One of the most difficult hurdles for me...

So there I was: with my family, visiting another city, being given a tour by a local: a friend of a friend... and he asked what we wanted to see, and we mentioned a few things, and in addition to the tourist destinations on the itinerary, I also listed the main mosque of that city and the friend of a friend chuckled and said "Why? do you want to become Muslim? (ha ha)"

:-(

Now more than my dislike of his insensitive and unenlightened comment, I dislike my reaction to it even more.

My weak reply was simply 'I have heard that it is very beautiful'.

This reply was weak, as I did not feel like speaking the entire truth. And it was not because I felt any shame in my new found faith, but it was because I already felt under attack by his 'joke'. How am I to know what his reaction would have been since I did not even have the courage to say 'well, no: because I am already Muslim'. The reaction to such a statement could have been anything, from fear to disgust to simple surprise, however I will not know what his reaction would be until I am in a similar situation with the same person, which is highly unlikely...

So what lesson have I learned from this?

I hope that when in similar circumstances I will not be silent, nor will I make a mistake in the opposite direction and lash out. I pray that God will give me the strength to state the facts as they are and reveal my faith to those capable of understanding. Whether or not they do understand is another matter entirely, but at a minimum I should hope that their world view will be shaken enough for them to question, if even slightly, what they consider to be the 'natural order of things'.

I think that is what happened to me: my persistent naivete that educated persons are also somehow also enlightened... it simply is not true. In addition, I learned that I need to prepare myself for situations such as these, so I can answer to such ignorance with tranquility and Love... and allow myself to be the tool through which Allah's will may flow. Above all, I pray that I may set a good example, and this is the most difficult of all the duties to fulfill.

As always, I welcome you to share your experiences and offer whatever wisdom and advice you may have on this matter...