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As a Muslim Canadian, this has stirred many feelings within me but above all, I'm embarrassed and fearful.I'm embarrassed by Canadians who are falling for this, that the people I live among would just forget being Muslim is a single identity in a multitude that also includes "Canadian." That there appears to be little understanding that not all Muslims are first generation immigrants and most of those who are were not welcomed out of some grand benevolence, but because their skills were required for the Canadian economy to grow.I'm also embarrassed by how little Canadians know about Muslims. There are, in fact, one million of us who live among you. My friend Aisha Jamal is a filmmaker and, like many of us, is tired of being forced into uninformed conversations about issues like the niqab and above all is tired of "small-minded questions.""I'm Afghan… I feel like I'm always talking about headscarves and the Taliban," she tells me.But at the same time, Muslims feel obliged to answer every question—no matter how banal or personal—to appear open and non-threatening, proving we are "normal."Read on Munchies: I Talked to a Young Muslim Facebook Group About Pork
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The caricature of the snarling bearded Muslim man and oppressed, veiled Muslim woman seems so entrenched, I'm often told: "Well, you're not really Muslim."That worries me. That because someone feels they relate to me, I couldn't possibly be part of this "other" mysterious, foreign, incompatible group.This isn't just about "people like me"—it's about the erosion of rights writ large. And everyone should be worried about that.Follow Sadiya Ansari on Twitter.Read on Noisey: Zayn Malik's Role As a Muslim Superstar Is Only Going to Grow