"I was going to the mosque once, and I usually . . . wear a scarf when I go to the mosque. I was at a stoplight, and there was this man in a truck, and he got out and came up to my window and gave me the finger, and just stood there for like two minutes.

"And I didn't know what to do because I was all alone in my car, and there's this big guy and I'm this little girl. And so I just sat there and drove away when the light turned green.

"But that's it. I guess he just saw my scarf and thought I was like a terrorist or something, but I don't know."

Huma Ansari, 18, is like many American teens. She lives with her parents and younger sister in Muncie, attends Burris Laboratory School on the Ball State campus, and plans to attend Indiana University in the fall, majoring in pre-med and biology.

Unlike most teen-age girls, however, she is Muslim -- one of about 200,000 Muslims in Indiana.

Ansari talked to Y-Press recently about her life as a Muslim in America after Sept. 11.

In her own words

"In Muncie, there aren't any other Muslim youth my age. We have about 90 kids in our Sunday school, and they're between the ages of 3 and 14.

"My friends are mostly Christian or Hindu. I have a lot of Hindu friends because my family is from India. I went to a Christian -- a Baptist -- school, until the fifth grade. And I think sometime like late in elementary, like third or fourth grade, people were like, 'Oh, well, you're gonna go to hell because you're not Christian.'

". . . And so I would always ask my parents, you know, and they were like, 'Well, they just don't understand.' I think people don't realize how many similarities there are, and they just try to accentuate the differences, and that really makes it difficult for me.

"(Islam) is a lot like Judaism and Christianity -- it has the same roots. We believe in the same prophets, like Abraham and Jesus. We believe in Adam and Eve and that kind of thing.

"I think that a lot of times the Western world sort of has this misconception that Muslim women are under oppression. I think they interpret modesty as oppression. In the Quran, which is like the Bible, it shows that men and women are equal in everything. Islam was the first religion to actually give women the right to own land and have business, and be the sole owner of a business, and to vote.

"In Islam, you can never justify killing another person. They even say that killing one person is like killing all of humanity, and saving one person is like saving all of humanity.

"(On September 11th) I actually called home from school, crying . . . because people were just joking around and stuff. And my mom just told me to ignore them, and if anything, tell them that I didn't do anything wrong, so why are you discriminating against me or making fun of me, because I'm just like any one of you and we're all victims, I guess.

"People have a misconception that we're like fighters and like brutal people, and that's just not true at all. Like the week after September 11th, on campus, a couple of guys were walking, and I was walking to one of my classes. And this guy said, 'Those damn Muslims just like want to take over the world,' or something like that. And I was walking behind them, and I got really offended. So I got up in front of them, and I was like, 'What are you talking about? I'm Muslim, and I'm a little girl and I'm not trying to take over the world or anything.'

"I think it (the media) definitely plays a big role. I was watching, I think it was CNN and Fox News and like all the other news channels (and) all had these debates on about how to change the Muslim world.

"It was just all of these really negative stereotypes, and a lot of them had Muslim guests on the show, talking about Islam. And every time they would say something positive, the host would interrupt them with something, you know, like a misconception or say, 'Well, you're not right, this is how it is.' So I think the voice of the Muslim world is a lot of times just turned down.

"And I think Muslims only show up in the media when they do bad things. And I honestly believe that if a Christian or a Jew or a Hindu or a Buddhist does a crime, it won't be such a big deal. Because now, I mean, Muslims are a target.

"I have a cousin who went to Harvard, and he is an Islamic studies major, and he's working for an attorney in Washington. . . . And he had a lot of trouble with people following him, just like that week or two after September 11th, and like being searched and that kind of thing. And even he said, 'I work for a senator,' and the senator didn't even help him out.

"The first week or so we were all afraid to go to the mosque because we weren't sure what to expect. And actually we had friends come from a church downtown, and they all sat out in our parking lot while we had prayer services and stuff just to make sure we were safe. Then we just got back to our daily schedule, I guess.

"(September 11th) has made me more aware of who I am and everything. And people are asking a lot more questions, and people are a lot more ready to learn, because I think in this world, like in this day and age, you have to know about people.

"I've been giving talks about Islam and talking to my friends. It was a little scary at first because there was a little bit of discrimination and people just seemed like, 'Oh, you're Muslim. Well, they kill people, you know.'

"But I think it's a good thing the way that like the American people are responding and reaching out because I think understanding between two cultures or two religions, any two religions, is the most important thing that can happen."

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About Islam

Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is a monotheistic religion. "Islam" means "submission to God" in Arabic. Muslims believe the Quran is the infallible word of God. With a billion followers, it is the world's fastest-growing religion.

Huma Ansari described the Five Pillars of Islam:

* "Shahada," the belief that there is only one God and the prophet Muhammad is his last messenger.

* "Salat," or prayer. Muslims pray five times a day, facing Mecca. Their primary weekly worship is midday Friday.

* "Zakat" requires Muslims to give 2.5 percent of their disposable income to charity.

* Saum," or fasting, is practiced during the month of Ramadan to remind followers of God and people less fortunate than themselves.

* "Hajj" is the pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim who is financially and physically able must undertake.

Islam forbids murder, promiscuity, theft, gambling and lying.

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ASSISTANT EDITOR: Brian Reissaus, 15.

REPORTER: Ben Hohman, 13.