Wadud’s “What’s in a Name” was an interesting read. The first thing that caught my eye was the list of definitions of Islam that were commonly used that Wadud provided, including “Islam is terrorism… Islam is whatever any Muslim does” (18). The two definitions caught my eye the most because of how Islam is portrayed in the media and the Western world. The definitions mentioned by Wadud are particularly evident for Muslim, hijabi women By visibly representing their faith, hijabis often feel the need to perfect themselves as a way to protect Islam and show the world what true Islam is. Today’s media seems to have a hard time distinguishing Islam and “whatever Muslims do”, as Wadud highlights in her essay.
Another bit I found particularly interesting is when Wadud mentioned her daughter’s excitement to eat “Muslim food” (19). People often intertwine religion and culture, and Wadud’s example of her daughter connecting Islam with Mediterranean and South Asian cuisine is a perfect example of unintentional religion and culture clash. It is not only harmful to Islam itself, but to the cultures themselves.
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