what is right and wrong exactly and precisely on the day when the world wants to celebrate something.

Few years back, somebody rightly pointed out. We are the conspiracy theory. We hate when we are marginalized and labelled as terrorists, as oppressed ladies behind the veil, as members of the religion that spreads hatred. Lets be honest.

Why wouldn't you say that about a bunch of confused ambassadors (every single one of us) when we love being sadists and harming ourselves? We hardly let go of instances to prove otherwise anyway.

Be it a Zionist lobby, a conspiracy theory from Mars or another attempt by some evil power to eradicate our expression, if we are leveraging "Valentines Day" to spread any message that carries even a slightest resemblance to being inferred that our religion is a religion of "hatred"...

I repeat.  if we are leveraging "Valentines Day" to spread any message that carries even a slightest resemblance to being inferred that our religion is a religion of "hatred"...

If we are using the name of God and His Obligations to satisfy our egos in arguments against "Valentines Day" then know well, we are the conspiracy theory.

Here is a day, like many others celebrated, where the world is giving you an absolute opportunity to prove how your Religion propagates Love. Actually, they are not even asking us, but nevertheless, considering how we spring into action against the day, it has yet again helped to set eyes on how YOU and I will react to it every year. Its a fragile situation where you and I can make or break the image.

I don't get it why can't this day be used more sensibly? I am yet to find a teaching where God and this faith ever told me that it is wrong to smile, spread smile, buy/share flowers, express intimacy with my loved ones.

If we or part of us are bypassing obligations set by the Faith then it is not the Valentines Day that is wrong. Don't blame satanic forces of St. Valentines. Let's blame ourselves, our weak will power, our dearth of understanding God and His message, our lack of inherent ability to express/spread Love in the right way.

If for some, the day means love equally sex and lust; then I don't get how it is eradicating the other definition of Love being something far more honorable. So much so, that we feel the need to defend our faith against it. As if, the faith would expire on the eve of 14th February if we don't express our hatred for it.

If some of us are not avid fans of the day, then let it be. Don't drag in religion to prove what you don't want to be a part of. Stop selling religion and God.

Right to respectfully disagree and co exist peacefully is different from trying to legitimize your "intolerance"/ "eradication" of others' customs.

Start using your moments wisely to express what you advocate...responsibly.