I love Friday nights, and not just because it's everyone's payday. Nope, for me and close to two billion Muslims worldwide, it's our holy day. Jummah Mubarak is what we say to each other. Tonight, when I went to my favorite Masjid, my boyfriend Adam Stephens asked me if he could come with me. As a Muslim woman, what do you think my answer was? A resounding yes! My name is Ayaan Ismail and I'm a young Somali-Canadian woman living in the City of Ottawa, Ontario.
For the past few months, I've been dating a fine young man, Adam Stephens, who hails from a small town on the other side of Ontario. Adam and I come from different worlds. I was born in Somalia and raised in Ontario, Canada. Adam was born to an Afro-Caribbean immigrant father and a white Canadian mother. He was raised in the Christian faith and I'm a proud Muslim woman. You wouldn't think a couple like us would end up together, but against all odds, we stuck it out.
I've never imposed my faith on Adam, I merely asked him to respect it. I have much respect for the Abrahamic faiths, which include Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Adam considers himself a lapsed Christian and never showed any interest in Islam until that fateful Friday night. There I was, clad in my Hijab and traditional long robe, ready to head to the sisters entrance of a certain mosque located in the east end of Ottawa, and my favorite biracial stud stunned me by asking to come with me.
Well, I sat Adam down and told him a few basic things about my faith, namely how one behaves inside the Masjid, which we Muslims consider to be holy ground. Adam nodded, and smiled, and insisted on going with me. Off we went, hand in hand, a tall young biracial man and his tall, curvy, Hijab-wearing Muslim girlfriend. We looked totally cute together!
I was bubbling with excitement because that's every Muslim woman's dream. To head to the Masjid with the man that I love, to be able to show to both man and God that my love for this man is real. For I do love Adam, the charming and at times infuriating young man who stole my heart. My sweet Adam, who makes me melt.