This title is the name of famous 2010 Bollywood movie. It has been classified as the most expensive movie of 2010. It stars Shahrukh Khan, who's otherwise known as “The King of Bollywood,” and for his fame and good looks. The movie broke box-office records around the world and was the highest-grossing Bollywood film at the time.

The movie is about a man with Aspergers who gets stopped by airport security when he travels with his wife and children in United States. Airport security stops him because of his name—KHAN-- and the movie is a series of events thereafter.

I think that anybody who has this surname can relate to this character because KHAN is flagged as one name that is easily copied and used to manufacture fake passports.

My name is Sofia khan. I was born in Montreal and I am as Québecois as maple syrup. I am very modern minded, have very liberal political views, love to travel, and I love fashion, especially my brand-new BCBG heels! I am happily married with three handsome young men. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family.

My biggest problem is that my name KHAN. It has a long history in the world. Many great men -- men who were great leaders, great politicians and great conquerors went by this name. But in Canada and the USA it is often flagged at airports as a name that may be held with terrorists.

I recently went to Mexico with three other moms for a “mommies’ getaway." My friend did all the bookings. She travels extensively but was unable to check in online, a first time for her. She tried multiple times to check in on line and get our boarding passes for our group but could not. Finally with my head down I had to say it....…" it’s because of me that you can’t check in online, my name is ….uh..uh…is on the terrorist list….not my fist name, just my last name…..But I get cleared after they verify my passport…..”

My vacation buddies were speechless.

It’s funny. I am always randomly checked at the security gates, and randomly checked to go through the body scanner. When I get to my destination, I have a note in my suitcase; YOUR LUGGAGE WAS SELECTED TO BE RANDOMLY SEARCHED.

Of course I go along with all the security measures stipulated by border security because it’s absolutely crucial to travel safely.

A surname is something we need to be proud of. It’s part of our heritage, our ancestry. It tells the story of our origins, of the bloodline of our forefathers. But for me, a lover of world travel, it’s become an issue.

I am Muslim and I’m proud of my heritage. I am proud of my religious roots as well. I am thankful that my parents taught me about the existence of God. My parents had a holistic version of religion, that the Quran was the last testament and we need to remember all of the prophets from our holy book, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Elias, Job, Jacob, Jesus, etc..

But what does it mean to be Muslim?

It means to believe in one God – the same God who created Adam and Eve; who helped Moses part the red sea; who blessed the Virgin Mary with Jesus. Many people don’t realize that for Muslims – for me -Islam is a continuation of the Judeo-Christian traditions.

To me, being a “good” Muslim lies in appreciating the simple things in life. It means to remember God and to thank Him for the blessings of everyday life. It means to help the poor when they can’t help themselves. It means to be kind to your parents, children, and community members.

As a Muslim woman, I’m sometimes asked why I don’t wear a head covering, or why I wear shorts in the heat of the sun or why I wear a bathing suit when I take my children to the beach. What I answer is that Islam is the middle ground. It is not meant to be a hindrance but a help in whatever culture you live. I want to blend so that I can make connections with members of my community, so I can influence their view of Islam in a positive way. Islam, to me, is about beauty and hope and inclusiveness. It makes me so sad that lately it has such a negative connotation.

To me, faith in the ONE God means hope, security, history, and humility. Hope - because when I am at a difficult point in my life I use Him to give me courage to get through adversity. Security - because I know that when I need to turn to Him for strength, He is there for me. In Islam we say that God is closer to you than your jugular vein. History - because it’s important to know the history of the world and the history of God, how it started and how many of us in different parts of the world are all connected by our different ways of worship. I find inspiration from reading holy books like the Quran, and also the Bible. Researching biblical history helps in understanding the meaning of God and how he has helped our forefathers. It connects us to our people of the past and to the people of different traditions, we learn that we are all related in our search for faith. To truly understand Islam we have to start with the bible. Humility - because I realize that I am just a small part of our complex world and God has His angels working for Him who in turn work for us.

I moved to Laval thirteen years ago, and this beautiful city has allowed me to keep my faith and make many friends from different faiths. We have interesting conversations and some good old-fashioned interfaith dialogue. I am impressed to see that the Lavalois are very open-minded and respectful of other’s races and religions. I look forward to making even more friends here in Laval -- both Muslim and non-Muslim.

The best part of coming home to Laval is that my name goes unnoticed because here, no one cares that my last name is Khan. Here, we give and receive respect -- no matter where they came from.