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(Reel rattles)

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- Kashif: So I'm a Muslim
- by choice. I would say.


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- I would say I'm a Muslim
- by choice.


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- Although I was born
- into a Muslim family,


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- I didn't wanna just be
- a certain religion


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- or believe in something
- just because my family did.


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- I wanted to believe it
- for myself.


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- My relationship to prayer,
- I value it.


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I realize how important it is,

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- and what a valuable role
- it plays.


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- But sometimes it's hard
- to get done,


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- just because there's so much
- going on in your life.


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- Yes, the role of it is that,
- you know,


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- have a lot going on
- in your day,


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- and you can pull away from that
- and separate yourself.


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- But it's hard to actually
- do that in reality.


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- Sometimes I'll be coming in
- to school,


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and I'll get off the train,

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- and I'll have 5 or 10 minutes
- till class.


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Maybe it's already started,

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- and I realize that I've
- got to get it done now,


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I've gotta get it done quick.

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- And I'll try and find a
- bathroom that's private,


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- and I'll start the ritual
- ablution that's called Wudu.


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- The metaphor that a lot
- of Muslims like to use is


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- that, you know, if you bathed
- in a river five times a day,


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would you be dirty.

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- Well, there's no way
- you could be.


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- And so in a similar way
- from cleansing yourself


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five times a day,

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you are metaphorically,

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- and in a way physically
- cleansing yourself


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- from the actions
- and the events of the day,


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as they happen.

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- It helps focus my attention
- back inwards


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instead of outward.

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- The prophet Mohamed,
- peace be upon him,


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- Was, you know, told that
- the world is a mosque.


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- Treat the world as you would
- your mosque


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and treat it well.

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- That also means that,
- you know,


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- you don't have to pray
- in a mosque.


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- You know, you can pray
- in public


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or in different places.

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- And so usually that ends up
- being the stairwell


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- because it's not very
- heavily used.


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- And when I feel comfortable
- that I can, you know,


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- pray and I won't be
- causing any awkwardness,


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- I'll put my bag down
- to the side


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and I'll put down my coat.

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- Because Muslim prayers
- have very specific rules


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- to them that you have
- to follow,


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- it gives a discipline that
- allows you to focus


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on your sense itself.

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- So your feet are
- in a specific place,


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- your hands are in a specific
- place folded in a specific way.


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- But all the little bones in
- your fingers and your feet,


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- there's specific roles
- for them in each action.


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- And so because those
- roles are so set,


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it helps focus your mind,

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- and your body just being
- present in the room.


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(Praying quietly)

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If I hear someone upstairs,

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- I don't know if they're gonna
- come down the stairs or not.


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- So I'm already like,
- oh, I should be hurrying up


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- or I should be moving or I
- should be doing something else,


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- and that's going to affect
- my ability to concentrate


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on what I'm doing.

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Usually it speeds me up,

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- and like you're not focused
- at that point.


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- You're just going through
- the motions


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- just so that you don't have to
- have that awkward encounter.


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- You know,
- I live in British Columbia.


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- It's a very natural
- environment,


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and very beautiful place.

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- And so it's very easy
- to imagine nature


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And, you know, God's creation.

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- That helps me to focus on
- an image


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- so that I'm not focused
- on the visuals around me


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- that are maybe not conducive
- to prayer.


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- And it helps me
- to focus my mind


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- because it is something that
- is so routine in a way.


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It's not an unusual thing,

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- so it's not like I'm getting
- ecstatic every time,


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- but it does bring me peace
- and calmness


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more than anything else.

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(Praying quietly)

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When I am able to focus,

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- my thoughts are more collected,
- they come together.


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I can start to feel my body.

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- I can kind of feel my brain
- focusing,


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- and I have more of a sense
- of my chest


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- and my arms and my legs
- and where they are.


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- And so when I return
- to regular life,


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- I'm not just seeing
- and hearing everything else.


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- I also have a sense
- of myself in the room,


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and it helps me be more present.