Rosalinda Wijks, a young Dutch woman who identifies as Afro-Surinamese, speaks about converting to Islam, seeking a like-minded community of Muslims, and her brief foray into leftist political activism. Through it all, her fond ties to her family have proved crucial in finding a community and helping her discover new artistic interests. This is her story, in her own words. As told to Sya Taha.
Mother and daughter embrace at Rosalinda’s official shahada ceremony
I converted to Islam shortly after my 17th birthday, now 10 years ago. As a teenager, I started to read a lot about different religions: early and gnostic Christianity, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Then I read two books that hit a note: A book called Islam Verhalenderwijs (Islam in Stories) which describes Islam in tales, some of which Christianity and Islam have in common.
The famous prayer of Rabia al-‘Adawiya al-Basra touched me deeply when I was reading about Sufism: “O my Lord, if I worship Thee out of fear from Hell; throw me in hell, and if I worship Thee out of desire for Paradise, banish me from Paradise. But if I worship Thee for Yourself and Your sake alone, grudge me not Thy everlasting Beauty.” For the very first time I felt that Islam might be something for me!
It was two women who brought me to Islam. In that same period I started to read books by Karen Armstrong. The one that interested me the most was A History of God, which is a book about the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Then I read her biography of the Prophet, which convinced me that Muhammad (peace be upon him) really was a prophet. Not long after that, I took my own unofficial shahada on my way home from school, sitting under a tree. And slowly but gradually, I started to practise Islam.
I don’t share the values of the majority of converts here. There are many convert groups and communities, mostly consisting of white Dutch women married or in a relationship with men who were raised as Muslims. They tend to be somewhat rigid when it comes to social rules for women.
Rosalinda takes her first official shahada at a ceremony organised by Al Nisa, a Dutch Muslim women’s organisation
In the many mosques I’ve visited, I’ve never felt at home – neither as a woman, nor as a black woman. I spent a lot of time with various Muslim communities of different ethnicities – in their mosques, and at parties, community centres and concerts – but at a certain point I started to feel more and more dissatisfied.
My friends and I are building our own community in a Surinamese mosque I discovered a few months ago, just a five-minute walk from my home. A friend had told me about it, and I spread the word to many friends, who told it to their friends. It’s founded and largely visited by Javanese-Surinamese Muslims, but other nationalities are also welcome. The men and women pray in one space – the men in the front and the women in the back. All the sermons and lectures are in Dutch, and they are short and practical. One of the first times I came, the imam came to greet me and asked enthusiastically, “Are you also from Surinam?”
I have been a leftist political activist for years. When I was about 16, I felt drawn to socialist groups because I shared many of their ideals. The overwhelming majority of the group, both in Holland and Belgium, consisted of young Moroccans. Many of them did not know Surinamese culture or the Surinamese people, which meant that I was treated differently: people would ask why I came to a gathering, or questioned whether I was actually a Muslim. I’m not sorry I joined the group, since back then, with the knowledge I had at the time, it was a good thing to do.
The only thing I am really sorry about is that I was involved with and focused on Arabs and their culture and events instead of just finding my own way. I did many good and useful things, but in the end I grew tired of the fact that everything seemed to revolve around politics and that many so-called “comrades” weren’t really interested in me as a person, but more in me as a member of their myriad groups. I was especially disappointed when I noticed that many activist-friends weren’t the least interested in me or how I was doing but only in whether they could campaign and protest with me. I quit when I started getting really busy with my studies and learning to practise my new faith which took much, if not all, of my time.
Rosalinda signs an attestation of faith at her official shahada ceremony
I still have many ideals I try to live up to. For instance, I boycott Israeli products and try to eat organic if and when I can. In the years that followed I did occasionally visit a protest march, but I have distanced myself from politics since then.
Dancing allows me to connect with my body, intuition and emotions. All my life I had been the typical intellectual girl – always indoors, always reading – but I have always loved to dance socially at school and Surinamese parties. As a girl I had ballet classes and also tried street dance. Later I enrolled in the first “belly dance” class I found online and I loved it. I started taking regular classes and discovered new musical genres and a whole new dance culture. To me, raqs sharqi, or oriental dance, is a very beautiful art if done authentically and artistically.
My favourite Arab artist is Umm Kulthum because she had it all – talent, business sense, personality and class. She could improvise on the spot, turning a 15-minute song into a 60-minute one by developing the melody and playing with the words. That is soul, that is art, that is life, as I see it. It’s real, living music I love, not music made with a computer program. Allah Al-Musawwir creates beauty and loves beauty, so what could be wrong with music, dance and art?
Images courtesy of Rosalinda Wijks
This article originally appeared in the December 2013 Holiday, Celebrate issue of Aquila Style magazine. For a superior and interactive reading experience, you can get the entire issue, free of charge, on your iPad or iPhone at the Apple Newsstand, or on your Android tablet or smartphone at Google Play
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