Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims

by Yasmine Mohammed

Holding back the tears was proving too much. I had to let go. I had to release the pressure or I would end up in another full-on panic attack, and I had to avoid that at all costs. Panic attacks are too painful and too terrifying. Even though I knew my mom would be mad at me for embarrassing her, I let it all out. I heaved out all of the tears I had been holding back. The guests turned their backs on me. I suppose they felt awkward and uncomfortable seeing me sitting there crying like that, so they just ignored me and filled up their plates with more food. I sat there and stared at this surreal scene in front of me, trying to talk myself out of fainting. Many years later, when the Internet became a thing, I came across countless pictures of Muslim brides crying at their weddings. As alone as I felt that day, I now know that I was not alone. I was joining the millions of girls before me and the millions of girls after me who were pressured into marriages they did not want. They are not tears of joy, as they would be at an average wedding in the West. They are tears of anguish, betrayal, and hopelessness.