A Place for Us

by Fatima Farheen Mirza

the stubbornness and pride that came with being human, the desire to be loyal and generous that came too, each impulse at odds with the other.

there was no real way to quantify the goodness of a person—that religion gave templates and guidelines but there were ways it missed the mark entirely.

every human had the right to choose who they loved, and how, and that belief was in exact accordance with her faith: that it is the individual’s right to choose, and the individual’s duty to empathize with one another.

“Don’t you know—that’s the thing—everyone is not just good. Everyone is trying to be good. And everyone feels this way sometimes, that they are not good, and not good at trying either.”

Actions took on their own momentum.

“Be careful who you point your blame at, Layla. And remember that anytime you point your finger to accuse someone, there are three fingers beneath it, curled to point right back at you.”