Dr. Ruqayyah Hafiz, born in the City of Al Wakrah, Qatar, moved to the Capital region of Canada at the age of nineteen in the summer of 1998. She studied Psychology at the University of Ottawa, eventually becoming a renowned psychiatrist and best-selling author. In her practice, Dr. Hafiz treated a lot of Muslims, seeking to reconcile good mental health with the rigors of Muslim life, especially in a nation that was somewhat reluctant to embrace members of the Islamic faith.
"It is my duty to help my people," Dr. Hafiz thought to herself, as she continued her work to help bring good mental health to the Islamic community. Most people in Canada and beyond had no idea how tough life could be for Muslim immigrants living in the West. They thought that everyone should simply adjust to their way of life and way of thinking, and that was that. Culture shock was a real thing, and one that was seldom addressed in psychiatry.
Such simplistic thinking deeply troubled Dr. Ruqayyah Hafiz. Of course, she understood the reasons behind that all too well. There was something of an empathy gap between Muslim immigrants and citizens of Western society. That's because the average Westerner never put himself or herself in the shoes of a Muslim newcomer to North America or Europe. How would a blonde housewife from London, UK, fare in a place like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example?
Dr. Hafiz counselled everyone from Muslim males conflicted about their homosexual or bisexual tendencies to Muslim housewives who fell out of love with their husbands and felt deep guilt over it, to young Muslims at odds with their parents over questions of westernization and assimilation. She also dealt with white women who married Muslim immigrant men, and Muslim women with lesbian or bisexual tendencies involved in relationships with non-Muslim women. Welcome all and take all kinds, that was Dr. Hafiz's motto.
One of the most difficult patients that Dr. Ruqayyah Hafiz ever had was a young Somali-Canadian Muslim man named Bilal Osman. Six feet three inches tall with a strong build, dark brown skinned and handsome, Bilal was born to bricklayer Salim Osman, an immigrant originally from the Puntland region of Somalia, and a white mother originally from the Quebec side, schoolteacher Helene Duplessis. Bilal was the son of two very different worlds, who didn't seem to fit in anywhere.
After his parents got divorced, Bilal began hanging out with the wrong crowd. The Court System of Ontario sent the troubled young man to Dr. Hafiz's practice, and from that moment on, life would never be the same for either of them. At the time, Dr. Hafiz was dealing with issues in her marriage to Yasser Mahfouz, a wealthy Saudi-Canadian businessman who simply couldn't understand why Ruqayyah refused to quit her practice and become the good housewife that he needed her to be. The couple landed in couples counseling, and subsequently, divorce court.
Still reeling from her divorce, Dr. Hafiz began treating Bilal Osman, who, at eighteen years old, was cocky, overconfident, and a loudmouth. Nevertheless, Dr. Hafiz did her best, and she managed to get the Court System of Ontario off of Bilal's back. After he stopped coming to sessions, Bilal kept in touch with the good doctor. He left the City of Ottawa, Ontario, and moved to Alberta, where he worked in the oil sands. Along the way, Bilal earned a degree in Computer Science at Athabasca University.
Fast forward five years, and Dr. Ruqayyah Hafiz and Bilal Osman had moved on with their lives. The good doctor published three best-selling books, the first one, A Muslim Woman's Choice, dealt with divorce from the perspective of a Muslim woman, and was lauded by academics, women's groups, and the like. The second one, A Muslim's Right To Love, dealt with controversial issues like interracial relationships, racism, gay and lesbian relationships and the clash between young folks and elders in the Islamic community.
Dr. Hafiz sent Bilal Osman a signed copy of each book, and the Somali brother was most grateful. He sent her an authentic mink coat he bought from a Native fur trader as a gift, along with a picture of himself and his girlfriend, a young Lebanese Christian woman named Selena Nahas. For some reason, Dr. Hafiz's heart winced when she saw the picture, but she quickly banished the thought and told herself that she was happy that Bilal was doing so well.
When Bilal returned to Ottawa, he sent Ruqayyah an email, inviting her to grab lunch at Bridgehead, a nice café located not far from her old office, and talk about old times. Although Ruqayyah Hafiz never admitted this to anyone, she was quite fond of Bilal Osman, whom she considered one of her success stories. With so many young Somali Muslim men in jail, Ruqayyah was glad to see one of them doing well. It gladdened her sometimes jaded heart...
"Sister, I think you're beautiful, I've always thought it, actually," Bilal Osman said, seemingly out of the blue, surprising Ruqayyah. The brother gently laid his hand on Ruqayyah's, and gave it a firm squeeze. The lady looked at the tall, dark and handsome, well-dressed young Somali man who sat opposite her and paused for a moment. How do I tell him that although I want him as badly as he wants me, we simply cannot be? Ruqayyah wondered, feeling a bit perplexed.
"Brother, I am flattered by your affections, Wallahi, if only I were fifteen years younger, trust me, you don't need an old bat like me, you need a young woman your own age," Ruqayyah Hafiz replied, sighing deeply. Bilal looked at her, his facial expression carefully neutral, and Ruqayyah wondered what was going on behind that handsome face. He's even better-looking than I remember, Ruqayyah thought, then chastised herself for the direction her mind went.
"Funny you should mention that, Doc, my girlfriend Selena left me because her Lebanese parents don't like black folks, or mixed folks for that matter," Bilal said flatly, and Ruqayyah's heart skipped a beat. Bilal's single, she thought excitedly, for some reason. The two of them sat at the back of Bridgehead, which was almost empty and afford them some privacy.
