Love from A to Z(92)

First for her, for her soul to be freer than it had ever been on earth, and then for me. Please, God, don’t let the hatred through which others see the world distort my own sense of justice.

I smoothed the grave before laying the flowers down.

It felt like I’d laid down my last guard against vulnerability.

I was okay seeing things through my own eyes. Not defensively, the way people who hate saw me. I was done with that.

I needed to be done with that now that I was starting law school in the fall.

I would be studying the only thing I wanted to know the most about: human rights.

For everyone.

Because that was the only way the world made sense. When the arc of care went far and wide.

So wide it journeyed and battled to exclude none.

Beside me, Adam straightened up after saying his own duas, and I glanced at his eyes, glittery with tears.

There was no one around, just us two in this desolate location, so I sank into him, and he stretched his arms to engulf me, his kisses covering my own tears.

Oh, I forgot to record my marvel today. It’s the greatest one of all.

You probably guessed it.





MARVEL: LOVE





AUTHOR’S NOTE


On MS, Conversion, and Islamophobia

Adam’s multiple sclerosis experiences were written with the help of a family member who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS early on in his life. With support, especially from his wife of more than twenty years, and good health care, he lives a life of resilience with a positive outlook rooted in his strong Muslim faith.

However, it must be noted that MS experiences vary and the circumstances described in Love from A to Z do not typify nor communicate the full extent of people’s experiences living with the illness.

The depictions of Adam; his father, David; and Zayneb’s mother, Alisha, as being converts to Islam were also guided by family members of West Indian and white backgrounds, including my husband, who converted to the faith at the age of nine (under the guidance of his convert mother). A member of my Muslim community, the Canadian journalist Steven Zhou, read the manuscript to ensure accuracy regarding the representation of converts of Chinese backgrounds (as Adam and David are).

The Islamophobia described in this book is based on true incidents. Zayneb’s scenes on the flight, at the swimming pool, and online were written calling upon memories of painful personal experiences—ones that will resonate with many.

As an educator for more than twenty years, I wish I could exempt Zayneb’s classroom experiences from this litany of hateful incidents, but in bearing witness to truth, I really cannot. Three years ago, a high school teacher at a school board just outside Toronto was fired after a group of students discovered the Islamophobic content he’d been posting online. The bravery and courage of these students to go to the school board, to speak truth to power, inspired parts of my book. I wish I’d been as dauntless as a teen when I’d sat in classrooms, wincing from the Islamophobia I heard again and again.

While writing Love from A to Z, I often wondered if all this would seem too incredulous to some readers—but then I knew for certain that so many other readers would nod their heads in recognition. I write for all of you—those who know what it feels like and those who don’t, but want to.

Onward, readers, into a better world born from empathy, lit by the sparks of truth, courage, and love.