Haunting EyesAll along I had been trying my best to steer clear of topics that relate to religion. That was until now. I happened to read an article in Newsweek titled As American as Apple Pie that set me up to write this post. To be exact, the words, “It depends on how you view my head scarf ” that got me thinking. In it, I see only a desperation to being accepted by the rest of the society (given one’s religious beliefs), rather than a quiet conviction in living by them.

I must confess at the outset that I don’t know much about my own religion. That being so it is foolish for me to comment about my neighbor’s. When I was young I was brought up very religiously and was prescribed to follow some strict rules before I can be admitted to my place of worship. Once I was there, I must conform to a set protocol to be accepted in His place of abode. I was told that only certain times of the day one is permitted to offer prayers while at other times He is off limits. That it is more appropriate to offer my prayers in certain garbs than others. Since I was young I took matters such as these on faith.

But as I grew older, I tend to see such strict religious orders as superfluous or too limiting to relate to one another; much less relating to God. Today if someone were to tell me that I should grow a beard to feel religious or to be seen religious, I would first question the practical use of growing a beard or the inconvenience thereof. Matter of fact, for practical reasons, recently I removed even my moustache (You may want to read my other post: To sport a moustache or not? ).


The saffron cloth worn by a Guru, the ceremonial robe of the Pope are more like special effects that we insist that they wear to deserve our worship. It is no different than a Judge wearing a black robe in a court of law. Minus the robe, they are no less worthy of our worship or respect or that they are any less knowledgeable, less pious, or less moral.

To me it appears wearing a garb, covering one’s head, growing a beard are only methods by which we give ourselves a distinct identity and they are counterproductive. By adding one more layer between us and the rest of the humanity, we create a divide, a need to defend ourselves or plead for acceptance. While distancing ourselves from the rest of the humanity, how can we be closer to God?

These days I very rarely visit my place of worship and yet I feel much closer to Him then when I was visiting Him religiously. If you ask me to prove it, I don’t find the need for it. To me, relating to God is deeply personal and the experience cannot be quantifiable in words. It need neither be defended by words nor by a sword.