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Getting Excited

Getting Excited

Last updated on: September 16, 2016 at 3:31 pm by Kristina ElSayed

Getting Excited 2016-09-16T15:31:24-04:00 Kristina ElSayed

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These days my life is a lot more mundane than over the top Islamic. I work. My husband works. My people go to school. They have friends. We grocery shop, we do yard work, we clean the house. Rinse, repeat.

I’ve been living this Islamic Life for going on almost 20 years now. Sometimes I forget what parts of my life are Islamic and what isn’t anymore. Then I talk to my friend and mention something and she tells me that its unique to my life. Not usual. Or I get a message from another friend about navigating a tween relationship between a boy and a Muslim girl.

I just roll with it.

What gets me excited though? I LOVE watching Quantico. I started watching because I’m a crime drama junkie. No, not like NCIS. Like old school Law & Order. Like Numbers. Like The Good Wife. I was also intrigued because the main character is a strong, female person of color. In the supporting cast there is a Muslim character, a gay man, an Israeli, 2 blonde country club types, a smattering of good looking men and the FBI.

Embed from Getty Images

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I DVR’d the show because I have a few that I watch every week, and then I bank new shows for when I’m sick or my shows are on hiatus (Bones, Greys Anatomy.) So, I’m not up to date. As of last week, I just finished the New Years Eve episode. Let me tell you. That was amazing. After that episode, I went and tracked down Yasmine Al Massri on Instagram.

Yasmine is the actress who plays the Muslim twins on Quantico. She is amazing. I love how the writers have shown two sisters, one who is conservative and wears hijab full time, the other who is is liberal and does not. They don’t go into great detail about the religion of the characters, it isn’t the main focus, but they do touch on it as needed.

amin

(Photo Credit: Quanticogifs Tumblr)

Also, the characters are supposed to be from Dearborn. And I love it when writers mention places that I’m familiar with in their shows (Supernatural!) I don’t know where the story will lead as the mystery of the bomber unravels, but I hope that they don’t flake out and make the Muslim characters out to be the bad guys. The writers of Quantico have a chance to change opinion about Muslims by entrusting their characters to fight a good fight on the side of the truth. To be on the winning team, and not be that stereotypical trope.

You know what else got me excited? Seeing Ibtihaj Muhammad make Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of the year. I also follow Ibtihaj on Instagram (its my new favorite social media) and when she shared her picture from the Time article, I was filled with pride. Its tricky, because as a non-Muslim woman, I instantly questioned why I was so proud. Its not like I have any influence on her one way or the other. I didn’t contribute anything to her success. She doesn’t even know me. But I am a fan. I am a feminist. My daughters are Muslim. I search constantly for strong, feminist Muslims that I can share with my girls as women to admire.

ibtihajaltopener2

(Photo Credit: Time.com/Fencer)

I shared Ibtihaj’s picture on Instagram and then when our copy of Time Magazine arrived over the weekend, I took a picture of the article and posted it on Facebook. I wanted to share with the people in my circle that this amazing thing happened. I wanted to amplify that a Muslim Woman of Color is representing The USA in Rio this summer’s Olympic games. We will be watching. We will plan a watch party. Just like when Kate and Will got married, we will be watching.

There is another little thing (actually BIG) that got me excited. The Wudu Cling is now being sold online in Canada at Kaamilah Online. For the last 5 years, I’ve been marketing The Wudu Cling on my own, selling through Etsy and Ebay. I reached out to Mosque bookstores all over the USA and even Noor Art. We ran a giveaway on WoodTurtle’s blog. No one wanted to carry The Wudu Cling.

Wudu Cling Outside

But now, finally, this invaluable product is finding traction. I’m happy to say that the first print run is selling out and I’m preparing for a re-launch. I’m looking for a focus group to vet my design changes to before I send off The Wudu Cling to the printer for the second edition. Want to get in on the group? I’m limiting it to 50 people, so if you want in, tell me now. I’d love to have you.

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