“If you need me to prove my humanity, I’m not the one who’s not human.”
The second place runner up of the 9th Poetry Slam Competition, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, shook the world with her poem “This Is Not A Humanising Poem” at a charity event organized by Roundhouse with her moving words on showing true solidarity and love in a time of Islamophobia. Her raw emotions send a powerful message to stop the trend of “humanizing Muslims” through their accomplishments and relatable experiences.
Her words not only received more than a million views on Facebook and other social media, but have indeed captured the hearts of Muslims everywhere. You go, Suhaiymah!
“This will not be a ‘Muslims are like us’ poem, I refuse to be respectable. Instead, love us when we are lazy, love us when we are poor. Love us high as kites, unemployed, joy riding, time wasting, failing at school, love us filthy. Without the right color passports, without the right sounding English.”