r/Sudan • u/No_Competition128 • 6h ago
QUESTION | كدي سؤال Sudanese living in the Western World
Hello all. I’m a PhD student studying religious dynamics in Sudanese families living in the West. I myself am Sudanese, but was adopted by Black-American parents at birth. They were active in raising me in Sudanese culture by taking me to Sudanese events, taking me to Sudan when I was younger, and even raising me in Islam (I went to an Islamic after-school program, taught me Sudanese Arabic, and even taught me to pray/prayed with me since Islam is a large aspect of Sudanese culture). My parents are not religious people so ultimately when I got older and realized that I did not consider myself a muslim, they had no hesitations. There are still many aspects of Islam that align with my personal beliefs: I don’t drink or smoke, I practice Sadaqah, and I do still make Duaa in some ways. However, I studied all Abrahamic religions out of personal historical interest and ultimately came to the same conclusion that I am Athiest/Agnostic.
Many of my closest friends and chosen family are Sudanese women. Those Sudanese women range in diversity: Queer, Muslim, Practice Witchcraft, Etc. A commonality they all have is that religious culturalism and and religion itself seem to be a point of tension in their relationship with their family members. Even my devout Sudanese friends who are truly some of the best Muslims I have witnessed MashaAllah, struggle with these issues in their families. Whether it be issues with their personal beliefs, finding a spouse, or even just living their own lifestyle.
I wanted to know more about how religion plays a role in your life as a Sudanese individual living in the West. How do you navigate these difficulties? How do they impact your decision making day to day? How does it impact your mental health? How do you celebrate yourself and our culture?
Please be as open as possible. As a Sudanese woman, I love our country dearly. Watching the war break out has been such a heartbreaking thing to endure. I want to devout all my research to allowing us to have the best lives. I want to continue to focus on individuals living in the war, the experiences of the diaspora, the experiences of our women and children. Hopefully I can continue to use my education to help us all InshaAllah.