JIHAD OF THE SOUL be Muslim. You know everyone is born into a specific religion and I believe you don’t have to be that for the rest of your life if you don’t want to. I’m just trying to explore my options. Muslims like Nadirah demand the right to choose their religion for themselves. Being born Muslim does not mean they will remain Muslim. Though this may appear to be a spin-off from individualism, the Quran states, “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256), meaning no one can force another person to be Muslim. Islam is something a person must decide for themselves.
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THE POPULAR GUY Like Nadirah, Ali was born and raised Muslim but has also explored his options and made his own decisions about what is right and wrong. Ali desired to be “just a regular teenager” and, accordingly, began to build a life outside of the masjid. He stayed busy with several extracurricular activities like debate and sports, and he also had several girls with whom he “fooled around.” Even with them, however, Ali postponed having sex. I did not want to even think about having sex. My dad told me that if I got a girl pregnant that I would not be able to go away to college, and I would have to get a job and support the girl and the baby. That scared the crap out of me . . . I like kissing, and “fooling” around, but I was not interested in sex. I had been helping to raise my younger siblings so I understood what babies meant. I had a few intense crushes, one white, one Jewish and one black. Ali admits his behaviors may have fallen outside the expectations of his parents and his community, but he never played the “guilt game.” He says, “I knew it was not what was traditionally acceptable so I kept it in my own realm and did not blast it to the world. Most people saw me as a happy guy who did not date.” While living at home, Ali wanted to be a good student and respect his parents’ rules. It was not until he left home for college that he used the freedom to experiment with different lifestyles. He began to read about other spiritual paths, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. And his new social scene included parties, alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.
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