In the following essay, I want to share a religious autobiography of myself in 1,000 words. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Islam is a religion that is often misinterpreted as a male-dominated religion, where personal rights are routinely ignored or flouted. However, this is a false stigma that has been perpetuated in Western culture, and it is important to understand the reality of the situation. Growing up with first-generation immigrant parents and being the oldest of four brothers allowed me to be a leader in what some consider a strict religion. Living in the United States allowed Western culture to influence our Muslim home, which gave me the freedom to develop my own views and choose which aspects of Islam I wanted to follow. Growing up, I was the eldest of four brothers and therefore had many responsibilities. I was a role model for them, and it's like the saying goes: "Monkey sees, monkey does." I was their sense of direction. This applied to all aspects of life, but most important was my attitude toward our Saturday church school. I quickly realized that if I rarely wanted to attend or acted like it was a chore, I would pass these behaviors on to my siblings. Every Saturday, my parents pile us into the van and drop us off at our neighborhood mosque. We spent the next few hours reciting verses from the Quran, learning how to be an ideal Muslim, and reading and writing in Arabic. It was a Saturday ritual until I was twelve, when I decided it wasn't for me anymore. My parents resisted, but I assured them it was better for them to save their money. What I learned in class was similar to what I learned in college. We had just finished learning about the "Golden Rule" and ways to help our community, and I felt that sitting in a classroom for hours over the weekend instead of taking action these words were a waste of time. I became more involved in my community and felt a sense of well-being. I firmly believed in “taking care of your neighbor” and helping those less fortunate. Islam addresses the importance of caring for one another, and I wanted to put those words into practice. My choice was to join the Girl Scouts of America, and from that point on, community service was a part of my life. As I grew up, I developed my own views on religion. There were a handful of my friends from school who wore hijabs after puberty. There is a double standard with women in Islam: we should not distract boys with our developed bodies. Fortunately, my parents didn't force this on me. They allowed me to wear whatever I wanted, including the high school volleyball uniform. It was only when I was in the company of my brothers and my father that I was asked to cover up. This frustrated me because it would require me to wear multiple layers of clothing, including summers, while my brothers could walk around in their boxers unscathed by my parents' opinions. That's when I had the revelation that even though we took the same religion classes, followed the same prayer and fasting schedules, I had more restrictions because of my gender. I questioned my faith because I felt like a second-class citizen. Women were subject to many more rules such as covering themselves, not having sex before marriage, and, in some parts of the world, having no access to education.