In Islam, the importance of community is emphasized on a near constant basis. We are regularly reminded of its foundational significance in our everyday lives and are told that the Muslim Ummah should be as if it were one body. There is an abundance of encouragement to focus on the thought that we are unified as one and so we must collectively work together in order to maintain proper care of this body in its entirety. We are taught that when one part of ourself hurts, the whole body suffers. Yet, on a communal level, we are precluding an entire portion of us. For too long, our leadership and the community in general have ignored, disregarded, and overlooked our blind brothers and sisters in Islam. We are allowing this segment of our ummah to go without inclusion, recognition, and consideration. As a society in faith, we have failed to meet the needs of the blind community. As Muslims, we are sadly falling short in displaying the character of kindness, compassion, and empathy our beloved Prophet Muhammad ‎ﷺ has taught us. We have tragically strayed from the altruism Allah ﷻ has made incumbent upon us and I believe the time for change has come.

            There is a hadith that states that Muslims ought to be for one another as blocks are to a building or structure. It is said the Prophet Muhammad ‎ﷺ said these words and interlocked his fingers to illustrate his point. We should be so intertwined as a people that we become a strong and sturdy support for one another. This is an incredibly beautiful trait we should all be striving towards as brothers and sisters in Islam. However, the reality is starkly different. Whether it is due to lack of knowledge and information, cultural biases, or presumptions that lead to misunderstanding, the fact remains that blind Muslims face discrimination and neglect at the hands of their own brethren. I am very aware that this is an extremely difficult and painful truth to acknowledge, but the first step in remedying the situation is to confront what is occurring, feel the unease, and allow it to motivate oneself to take action.

There are too many blind Muslims who stay in the shadows of the community because of the treatment they have received from a vast majority of their able-bodied brothers and sisters in Islam. Their voices are silenced because their presence has been rejected. I have personally heard many accounts of blind Muslims being completely ignored when they come to the Masjid. The distress they relive and vividly feel when sharing their stories is heartbreaking. These are our brothers and sisters turning to the Ummah for acceptance, love, care, and companionship. They are seeking to have the same respect and affection afforded to their able-bodied counterparts. Instead, they are met with indifference and disregard. Those of us who are blind are not included in conversations about us and our disability. As a Muslim Ummah, we cannot sincerely say that we are genuinely an embracing, solid reinforcement for one another when our blind brothers are being dismissed so severely.

Recently, I shared a very personal and vulnerable experience I had with the Muslim community; specifically with those in positions of leadership. I am one of many blind individuals who has chosen to manage my disability with the help of a guide dog. Having this guide dog allows myself and countless others to live a full, productive, independent, and dignified life. However, this is a point of contention for many Muslims and they hold fast to the stigma of dogs without comprehending much about guide dogs. They lack the knowledge of the intensity of the training of both dog and handler, the relationship between dog and handler, and the significance of the guide dog’s role in the handler’s life. Many times the stigma and aversion to dogs is formed as a result of deeply seeded cultural biases. It is well known that the issue of dogs and permissibility has varying Islamic scholarly opinions, but there is a general consensus that a dog providing a service or fulfilling a need, such as a guide dog is perfectly acceptable. For a guide dog user like myself, this dog takes on the literal role of my eyes while still enabling for the retention of autonomy and dignity.

            Many times, when our blind brothers and sisters express their needs or attempt to communicate their experiences, they are completely discounted. Over the years as a blind Muslim woman, I have found that opening up with my story and telling the stories of fellow blind Muslims seems to illicit very strong discomfort from our able-bodied brothers and sisters. When we speak of what we have to endure on a constant basis when interacting with the overall Muslim community, it is firmly stated by many that we are the ones misconceiving and misinterpreting what is happening. Our narratives are diminished, reshaped, and retold through the lens of those who are able-bodied. For instance, when we are outright denied entry into mosques with our guide dogs, told to just have members of the congregation guide us around, excluded from social events, ignored at gatherings, passed over for marriage, etc. We are heavily advised that we must be accepting and tolerant of this behavior. When we are made to feel as if we need to leave our white canes at the entrance of prayer spaces, when our brothers and sisters literally move away from us simply because we are walking by with our guide dogs, when our children ask us why other Muslims are looking at us harshly, when our humanity is dismissed and we finally decide to stand up for ourselves, it is declared that we should be exhibiting unlimited patience.

Fortitude and insight are admirable qualities, but they cannot be used to continuously silence and mistreat our blind community members. There needs to be a genuine willingness from the leaders and the ummah to learn from those of us who are disabled. The leadership particularly has to be open to engaging in dialog with those of us who are blind, earnestly accept our input, and follow our lead in these discussions. In doing so, we can begin moving towards the goal of inclusion; bringing benefit to both our disabled and able-bodied members of our community.

Currently the focus has been on the topic of bringing guide dogs to the mosque. While this matter is extremely important, the fact that blind individuals are being stripped of our autonomy and ability to make well informed choices for ourselves is of absolute concern. The issue of the able-bodied community speaking for us and about us without including us in these crucial conversations is quite serious and should be given sincere acknowledgement. Rather than asking what we need and what can be done to properly support and assist us, the able-bodied community takes it upon themselves to make decisions for us on how we should manage our disability without having experienced life as a disabled person. Those of us who are disabled are the ones who need to be directing the conversations that affect us. We are the ones suited to inform the able-bodied community on what we require and how we must individually manage our disability. We have our own valid voices that could teach the ummah plenty about ourselves, our experiences, and our needs. All we’re asking for is a willingness to listen and learn from us.

            As cofounder of Islam By Touch and a blind Muslim, I take the responsibility of serving my community to heart. I have lived first hand too many of the accounts shared by fellow blind brothers and sisters. What is most striking, is that the experiences are almost all identical regardless of who is recounting them. They are narratives of neglect, exclusion, denial of autonomy, and heartache. These are our brothers and sisters who are told that Muslims should love for their brothers what they love for themselves, and yet, the leaders and the community have not shown that. As an ummah, we cannot say we have exemplified this hadith when access to mosques is denied to a blind brother or sister with their guide dog. We cannot unequivocally say that we are bolstering one another when our blind community members have been pushed aside for decades. We cannot honestly say that we truly love for our brothers what we love for ourselves when we have failed to make our Muslim spaces, institutions, and communities inclusive for our blind brothers and sisters.

            Allah  has sent Islam with its beauty and perfection for all mankind and our beloved Prophet Muhammad ‎ﷺ was sent as a messenger for all people. Allah gave us the Quran as a guide and mercy for all, and yet, our blind brothers and sisters live with the anguish of feeling unwanted, unwelcome, devalued, and ignored by their very own community. As one body, we have the capability to change the status quo. We have the ability to come together and rectify what has been wrong for too many years. We have it in us to stand and produce the change that is undoubtedly necessary. If our leadership engages in productive, respectful conversations with those of us who are blind with an eagerness and desire to learn, the voices of the disabled community are heard and validated, and the ummah cooperatively opens its heart, we can begin to truly be a support for one another and pave the way for each and every Muslim to experience the beauty of Islam together.